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Well, it's now 2022 and here in Sydney I am very grateful to you for putting this together. I'm rekindling my old passion for LF and will be launching myself at portraits, some local scenes, macro...

Hello again and a big thanks for taking the time to respond. I appreciate your thoughts and insights.

As for the 3800, I've replaced the 5 inks that were low, gently shaking the old ones and have...

Hello folks,

last week I was fortunate enough to be given an Epson 3800 printer and a V700 scanner, both in excellent condition - at least cosmetically - and have a few questions if you don't...

Hi George - yes, you are correct. However, I travel through LAX regularly and in all these years it was the first time I'd been told by Qantas that my bags were checked through. She was adamant and I...

Hi Fred - yes, the bike gear is certainly not something I'd like to lose. However, I'm not sure how effective it will be at some of the temperatures around here and with random icing beginning soon,...

Hi Greg - I'll ask around about Highwood Pass - sounds interesting. Being able to operate my camera wearing a ton of clothing and 3 inch thick gloves could pose a challenge for an Aussie who has just...

Well, it's Sunday now and I can report that my bags finally turned up during yesterday. Unfortunately there was little time and lighting available to take the shots I was really after but at least I...

Indeed, choosing to spend my jet-lag adjustment days in Banff before heading to Calgary on business. If I was paying, instead of spending 9 weeks in the Sheraton - I'd sleep on a bench somewhere and...

Had I been more *with-it* yesterday, I would have considered this approach. It's been great wandering around with my Linhof viewfinder in any case - learning to visualise more effectively has been a...

Hi Greg,

yes, you are right. I shouldn't be too hard on them - perhaps I can blame jet-lag eh? :)

So far no luck but will keep trying. That hand-holding might soon become a reality for me....

Hi Welly,

it would be great to be able to shoot without a tripod and I may have that chance when I can get organised here! Scheimpflug by hand sounds awfully tricky... :)

Cheers,
David

Hello Hans and many thanks.
David

Hi Fred,

thanks for your message - more frustrated than steamed I guess. Such an unnecessary waste. Hopefully - if the goods have been taken - they go to someone who needs them more than me!

If...

Hi George,

the problem was that I was given bad advice in Sydney. The lady at Qantas (Sydney) check-in told me she was checking my bags through LAX to Calgary and that they'd be in Calgary without...

Hello Joseph,

thanks for your note. I understand your check-in anxiety but I'm sure you'll be OK. I have flown probably several hundred times over the recent years and this will be my first actual...

Hello George,

many thanks for this advice. I will certainly do so and fingers crossed I won't have brought out all this gear for a dozen blurry images!

Much appreciated!

Cheers,
David

Hi all,

well, a couple of days ago I flew Sydney to LA then LA to Calgary, arriving to discover that none of my checked in luggage had made it (and now, 30 hours later it appears that it never...

Hi all and sorry for the 'blackout' - my assignment in Canada left me with precious little time.

A couple of weeks ago I had my client post some of my "checked-in" film off to "The Lab" in...

Hi Ralph,

thank you for your response - perhaps you've inspired me even further with your lovely micrometer shot. As a woodworker I've acquired some lovely gear over the years - especially planes....

Hi Vinny,

you are right - I do use the rear slide to set up my 90 and 72mm lenses, so why not for focussing? Perhaps it's easier than I'd assumed.

As for frustrating - bring it on! This only...

Hello Michael,

you are right. As mentioned in my response to Ken's post, starting today I will get out there with my lenses and have a first 'stab'. As said, my Chamonix gives around 400mm of draw...

Hello Ken and thank you for your response. I just had a "wow" experience. It is precisely your "Botanicals" series which has been the main seed for this aspirational direction and here you are...

Hello all,

well, after researching my little heart out on LF macro, I am left with a few questions. To put them in context, here are my aims and current gear:

- want to document the natural...

Yes, unexposed is something of a blessing. The shame of it is that the US guys on X-ray were very happy to hand-check, so it would have been a complete breeze to get them in untouched.

Oh well -...

Hi all,

I've just had the horror of realising that I've managed to forget to take my film out of my checked bag and it's just flown from LA to Calgary. Film included:

- 2 x 4x5 Velvia 100F (20...

Hello Mike - thank you for your compliment. I try not to take comments such as those I responded to personally. The guy is out there trying to make a living and I wish the best for him. He's chosen a...

Hello Dennis and thank you very much for your kind words. While I do have a lot of experience (in the lower formats... hehe), I am quite astonished at my reaction to the whole process - perhaps it...

Hello Rick,

my apologies.

Regards,
David

While I'm boring you... ;-)

...one point I haven't added is my sheer disbelief at the incredible depth and tonality that these images contain. What staggers me is the resolving capability of a...

Many thanks folks for the compliments - they are much appreciated. I've just come back from shooting 2 frames in 2 hours! This is joy... :)

Now I have to wait - oh the anxiety!

Cheers,
David

I'm not sure if this was intended to create a reaction but you have touched upon an important point here and I thank you for it.

You see, I have specifically chosen the LF route now precisely to...

Hello Jim - many thanks for your kind words. I'm very much in awe of the camera (it is a thing of art in itself), knowing the potential it has in the expert hands of many folk such as yourself. I've...

Hi all,

well, after over 30 years of photography of all sorts, I've finally purchased and now shot my very own large format camera thanks to the great encouragement from many of you and many more...

Thank you Dan and Les - more research to be done! It's a bit hard to get clear in my mind how to attack the few days I'll have. Part of the problem is that I've never shot LF before and the extent to...

Thank you everyone. I find myself strangely drawn to the Spanish missions and many of your other generous suggestions sound wonderful too. My potential photography time may be further limited by a...

Hi TGR,

wow - sounds like I'll have to put any thoughts of jet-lag on hold. Maybe book an earlier flight over (like a month???) or hire a Ferrari (and not bother too much about speed limits...)....

Hello folks,

Can't help thinking I'm almost a legitimate poster as I sit here in Sydney awaiting the arrival of my shiny new Chamonix 045F-1. Anyway - I will be flying into LA on Wed 7 Aug,...

Hello David,

and thanks to you too Alan - I will be taking your advice. I'm sure initially the whole process will confuse, frustrate and dishearten me somewhat and best to keep it as simple as...

Hi Alan,

I just popped down to my computer to tempt myself into taking the plunge and saw your words... A couple of clicks later and voila! One mint Schneider APO 150/5.6 Symmar MC is mine, all...

Hey Dr Tang,

I too have a closet full of boxes full of images (along with too many terrabytes on too many hard drives...). I also like the idea of doing something different to the crowds along...