Why shooting large format in these times?

[Brassai]

Digital photos have become very uniform and all have the same look. I just got bored with it. I love shooting my lenses made from 1845-1858, and my little collection of lenses made 1900-1928 on my Chamonix 045n using b&w film. I get a very unique vintage look that virtually no one else is doing. The soft low contrast look is the opposite of what 99% of the other photographers out there are doing. I also love the feeling of connection with the photographers from long in the past. I think the original owners of the lenses & cameras I use would be pleasantly surprised.

[Darryl Baird]

There are many excellent answers above that compare price (which is huge if you are really serious about the craft, but poor), process, and vision, etc.

I'd add there are simply images that only a full view camera, with all it's controls available, can make. Full tilt/shift with BOTH from and rear isn't available in a portable, affordable digital rig. Add in the fun of acquiring cheap, semi-cult lenses (like Mark Sawyers' magnifying glass lenses), or the availability to adapt ANY optic to the front if you can manage a slow exposure or position a shutter behind the lens.

I started buying much better LF equipment after digital "killed" the professional market… love having 4x5 Sinar P gear in the studio and on short field excursions for less than my last DSLR (Canon 7D). Add a cheap rotary base, some used Jobo tubes and you have a portable darkroom. I take mine to New Mexico each summer. Love it, love it, love it. Nothing in the DSLR world gives me this much satisfaction that I control EVERYTHING… no programmers are between me and my images ...and that is priceless.

One other "benefit" is that you really have to learn your craft. There ain't no f**king Instagram going to make your crap look decent in LF.

[Cletus]

Art. Craft. Photographs and silver prints, not 'captures' and Photoshop files. Contemplation and focus instead of 11fps, AF-S 24-300mm zoom, spray-n-pray. Precious, tangible, silver negatives you can hold in your hand, that YOU created and which can last almost forever. Fine prints laid in pure silver, or platinum, on fine paper.

[gregmo]

Like many others, I fell in love with the process of LF. There is much more control over each aspect from start to finish and the feeling of being a larger part in creation of each photograph. The quality level is another big reason for me shooting LF..I mostly shoot 5x7 & 617. I mostly do large-very large prints for my clients.

[Peter Gomena]

I simply enjoy using a large format camera. (Or medium format.) I don't enjoy fighting with stupid menus in the great outdoors.

It's like the difference between doing calligraphy and using Microsoft Word.

[Kodachrome25]

Which are your reasons to shot Large Format?

I don't like digital and use a darkroom to print, it is considerably easier to print 4x5 negatives compared to medium format and much easier than 35mm. I also have plans to print as large as I can and 4x5 makes that a lot easier too. That being said, 120 is still my favorite format.

[Bernice Loui]

The idea and belief that a full frame, 36 MP DSLR equals 4x5 sheet film appears to be more marketing myth that works on the image makers ideal that "I" can get stunning resolution, color, contrast ratio and all that with the instant gratification of digital and post image creation control with digital alterations.. Simply put, more is better, instant is better.

Then we have "Instagram" or allow us to put the expression and creativity into your mundane digital images that separates you from the rest... Plays on the same impulses that getting that new photo widget will make those wonderful images for me at an instant regardless of the image maker's ability of creativity/craft/skill and....

IMO, digital is not better than film, or film is better than digital they are simply different. Different image making tools for different requirements and different results.

About two years ago, I got one of those full frame DSLR cameras to use and learn. Yes, the images look good on the monitor screen, yes the 20" x 30" color prints look OK from these digital files, but they do not look like a color image made using the film based process. In many ways, the current crop of small digital cameras fit the same tool spot as the traditional 35mm camera, they are ideal for capture the moment or decisive moment images. Except the digital camera tends to create a pile of images from some image makers that are less than expressive.

One of my long time photographer friends owns a small studio, she has done well enough to have a staff of young adult image makers (her market is corporate portraits, weddings, events and video.. or where the $ appears to be). She sent one of her staff out to get some images of the Golden Gate Bridge.. about 500 digital frames later, zero met her expectations for what the client needed. Guess who had to re-do this spray and pray fiasco.. More is not better...

There are things I like about using a DSLR. Example, when I'm at a motor sports event with the guys I'll take the DSLR and a few zoom lenses and etc and return with a large number of interesting images..

What digital has not offered is the the entire experience of image craft that only sheet film can offer. It is simply a different method of image making. It is much about crafting an image from one's mind rather than just reacting to the potential image that can be made at that moment.

There is much using a view camera can teach about the art and craft of image making.

I think to truly experience what sheet film image craft is about requires the image maker/photographer/artist to do every step in the process from loading film to dry mounting the finished print and signing it.

