reasons for shooting different formats?

[Jay DeFehr]

I'd be lying if I claimed my choice of format was determined by some requirement of the image I intended to make. That's only true occasionally. At least as often my choice of format is determined by my mood, or curiosity, or desire to use a particular camera or film. I don't use my Zorki RF because it's particularly good at anything as much as it's just fun to use. Same goes for my Bellami barndoor compact, or any of my old folders, or box cameras, etc. Sometimes I'm heading out the door, and one of my cameras gives me that sad look, and I have to take it with me. Sometimes I think a particular camera accessorizes my ensemble. Other times I want to finish a roll because I've forgotten what was on the beginning, and I want to find out, or I want to test a developer and need some exposed film. Trivial? Probably, but photography is all about fun, for me.

[Roger Cole]

As time marched along, covered wagons wet plates and chemistry replaced pigments and hairs.

They did? All the people around the world who still happily put pigments to canvas using brushes made with hair would disagree. They might have replaced painting for reporting and for realistic illustration, but not for art. If anything it freed up painting to be more remove from the literal rendering of the subject.

Today, electrons are rapidly replacing miles of shelving once devoted to films, papers, and chemicals that lined the aisle of many stores and warehouses.

Companies that produced these things are dying day by day.


Pretty soon, most of us will all be bald, and there will only be rumored stories about splitting hairs over what was better pigments and hair choices, chemicals, cellulose or tintype choices, and finally electrons, protons, and holographic representations…

our heirs are on YouTube, facebook, ipads, and iphones, what the hell do they care about yesterday, today, or tomorrow, most of them have shaved heads, and inked skins, what the hell do they care about splitting hairs of years long passed them by and the technology….

Who cares about the little piece of plastic that once filled the hole of an old 45 rpm record?

What was that thing called anyway…. An ESDI drive?

HAPPY? Nonsense - many of us are not happy. I'm fine with digital existing, but not replacing film as for me it won't do that.

I'm already bald, have been mostly since age 23. Not even sure I get the joke there but I'm not touchy about it.

Nothing wrong with shaved heads (my fiance wants me to shave the rest of my hair off my head) or inked skins. Those have nothing to do with appreciating the things of the past and tradition. In fact I find more appreciation for the film work I do and the craft of traditional photography among the artistic set prone to such things.

I also drive stick shift cars, bought a new car December 2010 and insisted on the manual. They had to get one from a dealer in Florida to get just what I wanted with what I wanted, including the five speed manual.

The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost...

[Edward (Halifax,NS)]

Who cares about the little piece of plastic that once filled the hole of an old 45 rpm record?

I want a tattoo of that design on the back of my neck.

[falth j]

Thank you guys, for the quotes,

and for the kind words....

I'm much too old to be splitting hairs about such things, and my heirs don't give a damn about what I talk about in the way of art, photography, lenses, film formats, lens resolution, paper, inks, and electrons...

not that they aren't smart enough to 'care', but it is not in their 'culture', and....

besides all the criticism keeps me on edge...


BTW, my name is really 'walter'....

and my boss jeff, keeps me strapped in this damn stinky dark suitcase, most of the time,

the least he could do his keep a bottle of water in here, so I can take my meds and be at the top of my game when he lets me out and sets me
on his lap while he asks stupid questions.... that only serve to pis me off...

the jerk never gives me my meds before he wakes me up, but only when he decides to box me up again...

[jnantz]

even thought i am able to replicate the same "look"
in whatever format i shoot ( half frame to 11x14 and dslr )
i think the reason why i use large format sometimes
is because ... i can ... even out the window of a moving car ..

but when i run out of film and paper i might use something else.

[BrianShaw]

... and my boss jeff, ...

That sounds just like my boss, except her name is Christine. It is going to be a rough day, in fact a rough week and a half... so thanks for the giggles!

[Gordy]

For me, the big issues are (1) camera movements for perspective and plane of focus control, and (2) image quality. If it weren't for (1), medium format would be good enough much of the time.

I still use 35mm sometimes, and digital quite a lot when convenience, portability, and speed of use are important, but image quality is secondary. Between 4x5 and 8x10, I have the same issue as many others--8x10 is great if I know that a contact print is big enough, but since I am not equipped to enlarge 8x10 negatives, I use 4x5 most of the time. Then I have the ability to print larger or smaller. No digital scans of LF negatives for me (yet).