Postdoctoral LF

[bob carnie]

Hi Brian

I spent a weekend with stone lithography, though super cool the process is very demanding, the stones are a couple of hundred pounds apiece
I am very turned on after this weekend to four colour photo gravure , where the heavy pigment ink sits in the plate and is squeezed out.

the stone process is by far the most hands on process I have witnessed.

For my next "photographic degree" I'm thinking of pen and ink sketching too. Or stone lithography. Although... I must admit that mezzotint printing is quite fascinating too.

[rdenney]

just like Walker Evans, use a Rollei

Or Ansel Adams, with a Hasselblad.

In my case, large-format was not an advancement on smaller formats, but rather a tool that worked in situations when smaller formats didn't. If I get to the point where I can't do large format any more, I'll just have to leave those problems unsolved and focus on other problems. I was barely beyond beginner (in the whole process, at least) when I started doing large format as a freshman in college.

For me, graduate school is becoming a really good printer. And I'm afraid that ship has already sailed. But at some point in my life, I have to start doing something with the images I've made. There may be some gold in them thar hills that I've not yet panned for.

Rick "constrained mostly by time" Denney

[Drew Wiley]

I at least have someone who has volunteered to carry my extra week's worth of food on next summer's backpack, which is a favor of equal value to lugging some
of my LF photo gear. Guess I'll have to start a conversation with some of the physics grad students up at UCB, and see if any of them can explain exactly why gravity is a function of time, namely in the sense that it's effect steadily increases over time. E = MC squared (effort = backpack mass times codgerhood). Oh well, shouldn't complain ... I got in some good hill mileage with the pack over the holidays, but never even unpacked the view camera. Ironcially, a few days later I went out and got a bunch of nice shots right next to the road. Fun either way, but I prefer walking.

[Kodachrome25]

When it's time to graduate from LF, where will you go?

Odd...I think you are looking at this wrong, these are tools and as much as I like 4x5, I still find medium format to be my most productive tool. I guess I never "Graduated" then because I make the image the top priority, not social perceptions of gear based value judgements.

[Vaughn]

...Guess I'll have to start a conversation with some of the physics grad students up at UCB, and see if any of them can explain exactly why gravity is a function of time, namely in the sense that it's effect steadily increases over time. E = MC squared (effort = backpack mass times codgerhood)...

There is no gravity...the earth sucks.
Getting old sucks.
Great photographs have a negative suckage.
Try to balance the equation...

[Heroique]

Odd...I think you are looking at this wrong, these are tools and as much as I like 4x5, I still find medium format to be my most productive tool. I guess I never "Graduated" then because I make the image the top priority, not social perceptions of gear based value judgements.

I wouldn't worry too much about not graduating – there's always the GED!

[Brassai]

When I'm too old to lug an 8x10 and big wooden Ries Tripod, I'll resort to an 8x10 and carbon-fiber tripod. .. ... Then to a 6x9 film back .... then to a pine box ?

You mean, a pin hole camera?

[jnantz]

ill just make photograms in the sun

[Drew Bedo]

" Anything more than 100 yards away from the car is just not that interesting"

Edward Weston

[Kimberly Anderson]

I kept thinking this all day on Tuesday. I was working on my post-doc in LF. Shooting the 12x20 about 3/4 of a mile from the road. In deep snow. Downhill from the car. In the wind. In the snow. For several hours. Two days in a row. THAT is my idea of working on a post-doc in LF.

" Anything more than 100 yards away from the car is just not that interesting"

Edward Weston