While this may appear to be so tedious and time consuming with messy chemistry.. Consider for a moment the hours spent sorting image files, hours of digital file tinkering in front of a monitor, the computer issues, the software issues and...

Regardless of the process used, skill, creativity, resources and time is always required to craft and create an expressive image film based or digital based.

For me, I have been using a view camera for so long that is has become habit and the craft and experience of using this image making tool is most satisfying in so many ways. The results, the in camera image control only offered by a large sheet of film, the personalities offered by each lens and ....
Maybe this is simply ingrained habits and a refusal to completely accept "modern" image making tools.. What does matter is the results work for me..


Bernice

A year ago I began to teach Large Format Photography to small groups of amateur photographers, (from 1 to a maximum of 3). Most of them are medium format users who want to go one steep beyond in image quality, and the least are just curious about large format and want to know more and try a large format camera.
I always introduce them to Large Format Photography showing various samples of prints and transparencies taken with large format gear and explaining with the samples the advantages we all know about Large Format Photography.
In my last workshop one of my students, (One of the just curious about Large Format), asked me why shooting large format today, when the gap in quality between a 36MP full frame SLR digital camera and 4x5 format is very narrow, the offer in film is reducing day by day, there is no color film available for 5x7, the scarce color film available for 8x10 is prohibitive expensive in Europe and the two major lens makers have drastically reduced their Large Format lens portfolio?. Not to mention the slowness of Large Format process in general.
I told him that Large Format helps to concentrate in the image, have a more reflexive approach to the subject, the distinctive aspect of a Large Format image and the pleasure of the process of "making" Large Format images.
Which are your reasons to shot Large Format?

[Jim collum]

well said.

To satisfy that 'craft' aspect, I've gone to using the digital output for alt-process prints.

However, this is nowhere near enough to fully satisfy the other aspects of LF .. the experience of shooting the big camera, the alchemy of film.

The idea and belief that a full frame, 36 MP DSLR equals 4x5 sheet film appears to be more marketing myth that works on the image makers ideal that "I" can get stunning resolution, color, contrast ratio and all that with the instant gratification of digital and post image creation control with digital alterations.. Simply put, more is better, instant is better.

Then we have "Instagram" or allow us to put the expression and creativity into your mundane digital images that separates you from the rest... Plays on the same impulses that getting that new photo widget will make those wonderful images for me at an instant regardless of the image maker's ability of creativity/craft/skill and....

IMO, digital is not better than film, or film is better than digital they are simply different. Different image making tools for different requirements and different results.

About two years ago, I got one of those full frame DSLR cameras to use and learn. Yes, the images look good on the monitor screen, yes the 20" x 30" color prints look OK from these digital files, but they do not look like a color image made using the film based process. In many ways, the current crop of small digital cameras fit the same tool spot as the traditional 35mm camera, they are ideal for capture the moment or decisive moment images. Except the digital camera tends to create a pile of images from some image makers that are less than expressive.

One of my long time photographer friends owns a small studio, she has done well enough to have a staff of young adult image makers (her market is corporate portraits, weddings, events and video.. or where the $ appears to be). She sent one of her staff out to get some images of the Golden Gate Bridge.. about 500 digital frames later, zero met her expectations for what the client needed. Guess who had to re-do this spray and pray fiasco.. More is not better...

There are things I like about using a DSLR. Example, when I'm at a motor sports event with the guys I'll take the DSLR and a few zoom lenses and etc and return with a large number of interesting images..

What digital has not offered is the the entire experience of image craft that only sheet film can offer. It is simply a different method of image making. It is much about crafting an image from one's mind rather than just reacting to the potential image that can be made at that moment.

There is much using a view camera can teach about the art and craft of image making.

I think to truly experience what sheet film image craft is about requires the image maker/photographer/artist to do every step in the process from loading film to dry mounting the finished print and signing it.

While this may appear to be so tedious and time consuming with messy chemistry.. Consider for a moment the hours spent sorting image files, hours of digital file tinkering in front of a monitor, the computer issues, the software issues and...

Regardless of the process used, skill, creativity, resources and time is always required to craft and create an expressive image film based or digital based.

For me, I have been using a view camera for so long that is has become habit and the craft and experience of using this image making tool is most satisfying in so many ways. The results, the in camera image control only offered by a large sheet of film, the personalities offered by each lens and ....
Maybe this is simply ingrained habits and a refusal to completely accept "modern" image making tools.. What does matter is the results work for me..


Bernice

[DannL]

I think we would agree that most of us "enjoy the process", the challenges, and the "end result" of working with large sheets of film and traditional photographic processes. Simply put, the end justifies the means. If you don't like a good challenge, and you don't like hard work, then working with film is probably not for you.

[Jim Noel]

It gives me a raging boner every time I open the shutter.

At 84 I wish I could say that. I would make a lot more negatives.