"Machine-gunning"?

[Mark Sawyer]

I've been using a LF camera for around 18 months and am still learning lots. This will probably go on for some time I guess!

As you said, you're still in the learning phase. When the equipment and process become second nature, you'll shoot less and keep more.

I find that it isn't the number of shots that increase the "keepers" but the more times I get to go to a place. I have to "understand it" to get below the superficial level.

Same thing. As Leigh said, "I don't consider this 'machine-gunning' or 'shotgunning'. It's experimentation and learning." And after you get all the experimentation and learning down pat, you'll change lenses or formats or processes or subject matter, and start the whole learning and experimentation thing again... Welcome to the club!

[Drew Wiley]

Sometimes you can find outdated or discount sheet film for the learning curve. But sometimes you'll regret that if you happen to bag a really exceptional shot and
it turns out less than ideal due to the film quality issue itself. And this obviously depends on your budget. I don't like shooting something unless it's worth printing. But sometimes you gotta practice regardless. For just film testing per se, I prefer to try smaller formats first, to get the bugs out. I only average about one 8x10
shot a week, maybe less. I've been on week-long trips hauling an 85 pound packs over mtn ridges and icefields where I only took two shots and regretted wasting one of them, which was probably a backup shot anyway. Then there are those days where I truly need to goof off - but that implies a Nikon, not 8x10 film at ten
or fifteeen bucks a pop. I was reading something the other day about how many tens of thousands of sheets of 4x5 Fujichrome Shirahata shot on just one of his
expeditions, all to cull out about fifty of them for a book. But he was probably being sponsored by Fuji in the first place, or someone else with a big budget. For
the rest of us, machine-gunning is simply not an option. And in my opinion, a sniper with one good bullet usually bags a far more impressive trophy on his outing than any of the machine-gunners.
any

[jp]

I'd say shoot more to learn more. 6 hours of driving in with inflated gasoline/(petrol to you perhaps) prices, what's a few more sheets of film atop that. Think of perfection as a consuming process not a declaration. Even snipers expend much ammo in practice.

[Drew Wiley]

Learning to properly expose and develop film in various situations obviously requires an expenditure of film as well as time. But as far as composition is concerned,
you can spend all the time you want gazing at the groundglass from different perspectives and framing options without actually shooting film.

[Alan Gales]

You should be shooting a lot at first. It's how you learn.

I admit that I was guilty of this and a lot of newbies are. We buy a camera and then start our lens collection when we should be burning through film.

[Leszek Vogt]

Several years ago on DPR one guy shot 10,000 pics of dogs (over a weekend) in motion with his D3....incidentally, he repeated this phenomenon several times. It wasn't just 'machine-gunning' but also (spray-pray) hoping that something useful comes out of this. Many of us learned to arrest the motion with SLR or DSLR with a single exposure....while handholding and manually focusing :>). Anyway, the more shots you make the more you have to process.

I'm with Leigh and others on this. Back ups are good to have and even the saint AA practiced this.

Les

[Drew Wiley]

So who rents the elephants to take you on location with that many holders? Or do you guys just shoot from the road?

[Leigh]

So who rents the elephants to take you on location with that many holders?
Or do you guys just shoot from the road?

I normally drive to the shooting area, then walk to the best vantage point.

Do you walk to the shooting area???

- Leigh

[BrianShaw]

I often use a folding two-wheeled luggage cart to haul my gear from the car to shooting area. But a pacyderm would be a very interesting alternative.

[Greg Miller]

Machine gunning isn't a number, it is a mind-set.