Lost Art - Hand Held LF

[David A. Goldfarb]

Addendum: I guess the place I've seen Speed Graphics used handheld most recently has been for Polaroids--once at a Mothers' Day gospel pageant, where a photographer was selling Polaroids outside the theater to mothers dressed in their holiday finery, and once behind B&H Photo, where the staff was using a Speed Graphic with a Polaroid back to take what I presumed to be an ID photo.

[tim atherton]

I've been using my Super Graphic (with a Linhof grip on the side and a couple of Graphmatics) for hand held photography since I got it a couple of years ago or so - great fun.

A number of us on the Streetphoto list have been using LF hand held for Street type photography.

I have often used it hand held in this way for assignments, as do a number of other photographers I know.

It isn't so difficult. And the rig is really no harder to swing around or less bulky/heavier than my Nikon F4 and all it's gizmos I carry around - not in practice, anyway. And the PE's swoon when they get that big neg... (E6 100 pushed to 400 if need be) and also B&W

How do you think all those hundreds of thousands of Life shots were done...?

tim a

[Bob Salomon]

While evryone seems to be talking about Technikas and Graphics there is a photographer shooting in Hawaii a while back, Jack Dykstra, who was shooting hand held with a 45 Technikardan. Somehow he attached a grip and a finder. We never saw the camera. Only some pictures.

then there is also the Wista RF.

[Jim Galli]

Richard there's another train shooter and I've lost his name. I'll describe him and you can probably tell me. Met him on the Nevada Northern. Picturesque guy and we should've been taking pictures of him. He's got an old Crown with a Lanthar, shoots nothing but Tmax 400, always has a cigar in his mouth, never meters because he knows what the tmax will do (that's not entirely true, I think I recall a Ptax meter) and always shoots handheld. I had a good time shooting with him for a couple of days. He was teasing me because I was hauling a tripod around for the 5X7. Oh yeah, he's got a whole car full of flash-bulbs and always does the night stuff with bulbs! A strobe would never do. Tell me who he is.

[Fred De Van]

There are current production, light weight (under 3 Lbs.), modern, fast, flexable, modular, Hand Held LF cameras available, designed for just this kind of use with an eye to treckers and hikers. They are available 4x5, 6x12, 8x10 and are fully configurable. They are the GranView series of cameras. Best attribute, they are inexpensive. Take a look at http://www.granview.com

Fred

[Scott Walton]

This is the way I do aerials from helicopters. Works great and now with the new 400 Kodak color it's even easier! No problem here. Cheers

[M.]

O. Winton Link? Died last year.

[John Kasaian]

Richard you've got a good point. I've got a Gowland 8x10 Aerial that I've used on the ground as well as airborne. The camera was designed for a 300mm Nikkor M and I've been using it for a portfolio I'm working on. When I think of handheld LF I find myself in awe of the old time press photogs who made wonderful images as if the whole thing was second nature to them. It would be interesting to build an 8x10 with a focal plane shutter that could handle some of the fast old barrel lenses that one comes across on occassion---sort of like an old Fairchild that could be focused. If a long enough lens could be had it should take awesome close-ups of moving objects---like racehorses and such. I might just try it with the Gowland just to see if I can get by with f9 and 1/400ths at the next county fair(sort of like a Nikon F2 on megasteroids?) It would also be interesting to know how successful the Hobo cameras have been since the Hobo and the Speed Graphics would probably be the 'entry' level cameras for those interested in LF handheld. I got into LF handheld originally because the $60 speed graphic I bought at a junk store had a stripped tripod socket! Regards, John

[Dominique Labrosse]

Believe it or not I saw what looked like a Speed Graphic in the background of some Olympic TV coverage the other day. Yes it was being hand held. I just about fell off the chesterfield (that's a couch for you yanks) when I saw it.

[Richard Boulware]

Thanks to all of you who responded to my post. I enjoyed all the posts and got a chuckle or two. For the few nay sayers, let me just say that I just today signed a 120 day contract for large bucks, on a major construction project. When I first made my 'pitch' to get the account...I showed a portfolio to the owner and chief construction engineer. I showed some of my ads from TIME and NEWSWEEK and was surprised at his reaction, when I showed him some LF, B&W big prints from a pipeline construciton project.....and he replied..."WOW!...you're my man"! My point is simply this. Don't overlook hand held large format and the quality it can deliver. It impresses people who are not photo savy. Sure, I'll shoot this job with three 35's, but that Linhof Super Technika V,....got me the job. Richard (smiling all the way to the bank) Boulware. Thanks for your posts. (:-)