Experiences moving from small to large format?

[Eric_6227]

Hello,

I have always shot in 35mm and medium format, hand-held, in natural light. For medium format, I use an old Rollei TLR and a Mamiya 7 rangefinder, allowing me to work much the same as in 35mm. Since I am just getting started in large format, I am wondering if anyone else can share their experiences moving from smaller to large formats. Or did you all start off in large format? Clearly, large format is a slower, comtemplative way of working. My biggest hurdle so far is working with a tripod, which makes me feel tied down. Any suggestions? Did any of you go through similar experiences or learning curve? How long before you got comfortable with the new format, and how do you think it changed your work or way of seeing. Thanks.

[Bruce Watson]

Working in LF makes you realize things about the way you were working in 35mm. Most people, myself included, tend to adjust our framing and points of view in 35mm by putting the camera to our eye and moving our feet. You don't realize that you do it, and in particular, how easy it is to work this way, until you can't do it anymore.

Interestingly, I find that having this taken away from me makes me a better photographer. It forces me to think before I shoot, literally. I have to walk the scene to find the point of view that will let me make the photograph I want, then setup there - not the other way around.

But don't let this make you feel tied down. Instead, let this make you feel liberated. You are free of that camera on your face making you adjust to *its* needs. Now you are free to think about the photograph you want to make, and positioning the camera to meet *your* needs. This is an entirely different and much better way of working. At least for me it is.

[Frank Petronio]

Switching between loose and formal photography doesn't have to be an either-or proposition. You can shoot large format lose and small format formal. In fact, using something like a rangefinder focused Crown Graphic and a monopod might be a good transition.

Getting a good tripod makes a lot of difference too. I always liked using my more expensive (of course) solid Gitzo over the shakely Bogen. Getting a good ground glass viewing system figured out - an old black t-shirt or a fancy viewing binocular - helps, as well as practicing the simple techniques and patterns you need to make shooting LF almost mindless and easy.

In other words, the more you do it the more comfortable and better you'll become -- duh -- but you have to endure a few silly mistakes and not get discouraged early on.

[Brian Vuillemenot]

I went through a similar transition from 35 mm through MF to LF. Very few people start off directly in LF. For about a year, it took a lot of gettting used to. My main hurdle was having to look through a dark cloth and compose on the ground glass. Although I had always used tripods, with 35 mm adn MF I was used to being able to compose through a viewfinder, allowing me to move the camera around to change the compostions. With LF, you pretty much have to have the composition in your head before you set up the camera. Another transition is getting used to the working process- composing on the ground glass, using the camera movements, light metering, loading the film, etc. This can take quite a bit of practice, and one mistake will mess up the whole process. Several times during the first year, I planned on getting rid of the 4X5 and going back to MF. What kept me going were the beautiful chromes I produced on a light box. Compared with 4X5s, MF transparencies just seem so insignificant! After a year of using the camera several times a month, I was fairly comfortable with the whole working process, but even after 4 years I'm still learning some of the subtle nuances of the camera. Good luck with your transition- I'ts definately worth it, just take your time, concentrate, and be sure to get lots of practice!

P.S.- one more thing to get used to are the masses of onlookers who will watch you photograph and ask you all kinds of sometimes innane questions!

[Ron Marshall]

The biggest difference for me is that I slowed down and considered my composition and lighting more. With 35mm I often would go into point and shoot mode. looking at the contact sheet I would realise all the things I could easily have done to improve the image.

[Jim Rhoades]

My suggestion would be to sit down and review all of your other work. Every print or slide you ever made. Now, how many of them could have been made with a tripod? Unless your a photojournalist or street shooter most could have been made with a tripod. That means all of those photographs could have been made better. Yes, a tripod slows you down. Is that bad? The photo will be sharper and better composed. With a tripod you will look at the edges more and have less suprises of trees growing out of peoples heads.

You should have been using a tripod for your 6x6 and 6x7 work. You may not believe me now or you might think I'm blowing smoke. In a year of working with L/F you will find that you will also use that damn tripod even with the TLR. Once you reach that level you will see diminishing returns on M/F vs 4x5. That's when you will start thinking about 5x7 or 8x10.

[Patricia Langer]

When I worked in 35 mm, I always used a tripod. It allowed me to compose carefully, and then to step away from the camera, take a breath, then a final look into the viewfinder to check the edges of my frame. When I moved to LF, I began using my 35 for handheld work and enjoy the spontaneous and serendipitous experience. I also will use my medium format rangefinder handheld.
To your point of the value of being on a tripod... in my own experience, it creates a whole new relationship to seeing. First of all, when I am compelled to stop and make a picture, what initially caught my eye is rarely the photograph I end up making. This is because while I am on the tripod I move my camera around until the composition shows itself. Also, the image being upside down is a wonderful thing. It allows me to take the labels off things, so that I am looking at line, shape and form and the relationship between these dynamics. So, a tree is no longer a tree, but a visual experience particular to the composition on the ground glass. I can't imagine how this would be possible without a tripod.
I can't make a respectable landscape off a tripod, because it would briefly considered and shallowly examined. However, I am able to compose my handheld work ( casual portraits, street shooting, travel stuff) more quickly and feel they are improved because of the discipline of tripod use.
Using a tripod facilitates deeper seeing and that has a ripple effect through other formats handheld. I don't enjoy lugging the beast around, but it's worth it.

[paulr]

the only part of the transition i didn't like was discovering all the new kinds of mistakes you can make with a big camera.

just be prepared to waste a bunch of film, and to patiently convince yourself that you're not actually stupid. once you make each or the major kinds of blunders a couple of times, it will all become second nature.

i felt liberated by the big camera, because i'd been using a small camera as if it were large format ... on a tripod, slowly, carefully. i was fighting the format, and sticking with it only until i could finally afford to switch.

[Eric Woodbury]

I started with smaller formats and worked up and then back. Now I use them all. What did I learn?

You take different pictures with different cameras.

(Oh yes, and I like to buy cameras.)

[Jay DeFehr]

I shoot 35mm, MF and LF on a regular basis. I don't like tripods, but use one out of necessity for 8x10 work. I don't find any value in a tripod apart from holding cameras too large to hold by hand, but that's just me. Until very recently, my go-to outfit was an RB67, which I shoot handheld, and get tack-sharp negs, but if I had to give up a format today, it would be MF. I print 90% of my work at 8x10, and I've recently begun using a developer that allows me to shoot TMY in 35mm with fast lenses in low light, and make beautifully sharp, grainless, 9x13 prints, which covers 90% of my enlarging needs. I'm confident that I could make excellent 14x20 prints from the same negs if I wanted to, but I haven't had occasion to do so. I won't give up LF for its strengths, which for me, are the vintage portrait lenses and contact printing processes, which combine to produce qualities unobtainable by other means. If I could do it without a tripod, I'd be happier for it.

Jay