How do you experience your GG?

[Heroique]

…Also facilitates a feeling of "weightlessness" and symmetry with whatever is out there on the other side of the camera…

This is similar to my experience, especially the "weightlessness" part. I may have started composing with a viewing card (the most under-rated of all useful LF tools!), but when I begin working on the ground glass, the scene quickly, magically becomes geometric and abstract to me – very pleasingly so – transforming into a Cezanne-like image whose components are spheres, rectangles, triangles. That's when "upside down" and "backwards" fall away from my thinking. And if I'm enjoying a good day, these shapes harmonize with and balance each other. Geometry and abstraction can be very "weightless" indeed!

[chassis]

With large format, because of the pace and cadence, I am able to work with the reversed image and compose deliberately and slowly, if needed. With medium format, I prefer a prism finder, because I am normally making portraits with roll film. I desire to work as quickly and efficiently as possible when working with people, and the prism helps me do this.

[tgtaylor]

here's the image I referred to in my post above:



I knew I had it somewhere and looking for it led to the discovery of a fine image that I had forgotten about. But this is not my first LF shot - that one was taken near Clayton in Contra Costa County which is a good 30 or 40 miles away but close in time that I had taken this one. It's also not as good as I remember but perhaps there is another one lurking somewhere.

Thomas

[nbagno]

Coyote hills


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[tgtaylor]

Yep - taken near the Don Edwards Wildlife Refuge visitor's center. The Coyote Hills are in the background.


Thomas

[nbagno]

Yep - taken near the Don Edwards Wildlife Refuge visitor's center. The Coyote Hills are in the background.


Thomas

Spent many hours there doing bird photography.


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[Maris Rusis]

I'm unaware that the GG image is flipped having seen it a few thousand times. But curious bystanders who get their first look under the focussing cloth often come out with "Hey, it's upside down and wow it's in colour!" My stock replies are:

"Upside down? It's that darn lens. Meant to fix it years ago but I've kinda got used to it."
"In colour? You're lucky I'm shooting colour film today. If I were shooting black and white the view wouldn't be anywhere near as pretty."

Sometimes I get a chuckle but sometimes I get just a nod.