anyone doing documentary or reportage with LF?

[Arne Norris]

I may be wrong, but it seems like most of the forum group is doing landscape work. Anyone out there using LF for reportage or social documentary, such as working for NGO's or personal projects?

If so I would love to see what people are doing. I'm having a frustraiting time getting my current project going and I need some inspiration!

[BrianShaw]

David Burnett and Ash are the two most famous modern day LF PJs. Ash's work can be found on this forum.

[nelson_chan]

you can check my website for my personal projects that are with LF. the projects are called "my da lu" and "portraits in china". good luck.

[Walter Calahan]

I have from time to time. Mostly Speed or Crown Graphic usage. Recently did a magazine shoot that was going on the cover, with a double truck inside, and the photo ed asked me to shoot 8x10. Very fun.

[davidb]

http://www.simonnorfolk.com/

[Toyon]

What about using a graflex for street shooting? Or are people only using rangefinder cameras?

[r.e.]

Yes, there are people doing that.

Do a search on Edward Burtynsky, Tony Roma, the guy who worked with 8x10 in schools in the. US (somebody help me with the name, which escapes my mind for the moment).

For work that I think is documentary, but maybe not obviously so, check out Geoffrey James and Tim Atherton and Chris Jordan.

A woman named Rita Leistner, who has worked in Iraq, etc., is about to do a large format project on Canadian Indian reserves, as part of what is apparently going to become a theatrical performance. Definitely worth checking out.

Those are just current people, which I assume is what you are looking for.

Also, check out a guy I found out about recently, from NJ/NY, named Noah Addis.

And then there is Jeff Wall, who is in my respectful view very special, but he is mostly working in digital, albeit on a very big scale.

Cheers

[r.e.]

That should be Thomas Roma, and the photographer whose name I couldn't remember is Nicholas Nixon.

Cheers.

[Colin Corneau]

On the subject of Edward Burtynsky, you'd do well to track down a fantastic documentary about his work called "Manufactured Landscapes".

It's a brilliant companion to his stunning images, which acheives the rare feat of expanding and complementing the ideas he creates in his photographs...cripes, the opening scene alone is worth the search.

On a drastically more humble note, my recent time in China was spent taking portraits with my Crown Graphic -- maybe not quite reportage or documentary but pretty close! (Can post links or images when they're safely developed...thank you for the links, Nelson)

[jnantz]

hi arne

i have been photographing and interviewing people at work, where they work
with a 4x5 camera for more than 20 years.

i started off with a 35mm then 6x6, and eventually ended up using a speed graphic ... the last ones i did were with a graflex slr.

i guess i read studs turkel's working when i was a kid, and never got it out of my system ... ;)

john

[Arne Norris]

I've been out of town the past week, so I'm heartened to come back to the forum and see all of your thoughtful responses. I'm going to look into the work of the people I'm not familiar with before I say much more. Hopefully we'll hear from other LF forum users with even more names or images.

There is definitely unique and wonderful work coming from todays photographers using LF. It's particularly great to hear about the not-so-well-known contemporary photographers.

[Ed Richards]

Mardi Gras, hand held:

http://www.epr-art.com/mardigras/2007-Zulu/index.htm

I would call my Katrina stuff documentary work.

[Sylvester Graham]

You might want to check out Alec Soth, maybe not "spontaneous" but still some form of documentary nonetheless.

[claudiocambon]

I would add Linda Connor to the list, especially her portraits in Ladakh/Tibet of the last few years. She would not classify herself as such, but the work definitely overlaps into the documentary category.

[Bob Salomon]

Mary Ellen Mark uses the Linhof Master Technika for some of her work.

[Henry Carter]

There is a Canadian physician, Dr. Mark Nowaczynski, who has been working on a long term photodocumentary about the elderly patients that he takes care of at home. The videoclip below shows him using a 4X5 Linhof Technika:
http://www.cbc.ca/sunday/2007/09/091607_1.html

[Arne Norris]

Thanks so far for the great replies!

I'm sitting here at my computer recovering from a tooth extraction today and feeling just a bit crazy for spending so much money lately on LF gear for my project. Seeing the new work is inspiring!

I had never heard of some of the photographers mentioned, including Mark Nowaczynski and Edward Burtynsky. Please keep the names coming!

[alanps]

I realize somebody has already mentioned his name - but Nicholas Nixon is doing/has done outstanding work with large format documentary - as has Joel Meyerowitz...