if you're having trouble motivating yourself find some way of setting a soft deadline, organise an exhibition in a local library or an official building, 3 maybe four images, something you can back out of or push back if you need to, but that you'd like to finish. that way you have the memory of the feeling of having finished the work and the pride of that to motivate you in the future.
You may be taking on too much before you roll out to get some images. Not everybody who shoots large format also processes their own film, as you can tell by the many posts on this and other sites, inquiring for the names of film processors.
Myself, I am not at all interested in film processing. I don't have the room, the equipment nor the inclination whatsoever. I did some processing years ago and found that my particular interest is in capturing images. For me and my use of large format, just the capture of images is absolutely enough work in itself.
I fussed around with my first large format camera, gathering up goods and pieces and film. But I was making no real progress. I read books on movements, focusing, etc.
Finally one day, it struck me. I needed to take a picture with my large format camera. I knew even then that it might make a big difference to me if I actually set the camera on a tripod, focused and image on the ground glass, inserted the film holder, set the shutter, pulled the dark slide and pushed the button on the remote cable.
I took four images of a lake in the mountains, had them processed and the rest is history. I never have, and likely never will, processed a sheet of film myself. But I love those huge transparencies. I've had many of them scanned (again there are people who do this for nominal fees and much better than I ever hope to) and have printed them up to 13X19 for very pleasing results.
It may motivate and ease your mind to pass on the processing for now, and just capture a couple of images and have them processed. I will wager that your feelings about the process will become highly motivated by seeing what a large format image looks like in the flesh.
As a last note, at the level that I shoot large format images, there is absolutely no way I can justify the purchase of all the equipment and chemicals (notwithstanding the lack of space) compared to having the film processed by professionals. I also shoot medium format, which I do NOT process, so I can pay for a lot of processing before I begin saving money by doing my own.
Also, remember this, it's still YOUR image, no matter who does the processing. I repeat, I bet there are more large formatters on this board who have their film processed by professionals, than who do their own.
Folks, this post is almost 4 years old. Maybe Robert will check in and give us an update.
Wow, this thread is from 2005... I hope the OP has received some treatment by now!
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White
John, the OP is a practicing psychiatrist.
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John, the OP is a practicing psychiatrist.
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