Yet another newbie.....

[Peejay]

Hello.

My name is Paul and I live in north Essex, UK. I'm originally from Stockport, just south of Manchester and down here because work brought me to London in 1999.

I'm currently in the process of taking the leap from 35mm and medium format to 5x4. I've been a keen photographer for getting on 40 of my 50 years - but I am a complete novice when it comes to large format.

Please forgive me if I ask questions the answers to which, to those in the know, seem pretty obvious.

I've just acquired a cherrywood finish Wista Field with a Wistrar 150mm lens. Apparently, the shutter is a "press shutter" which cocks and fires in the same movement. It can be used with a cable release which is how I intend to use it. I have a couple of Toyo double-sided film backs. All I need now is a cloth to put over my head, some film and I'm ready to go.

Landscapes and Travel are my main interests (photographically) but I'm hoping to take more portraits and some still life studies now I have a camera that will make me slow down a bit.

I post regularly on other websites, though I'm sure if I'm allowed to mention them - so I won't for now. However, I use film mostly and a bit of digital. Personally, I don't see the point in restricting oneself to one medium or the other when both are great fun.

Anyway, I'll do my best to be a good cyber-citizen and look forward to my time on the board.

[Steven Tribe]

Plenty of good landscape/estuary/seascape areas around you - as shown by John Constable - and I don't mean just Dedham vale!
Wellington boots and a solid tripod (which you didn't mention!) are very necessary.
Welcome.

[Peejay]

Hi Steven.

I must admit that, despite having lived down here for 12 years, I do struggle with East Anglia as a subject for landscapes. As a northerner, I prefer mountains, valleys, lakes and a bit of wilderness. That said, I intend to shoot some coastal shots through the coming winter.

Tripods? I have a Manfrotto 190B, 055xProB and a Three Legged Thing X-1 Brian. The latter has a ball head and can cope with 8kg. However, I will probably use the 055 as it is heavier and probably less prone to movement by the wind. I get the impression that these LF cameras are about as aerodynamic as a brick and can blow about a bit on a blustery day.

I don't own a pair of wellies but I do have a couple of pairs of sturdy walking boots. Mind you, I tend not to want to get too immersed in water, mud, etc these days - especially if I'm carrying camera hear around.

All the best. Paul.

[Alan Gales]

Welcome to the club, Paul!

Ask all the questions that you want. There are many good people on here that have a wealth of knowledge and are happy to share that knowledge.

Feel free to mention other websites if you want. Ours being the best, we don't worry about the lesser websites.

Most people on this forum (including myself) also own and regularly use digital cameras. There's nothing wrong with that at all. Cameras are just tools. It's just picking the right tool for the job.

Alan

[petrochemist]

I must admit that, despite having lived down here for 12 years, I do struggle with East Anglia as a subject for landscapes. As a northerner, I prefer mountains, valleys, lakes and a bit of wilderness. That said, I intend to shoot some coastal shots through the coming winter.

Paul you're not alone in preferring mountains, I've lived on the Essex /Suffolk boarder most of my life.
Lakes & semi wilderness I can manage locally, but despite my Dutch ancestry I try to get to visit mountains at least once a year.
Recently it's only been by working 1 weekend a year in Scotland (Knockhill near Dunfermline) , and the drive up/down hasn't left much time for enjoying the scenery. At least year I've managed to bag Yorkshire as well