Howdy from Northwestern New Mexico USA. I have been lurking around for years, mainly getting great information from experienced members here. Only recently I have decided to join. My experience in Large Format Photography (actually medium format) began when I was a teenager in the 1970s, shooting with a 40's vintage Kodak Monitor in 620 format, black and white and in color. The 2 1/4 x 3 1/4 format was always fun and enlarged nicely. Went to college at the University of Arizona studying at the Center for Creative Photography, getting a minor in film. Since the early 1980s I have used 4x5 and 8x10, beginning with a Sinar f, Sinar c 8X10, and eventually going the field camera route with a 1988 made Wisner 8x10 Technical Field, weighing in at around 17 lbs. I sold the Wisner just this year. Recently I went to a lighter Sinar f1 in 8x10, so we'll see how that works out.
Shooting Large Format requires dedication, and getting married with children. Nothing better than a wife and sons to help carry a 17 lb camera, 15 lb Gitzo tripod, lenses, etc. My youngest son is now 15 so he has been well schooled in the art of being a camera porter. I don't know what I will do when he heads off to college....
I have shot almost exclusively reversal film in 4x5 and 8x10, enlarging up to 30x40 on Ilfochrome Classic (formerly Cibachrome). I have probably 1800+ large format reversal images shot over the years. I have always loved the direct positive to positive results with Ilforchrome; the saturated colors on that glossy print. My style of photography is more documentary style than pretty pictures. Sometimes I refer to my images as "Large Format Snapshots". I learned that you can sit and wait for hours waiting for that "Supreme Instant" (a Weston quote) with the proper alignment, light, shadow, and it never materializes.
With the phasing out of Ilfochrome Classic, I am resigned to the thought of having high resolution scans done of my past and future reversal images, and trying some new archival digital prints, but I will miss my old positive to positive process.
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