sequence of actions before exposing.

[gmed]

Im not sure if this belongs here.

are there any write ups or videos explaining the sequence of events when taking a photo with a large format camera?
Im mainly asking about the lens actions.

I have a Nikon 150mm with Copal 0

from large format photography info, I got this:

"To avoid fatal confusions
Be sure to operate in a systematic way, to always do the actions in the same sequence, and to double check everything. After I am done focussing and composing, the first thing I do is close then lens. Then I meter, and set the f-stop and shutter speed. Then I insert an holder, making sure it is white. By prefiring the shutter before pulling out the dark slide, I make sure that the lens is closed and that an (approximatively) adequate shutter speed was dialed. By checking that I put the black side of the dark slide back, before removing the holder, I make sure that the exposure was done. "
Im a visual person, and I just need to see if there are any videos that show this process. Im also not clear how to close the lens, when to close the lens....

please help.

[Louis Pacilla]

Do a search on You Tube . I'm pretty sure there are loads of videos on this subject.

[Steve Barber]

Have you tried using this? Not a video, but going through it step by step using your equipment ought to get you started.

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/how-to-operate.html

[Heroique]

An orderly check-list approach is helpful for beginners. Even a written one for field use.

But w/ practice, all the steps become second nature – and a literal check-list can become as distracting as it had been helpful. It has the potential to block one’s creative vision.

For me, the “step” that was last to become second nature was closing the lens before pulling the darkslide.

[E. von Hoegh]

Set up camera. Focus, compose, refocus. Close shutter.Insert filmholder. Meter. Set aperture ( what - you don't double check everything at the taking aperture??). Cock shutter. Remove darkslide. Double check meter. Expose film. Replace darkslide.

Make a checklist and use it, unless you want to take a youtube vid into the field.

[gmed]

Set up camera. Focus, compose, refocus. Close shutter.Insert filmholder. Meter. Set aperture ( what - you don't double check everything at the taking aperture??). Cock shutter. Remove darkslide. Double check meter. Expose film. Replace darkslide.

Make a checklist and use it, unless you want to take a youtube vid into the field.

thank you all.

Since this is my first ever large format camera and lens, by closing the lens, you mean closing the shutter blades?

[sully75]

there's a button or switch on your lens. You push it one way, and all the aperture blades dissapear (your lens is wide open, as it would be for its widest aperture). This is a special feature on LF lenses so that you can focus the lens with the brightest available aperture.

Switch the button the other way and the aperture blades will close to your selected aperture. The shutter will also close, so no light will be coming into the camera. The shutter may need to be cocked to do this operation.

You should just practice a bunch of dry runs before you take a picture. It's really quite simple.

[cdholden]

there's a button or switch on your lens. You push it one way, and all the aperture blades dissapear (your lens is wide open, as it would be for its widest aperture). This is a special feature on LF lenses so that you can focus the lens with the brightest available aperture.

Switch the button the other way and the aperture blades will close to your selected aperture. The shutter will also close, so no light will be coming into the camera. The shutter may need to be cocked to do this operation.

You should just practice a bunch of dry runs before you take a picture. It's really quite simple.

Not all lenses have this preview switch/lever.
Most will have T (time) and/or B (bulb). You can also use one of these to hold the shutter open while you compose and focus.
In this case, you will probably want to keep the aperture open for focusing, but stop down to desired aperture before exposure.

[Michael Graves]

Set up camera. Focus, compose, refocus. Close shutter.Insert filmholder. Meter. Set aperture ( what - you don't double check everything at the taking aperture??). Cock shutter. Remove darkslide. Double check meter. Expose film. Replace darkslide.

Make a checklist and use it, unless you want to take a youtube vid into the field.

This is pretty much the process I use, except I usually have a step that occurs prior to all of the above...

1. Come screeching to a halt on the side of the freeway when the light looks really good.

[cyrus]

The "natural" functioning of things will ensure that you follow the proper order of procedure (you can't, after all, focus without opening the shutter, for example) but the most critical thing is to close the shutter before you open the darkslide. Get used to doing a mental check before you pull the darkslide, "Is the shutter closed?"

[Brian Ellis]

At first I used a written list (that I compiled myself after a fair amount of reading about LF photography) and a lot of practice without film. After a few outings I dispensed with the list. However, no matter what you do you'll make an occasional mistake. Just accept it as part of the process and hope it isn't with 11x14 color film.

[rdenney]

The mistake I've made most often is forgetting to stop the lens down to taking aperture before making the exposure. I think I've only pulled the dark slide once before remembering to close the shutter.

But there is a question lying deep in this discussion. When should one make a final check of focus? The answer is: Most large-format lenses are designed with the aperture in the right place to eliminate focus shift while stopping down. But there are occasions when the focus must be checked after the lens is stopped down to taking aperture. One obvious example is when using only the rear cell of a Schneider Convertible Symmar. In those cases, one will have to stop down and then refine focus at taking aperture before closing the shutter, inserting the film holder, checking the shutter, pulling the dark slide, checking the settings, and making the exposure.

Also, part of composing and focusing is making the often significant camera movement adjustments. They must often be done as an iterative process with focusing.

Rick "yes, checking focus at f/32 can be a pain" Denney

[Sirius Glass]

"Oh, bother!" as Willie the Poo would say. Large format, lacking any mechanical or electrical interlocks, proves a platform to allows the user to screw up in many new and inventive ways.

If one has a camera with a focal plane shutter and a lens shutter:

Using the lens shutter, not having the focal plane shutter open
Using the focal plane shutter, pulling the darkslide and then changing the focal plane shutter aperture
Using the focal plane shutter, having the front shutter open on T, but the front shutter decides that it does not want to stay open and closes before the focal plane shutter is released
...