What is Large Format??

[Jim Galli]

Is it the mechanics of image capture and camera operation, or the goal to produce an image of the highest possible technical quality,.

This too is wide open to different ideas. For 98+ % of LF practitioners the only goal is to make the worlds sharpest picture. If that's the only desired end result, there will be a lot of LF gear flooding the market in the next 5 years. Indeed, I think that's where we are heading. If however you feel there is some merit in pictorial work that can only be accomplished with large capture, 5X7 and above for reasons of tonality, and lenses with unique signature, there is no challenge what-so-ever from the modern electronic capture. And there will always be other hold out areas. Try to capture the drama of a steam locomotive passing by with a stitching program. Or set up a pictorial romantic nostalgic shot of the nameplate on the front of the same engine. Just 2 of zillions of possibilities where the DSLR will leave you cold. If anything, the DSLR's will weed out some who have less imagination in their art.

[Kirk Gittings]

What I found most valuable in the large format photography forum is that it tends to attract certain types of discerning photographers.

This is the essence of the strength of this forum.

[BradS]

This too is wide open to different ideas. For 98+ % of LF practitioners the only goal is to make the worlds sharpest picture. If that's the only desired end result, there will be a lot of LF gear flooding the market in the next 5 years. Indeed, I think that's where we are heading. If however you feel there is some merit in pictorial work that can only be accomplished with large capture, 5X7 and above for reasons of tonality, and lenses with unique signature, there is no challenge what-so-ever from the modern electronic capture. And there will always be other hold out areas. Try to capture the drama of a steam locomotive passing by with a stitching program. Or set up a pictorial romantic nostalgic shot of the nameplate on the front of the same engine. Just 2 of zillions of possibilities where the DSLR will leave you cold. If anything, the DSLR's will weed out some who have less imagination in their art.

Very well said Jim. Thank you.

[SAShruby]

"My original question still stands: WHO exactly is it that defines what is or what isn't this format or that format or indeed what is or is not photography? "

The answer is time.

As someone pointed that 4x5 used to be not considered large format, but the technology of making photograph was still evolving. Capture areas were still going down finally to APS which is smaller than 35mm. Evolution finished. Since then formats got their nemas and groups.

Digital is at beginning of the evolution and it wil for years to come. Also you compare digital photography to film photography like I would compare 100 years ago painting to film photography. Did Film assumed standards of paintings? No. Maybe yes, at the beginning. But not anymore.

Cheers,

[tim atherton]

Digital is at beginning of the evolution and it wil for years to come. Also you compare digital photography to film photography like I would compare 100 years ago painting to film photography. Did Film assumed standards of paintings? No. Maybe yes, at the beginning. But not anymore.

Cheers,

photography appropriated a whole bunch of painting (and drawing) terms, ideas and concepts that it still uses and are central to it today

[Marko]

photography appropriated a whole bunch of painting (and drawing) terms, ideas and concepts that it still uses and are central to it today

Including but not limited to the Camera and the Darkroom...

[SAShruby]

photography appropriated a whole bunch of painting (and drawing) terms, ideas and concepts that it still uses and are central to it today

Yes, but not with respect to format.

[ageorge]

If anything, the DSLR's will weed out some who have less imagination in their art.

Thanks for the good laugh.

[Jim Galli]

Thanks for the good laugh.

No problem. You should read all my idiotic posts. You'll be howling all day.

[Greg Miller]

So, can anyone put forth a reasonable argument for excluding
stitching from "large format" that does not exclude some other traditional large format equipment or technique? Luddites need not apply:-)~

I find that many there is a healthy population in this forum that are more about the process than the image. It seems to me that many of of the people who are process oriented only care about [I]their[I] process and don't like it when threads exist that include or discuss some other process.

I shoot LF film and print digitally. Somehow I don't feel the need to trash the people who create threads that deal with other methods of capture and/or printing. I just don't read those threads. I also enjoy any good image; I may be curious about how it was captured or printed but it does not affect my enjoyment of it.