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Thread: New vision, what tools.

  1. #1

    Join Date
    Feb 2001
    Posts
    35

    New vision, what tools.

    Hi all,

    Looking through my recent work ( hobby only ) I?m just not satisfied with what I getting. The photos are nice, but I?ve seen them before ( mostly landscapes ). I think it?s time to do something radical.

    1. Trash all my old photos that don?t scream Print me! I?ve kept most of my OK shots, the ones in focus, exposed correctly, somewhat interesting, but not photo s that pop. I think purging the marginal work will be very cathartic. 2. I really think I need a change in vision. I want to see what the world looks like upside down and backwards. I?ve decided on 5x7, it?s a nice size for cont act prints and my scanner will handle up to that size for BW quadtones when I ne ed something larger.

    The questions are; 1) Has anyone done this? Did it help your photography? Shou ld I re-think this? 2) I have a limited budget (700 ?900 for a kit with a conv ertible lens, camera, and half a dozen holders). Wobbly wood fields aren?t very appealing. Are there any monorails in this price you can pack into a f 64 bag? I?m kind of a pack mule so wt. isn?t a huge deal as long as it?s within reason . Are their any metal fields for this price I should consider?

    Thank you for your input,

  2. #2

    Join Date
    Jan 2001
    Posts
    112

    New vision, what tools.

    Are you using large format now and thinking of switching to 5x7? Or are you thinking of getting into large format from what? I find that using easy to shoot handheld cameras helps me loosen up. Sometimes you can get tripod bound. It does help that I see alot of great work people do with Diana/Holga cameras. Landscapes too. If you're getting into large format prepare to slow down. I'm not sure that just using large format helps you see images any better but the ones you do see will be technically better.

  3. #3

    Join Date
    Feb 2001
    Posts
    35

    New vision, what tools.

    I shoot MF (70%) and 35 (30%). I have not tried LF, though it's been in the back of my mind, for sure.

  4. #4

    Join Date
    Sep 2000
    Posts
    41

    New vision, what tools.

    I don't know of any 5x7 metal fields or monorails in the $500 range (which is presumably what you'd have to pay if you're going to stay within the $700-900 figure).

    Like Chuck Pere (above), I too wondered where you're coming from. If it's from 35mm, I'd say (prepare for heresy, folks) get a used Fuji 6x9 and a used Beseler 23C enlarger. You'll save a bundle on film costs compared to 5x7 (as with pets, in LF initial purchase price can pale in comparison to ongoing costs) and if you only enlarge to 5x7 most people won't be able to tell the difference between your enlargements and a 5x7 contact print (yes they will; the enlargements will be the ones that don't need spotting!). Best of all, you won't be forever limited to having every photo you ever make be exactly 4.7x6.7 (or whatever the dimensions of 5x7 are). Yes, 5x7 contact prints can be beautiful, but no, I wouldn't want to be limited to that, and if you're going to scan on anything but a drum scanner, 5x7 doesn't give you much of an edge over the next smaller formats.

    Come to think of it, if you're already a LF shooter and are tripod weary, as Chuck notes--it periodically happens to us all!--the Fuji 6x9, handheld, wouldn't be a bad solution for that either. But I doubt you'd be looking at 5x7 if you're already shooting 4x5 or 8x10, at least not in the radical way you hope it might give you "a change in vision."

    Of course, if you're a 35mm or MF user and want to move up to large format, there are ways of getting into 4x5 for $700-900--especially if you're happy with scanning options when it comes to getting larger- than-contact-sized prints. But 5x7 would be tough in that price range unless you're open to really beat-up "wobbly wood fields."

    Good luck. More info on your current/past preferences should lead to more useful responses than I've been able to provide!

    .,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,

  5. #5

    Join Date
    Mar 1998
    Posts
    1,972

    New vision, what tools.

    Answers:Yes it does help. You don't have throw away every thing just put itfor the time being in boxes that you can't get to immediately. But you have to be very decisive: images are either "Yeses!!' or NOs!" with no "Maybes?"

    2.) Start with a Calumet Cadet, and a single high quality lens.

    Here is the essential attitudes to approach this re-visioning with: A.)Take the hardline of being responsible for every square millimeter of the frame.

    B.) If you are looking at the image on the groundglass and you think you have seen the image before, don't waste the film.

    C.) Go to more museums: find work that challenges you ask your self questions about why it challenges or offends you.

    D>) Don't be afraid to play.

  6. #6

    Join Date
    Sep 2000
    Posts
    41

    New vision, what tools.

    I obviously was composing my above response as you were posting your 70%/30% response. I'm surprised to learn that you shoot that much MF (and obviously the Fuji 6x9 wouldn't be a huge difference for you, although my remarks re: 5x7 and 4x5 still are valid).

    .,..,.,.,.,.,.

  7. #7

    Join Date
    Oct 1999
    Posts
    154

    New vision, what tools.

    I agree with Chuck. If you ask me, it was my experiance composing with smaller formats that helped me with composing the larger ones. There is more freedom and ease when using a smaller format. Large formats tend to be very slow and can be cumbersome when you consider everything is tripod mounted. Altough LF movements can enhance an image, the overall image is based on tripod position. I think that if you are getting some uninteresting images with smaller formats, larger formats will not help very much. On the other hand, if you are happy with your images now, switching to LF will enhance your photographs.

  8. #8
    Yes, but why? David R Munson's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 1999
    Location
    Saitama, Japan
    Posts
    1,494

    New vision, what tools.

    Switching to LF and seeing everything upside down and backwards really helped my composition. I've gotten so used to it, though, that composing well with 35mm and MF has become more of a challenge!

    FWIW, The F STOPs Here has a Seneca 5x7 for $725.

  9. #9

    New vision, what tools.

    Well, I will offer a different take... I shoot mostly roll-film, but I do it with a view camera. For me, the issue is the nature of the viewing system of the camera. With most 35 and MF, you look THROUGH the camera. This tends to focus your attention THROUGH the camera at the subject, rather than the image of the subject on the focal plane. With groundglass viewing, your attention is drawn to the image on the glass, and you are forced to pay attention to the composition, the corners, and every other square mm of the image. Format is really secondary. I discovered this when I left my Hasselblad meter-prism behind once, and returned with much better images from having to deal with groundglass viewing. Being inverted and/or reversed helps abstract the image even further.

  10. #10

    New vision, what tools.

    Depending upon what MF outfit you are using, you might find moving up to a medium-format view camera a cost-effective way to get you out of your rut. For instance, if you're shooting with an RB67, you can buy a Galvin 2x3 and use your existing backs, thus saving you a few bucks that you can put toward a second lens.

    Although you might think that shooting the same format as before with a different camera isn't much of a change, the pace of working with a view camera is considerably slower and viewing your compositions with a ground-glass, upside down and backward, instead of through a finder will almost certainly cause you to look at your subjects differently.

    Of course, when I found myself in a rut, I opted for a retro approach and started shooting with my Minolta Autocords, both hand-held and on a tripod. Although they're not for everybody, they're cheap and what they do well, they do very well indeed.

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