shooting 8x10 color slide provia in available light

[Angi Welsch]

i have a question - i am shooting a series of portraits on 8x10 provia with only available light - i've been running into some trouble because the film is 100 iso and my exposure is usually f5.6 and 40 or f5.6 and 60 because i like to shoot in even light and because the exposure is slow(er) when i load the slide into the camera, there is a slight shift of focus. is there any way of avoiding this loss of focus? without having to bring in artificial lighting.

[Robert Hughes]

Get a bigger window?

[Frank Petronio]

There shouldn't be a shift in focus, I shoot wide open all the time in similar situations and I can hold focus with a good subject most (not all) of the time.

Either the camera is wobbly or your subjects are... and there is always a chance that your ground glass is not exactly where it is supposed to be, in which case you can search the interweb and find a solution for checking the position of your ground glass in relationship to the holder's film plane (Hint, test shots).

What kind of camera is it?

FWIW, if you used Portra 400NC at 1/100th f/8 the images would be just as beautiful and have lovely bokeh, and half of your wobbly subject issues would be gone.

[Drew Wiley]

Also remember to check your filmholders. 8X10 film can buckle or slump a little. And at
these relatively wide stops you're not going to have much forgivenesss. For color work
or anything requiring significant enlargment I always use adhesive holders, which keep
the film flat.

[Angi Welsch]

thank you for all your help, it's very insightful, the camera is an 8x10 Toyo Field Camera. I wish I could switch to shooting porta 400nc but unfortunately I can't find anywhere in the area that processes 8x10 negative.

The adhesive holders sound helpful, i will look into those, thanks again everyone

[Henry Ambrose]

The closer you get the more critical the focus. I never got consistent results with 8X10 up close at 5.6 or even f8 -- going to f11 helps. And if its a tight portrait, near life size on the GG, you'll still have oodles of wonderful camera effect.

Of course all that means -- more light or slower shutter speeds.

[benrains]

When you say f/5.6 and 40 or 60, are you talking 1/40th and 1/60th second exposures? If it's a focus issue and not a camera shake or blur from subject movement issue, then my suggestion would also be to stop the lens down more and go with a longer exposure. I regularly have my sitters hold still for 1 to 2 second exposures with relatively good luck if they're posed seated or otherwise braced against something. Down around 1/2, 1/4, and 1/8th of second it's easy for people to hold still.

Most often I'm shooting between f/8 to f/16... and only occasionally f/5.6 if it's a full length shot. But f/5.6 for something like a headshot gives you a ridiculously shallow depth of field to work with. If your subject moves even an inch forward or backward between the time you focus and take the shot, the focus will be lousy in the resulting image even if your film holders accurately match up with the position of the ground glass.

[Lenny Eiger]

When you push the holder in, after you've lifted the spring and gotten it into the slot, make sure you put you hand at the left side of the camera and push with both hands - against each other.

Lenny