Things You Never Thought You'd Learn from Large Format Photography

[Vaughn]

Hmmm... haven't learned that one yet.

And some may never learn it -- much to their joy!

PS -- and to comment on Tom's post below: I did not need LF to teach me that -- I have three kids who are willing to provide that lesson on a regular basis! LOL!

[Tom J McDonald]

I've learnt I'm still an idiot.

[Jerry Bodine]

Upside down and backwards is an illusion ... I think.

[The Dread Pirate Robins]

Upside down and backwards is an illusion ... I think.

I think the right-side-up and forwards world is the illusion. All this time I thought mountains were triangles with pointy ends up, but now I know the real truth.


I never thought prior to getting into LF photography that I would ever consider a large wood, leather, and metal case such as my RB Series D to be a "light" or "traveling" camera for taking photos of moveable subjects (other than, of course, carrier landings).

[Vaughn]

Upside down and backwards is an illusion ... I think.

I remember after a particularily long session under the darkcloth, that when I poked my head out from under it, it took awhile to get use to reality being upside down! That was an interesting lesson in perception!

[Alan Gales]

"Looking" and "Seeing" are two different processes.

Boy, do you have that right!

I have learned that it can get awful hot under a dark cloth in St. Louis's summer humidity.

[Vaughn]

And that an ice-scrapper for the GG can be handy in Spokane in the wintertime!

[John Jarosz]

That with a really large camera people will stop saying stupid s**t to you when you're under the darkcloth. Actually, they pretend I'm invisible.

[Jehu]

I've learned that most digital shooters envy us in a way.

I've figured out that they need the digital workflow for their work but long for their roots in the simplicity of a light-tight chamber that introduces a lens to a sheet of film.

[Chris Wong]

I learned that where I have set up my tripod with the 4 x 5 is the best spot to shoot a particular shot because why else would all the point and shoot people shoot right over my shoulder all the time.