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Patrick Latour
11-Jul-2007, 17:49
Hello all,

I am from Montreal, Canada and I am 38 years old. I hold my first camera in my hands 2 years ago, at 36. I first bought a DSLR, then I realize that the "D" was standing for "Dummy", I sold it and bought a SLR for 1/20 the price of my ex-dslr. I process my first film in a closet in my basement and got hooked. So I decided to see if size really matters, and bought a medium format (Mamiya 645). Got hooked a second time.

Now, I am really interested in LF, but just do not know from where to start, so I am here to learn and hope to use a LF camera in the next months. But the more difficult part will be to convince the wife, that I need to invest another bunch of green bills, but I am on it. She will not understand why I need a third camera, when I only have two hands. Maybe I can ask her about her 20 pairs of high heels when she only has 2 feet ?

Hope to learn a lot here and more important, I hope I will be in a position to give back in few years.

Regards,

Patrick Latour

Walter Calahan
11-Jul-2007, 18:11
The money in Canada is green? Grin.

ANd your wife only has 20 pairs of high heels. Double Grin.

Welcome.

Donald Qualls
11-Jul-2007, 19:17
Never ask your wife the shoes question. You won't understand the answer, and you'll wind up spending your film money to buy her more.

Just explain to her that you use different cameras for different things; the 35 mm SLR is great for overall versatility and shooting moving subjects; the 645 is an excellent portrait camera and gives higher quality when you don't need 36 exposures before you reload. The 4x5 is for when you want to shoot a landscape, print it wall size, and be able to count the needles on a pine tree across the valley.

If she understands, you'll be all set. If not, offer to buy her a pair of shoes for every camera you get -- if you're lucky, she won't realize what a reduction that'll be for months... :D

Andrew O'Neill
11-Jul-2007, 19:41
Hi from Coquitlam, BC! My advice to you would be to not say anything to your wife. Pick up something cheap on ebay, including a few holders, lens, light metre and get going. My wife's wrath lost only for a few minutes whenever I purchase something but then it's forgotten until I purchase something again. If she can spend $200 on her hair, surely I can snap up a cheap lens or add a few holders to my pile?? Maybe I'm lucky to have such an "understanding" wifey. Go on! Take the plunge! You won't regret it!

Dominique Labrosse
11-Jul-2007, 20:21
Patrick,

The only way for you to know if you like it is to try it. See if a local college has an LF course. That might be a good way to try, however, the tuition may be the cost of a basic camera/lens combination.

Bonne chance.

...and Walter yes our 20's are green! It's just that our 5s, 10s, 50s and 100s that are not. :-)

Ron Marshall
12-Jul-2007, 05:09
Welcome to the forum and to LF. Read everything on the front page of this site:

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/

Your library probably has books on LF.

View Camera magazine has lots of info and tips for LF.

Bonne chance!

MIke Sherck
12-Jul-2007, 05:35
I have to agree with Andrew: you're better off not telling her. The heck with that "it's easier to ask forgiveness than permission" BS: ignorance is bliss! ;)

Mike

John Kasaian
17-Jul-2007, 15:51
Patrick,

You need your large format kit because you want to take fantastick photographs of your incredibly beautiful wife---the kind of photographs you can only make with a 4x5 (or 5x7 or 8x10---your choice)

Repeat this twenty times and when she asks you why you're buying stuff on ebay let your 'training' take over.

Welcome!

cowanw
17-Jul-2007, 19:16
Leave word at the local camera stores and maybe a pro will want to sell a kit.
Regards Bill

JPlomley
18-Jul-2007, 05:38
Welcome from a fellow Montrealer also shooting LF. There are a few of us that are trying to organize a get together sometime in the fall. We figure that there are around 15 LF shooters in Montreal, so it would make for an interesting evening. If you are outsourcing your processing, I can highly recommend Dafoe.