I have a fairly low bar for success in this LF thing, it makes my world much simpler. I think I have a successful session if I forget to close the shutter before pulling the darkslide only once, remember my filter for B&W, and at least think about bellows compensation before shooting. Even TRYING to keep detail in both the shadows and the highlights is still a fantasy.
My trip out last week I accidentally set the wrong ISO on my meter (off by 1 stop) for 2 sheets of film and forgot to close the shutter before pulling the darkslide on one. There's just so much to remember before each shot (in addition to just composing the image) and I think I'm getting close to at least remembering it all -- not necessarily getting it right. I'm dazzled by those who say they can get a shot within 30-40 seconds of setting up the tripod -- for me it's minutes unless I'm doing something mundane like bracketing.
It's a far cry from a year ago when I couldn't make the leap from infinity bellows extension being the same as the focal length of the lens.
Jennifer - a simple crutch you might employ is a "cheat sheet" - a 3x5 card b/w one side, colour the other, with a checklist of dos and don'ts to walk yourself thru - laminate it, punch a hole in one corner and tie it to the tripod. It will give you a regimen of consistency to follow which will eventually become automatic. If you're not using a spotmeter, it would be good investment -lets you wander thru the whole ev range of your subject before settling on an exposure ev. FWIW I typically spend abt 20 minutes per shot.
Jennifer, all those mistakes you have mentioned we all do them at the biguinning, so you are not alone! the more you shoot the more you will be more proficient and the slip ups will go away. Just keep on shooting. As to your shadow detail etc, like Paul said, get a spot meter and do some testing, you will get there eventually, it also helps if you go out with someone more experienced. Good luck.
I enjoy large format I shoot 4x5 and 8x10, I guess I am a photographerette, what ever that is??? In reality I am a preoperative transexual and I am living full time as a woman and I do portrait photography and food photography, I find that my commercial clients are far more interested in my photographic output and ability to deliver on time than my gender. Any way, because you asked I replied.
Greetings Janet and Welcome as well! But of course there's no such thing as a photographerette, but the post was intended to try to draw out some of us with a feminine gender bias, mainly because that perspective is not well represented, and delightedly its doing that. Business knows no gender unless its about gender and you're right it shouldn't care. I would speculate that assuming competence, the business of photography has more more gender transparency than most.
If this thread, along with the "I'm a better artist than you because I don't do landscapes" thread and its ilk and the attendant "bleating" and posturing about photographic Art are what this forum has come to, then I don't know why we should even bother to look for another site for it. Good riddance, is what I say; who needs it.
At the Alternative Process International Symposium this Summer in Santa Fe there were many female attendees. I was impressed (humbled even) by the 11x14 platinum prints from one of Tillman Crane's students.
And Welcome to Katharine, too! Odd, I thought a "forum" was a place where participants could come together and express and discuss their interests around a particular subject or group of subjects. Well, at least a few of the respondents accepted a specific invitation to introduce themselves and express their concerns with Large Format photography from their perspective, offer and seek counsel both on and off the list. Meets my criteria for a forum.
Forgive me; it was just a bit too jarring to come from participating on a discussion on another forum about the chemical mechanisms underlying the gum bichromate process and find myself referred to here as a "photographerette."
I didn't mean to disparage anyone who has participated in the thread; I haven't read the other entries here. I was only responding to the title and to the opening entry. Carry on by all means, if this is useful to you, with all my blessing. I don't feel any need to introduce myself in this Special Thread For Women, since I've participated actively in the forum and anyone who has paid attention should have a pretty good idea what I'm about.
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