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

[The Dread Pirate Robins]

I learned that my Nikon F with the Ftn finder is a point & shoot.

Haha! I had the same thing happen. My wife asked me to PLEASE just bring a point-and-shoot to an event and I brought my Pentax Spotmatic.

[Jim Cole]

Patience

[Jehu]

I learned that I'm an artist and not just a left-brainer. The technical aspects essential to LF but not to other forms of photography is fascinating to me. It gave me a bridge to my own creativity.

[LaurentB]

LF is not for every subject (at least for me). My landscapes suck, while I'm very happy with portraits (I almost never shoot portraits, because they suck, but in LF that's another thing. I shoot lots of landscapes, but can't be satisfied of LF ones).

A 35 mm camera can be heavier than a 4x5 (One is an EOS3 with booster, the other one a Tachihara).

[AF-ULF]

I have learned that terms like small, medium and large format are relative as are references to big and long lenses and negatives. Once I got used to shooting 16x20 and bigger, 8x10 seems small. 4x5 is practically miniature. When someone posts a big lens for sale, I'm thinking at least a 1000 mm, they list a 300 mm.

[John Kasaian]

I learned that whatever is worth doing, is worth doing poorly.

Really.

Getting out and wasteing film is the best motivation to learn which aspects merit care, and which aspects are anal-retentive obessive/compulsive musings.

[John Kasaian]

I learned that a stack of 8x10 film holders and a tripod that will hold an 8x10 camera are way heavier than any 8x10 wood field camera.

[jayabbas]

I have learned about chemistry, math, physics, humanities, plumbing, electronics, sensitometry, aliquoting, lighting, weightlifting, photo books, poverty, riches, haggling, internet forums, color printing,disappointment, b&w printing, optics, problem solving to the Nth degree, metalworking, woodworking, appreciating great photography, how film behaves, workshops, deadlines, how deadbeats don't pay, corporate culture, photo history, Kodak lenses are great, creative highs, doldrum lows, darkroom gremlins, how to zap dust, load film holders, curse film holders, darkroom magic, spend lots of money on needed equipment, advertising department realities, using equipment till it dies, fixing gear till it dies again, needed bigger house to store all the stuff of photography, never buy new( see haggling ),F-stop printing, seeing light, being aware of where the sun is during the day, toiling in relative obscurity, and finally I have learned that I cannot get away from the crazy ecstasy or the agony of this craft we practice( making money at it is another subject up for discussion) !

[David Lobato]

I learned that the best way to do something is usually not the easy way. And any day out with a LF camera is better than a day at the office.

[Jehu]

I've learned that shooting a view camera is a good way to meet people that you don't really want to meet.

"Wow! That's an old camera!"
"Yes. It has a manufacture date of March, 2011"

"How many megapixels is that?"
"One, but it's a very big one."

"Does that shoot video too"
"Yes but you can only watch real time and upside down."