Hello from Englad

[val75]

Hello Everyone,

my name is Valerio and I live in London, United Kingdom. I've been a keen photographers for at least 20 years, and in the past used all formats from 35mm tomedium format, film and digital. I've been wanting to own a large format camera since I first saw the works of Ansel Adams.

Well, yesterday I realised my dream and bought my first large format kit. Initially I thought of buying a brand new one, but then the person in the studio proposed me a second hand camera and lens that were in very good condition, so I went for it. So here's what I've got: a Linhof Kardan Super Color 4x5 with a Sinar Sinaron S 150mm f/5.6 lens.

I'm going on holiday in Italy (the country where I was born) in a couple of days and I can't wait to start using my kit. I bought a Fuji PA-45 holder and I will begin shooting on instant film, so that I can see immediately what I'm doing right and, especially, what I'm doing wrong.

Anyways, here I am and I hope to make a lot of new friends, all passionate about large format photography.

Ciao!

[Andrew O'Neill]

Welcome aboard, Valerio. Nice little kit you've got there. Be sure to post your Italy pics here, eh?

andrew

[val75]

Welcome aboard, Valerio. Nice little kit you've got there. Be sure to post your Italy pics here, eh?

andrew
Thank you! I'm very happy with it. I will post the pics for sure, if I manage to focus and use the camera movements correctly! ;-) But I've got Stroebel's book with me, so I'm in good hands.

[Walter Calahan]

Englad

I like it. Makes me glad, too. :D

[val75]

Englad

I like it. Makes me glad, too. :D
Oops, I spotted the typo only now... :P

[bgh]

Living in London, traveling to Italy with a LF camera.

*Sigh* What AM I doing wrong?

At any rate, Val, welcome! And by all means, we'll look forward to seeing some pictures.

Bruce

[val75]

Hi Bruce,

thank you!

I guess I'm lucky, but London gets very crowded over the summer, with all the tourists... That's why I'm escaping to a remote location in Italy!

If I manage to take some good pictures, I will make scans of the shots and post them. Though I need to buy a scanner first... ;)

Cheers,

Val

[Roger Cole]

Welcome to the forum and to LF Val!

You will (probably) love large format - eventually. You have the right attitude with showing the mistakes too. They will happen, and everyone makes them. I went through the usual comedy when I started with 4x5 (or 5x4 for you I guess) over a dozen years ago, got it mostly worked out and things usually went smoothly, then put it down for a dozen years and had to make the same mistakes all over again!

[val75]

Hi Roger,

thank you very much! I'm already in love with my kit and I always wanted to do large format photography.

We all learn from our mistakes, so I'm prepared to make them and eventually get the shots I want. There is something magical about seeing the upsidedown image on the ground glass, instead of a tiny viewfinder or, even worse, an LCD screen.

Now I'm off to catch my plane to Italy. I'll report soon on how the first shots went! :)

Val

[Nguss]

Hi, hope you get some good ones.

[Roger Cole]

Hi Roger,

thank you very much! I'm already in love with my kit and I always wanted to do large format photography.

We all learn from our mistakes, so I'm prepared to make them and eventually get the shots I want. There is something magical about seeing the upsidedown image on the ground glass, instead of a tiny viewfinder or, even worse, an LCD screen.

Now I'm off to catch my plane to Italy. I'll report soon on how the first shots went! :)

Val

Very true! I find the inverted image helps to somewhat "abstract" the image and aid composition. I put that word in quotes because it isn't of course a literal abstraction, but for me at least it helps to break the thing that's so easy to do with small formats, particularly with eye level finders, of getting so fixated on the primary subject that I overlook the whole composition. I'm no great photographer by any means, but family and friends do notice the difference between my shots and most of theirs and when asked how I do it I say that the number one secret is to pay attention to what's actually in the frame. Take a close look if you have time, and pay attention. I realized that before I got into large format but the forced slow, deliberate pace along with the inverted image virtually guarantees we do it, where I (probably like everyone else) still find myself occasionally snapping off 35mm frames ruined by what's on one side or sticking into or out of the edge and so on.

Look forward to hearing from you and your results when you return. My fiance and I are talking about going to Europe next summer. She's lived in France and been to the UK and Italy. I've never been out of the US. I don't think we'll have time to get to everywhere we'd like but I'd love to see Italy! (I used to be an avid amateur road cyclist and still love cycling, which is reason enough among all the many other reasons to see Italy!)

[Andrew Plume]

Hello Everyone,

my name is Valerio and I live in London, United Kingdom. I've been a keen photographers for at least 20 years, and in the past used all formats from 35mm tomedium format, film and digital. I've been wanting to own a large format camera since I first saw the works of Ansel Adams.

Well, yesterday I realised my dream and bought my first large format kit. Initially I thought of buying a brand new one, but then the person in the studio proposed me a second hand camera and lens that were in very good condition, so I went for it. So here's what I've got: a Linhof Kardan Super Color 4x5 with a Sinar Sinaron S 150mm f/5.6 lens.

I'm going on holiday in Italy (the country where I was born) in a couple of days and I can't wait to start using my kit. I bought a Fuji PA-45 holder and I will begin shooting on instant film, so that I can see immediately what I'm doing right and, especially, what I'm doing wrong.

Anyways, here I am and I hope to make a lot of new friends, all passionate about large format photography.

Ciao!



Hi Valerio

good to see that you've joined this forum too

regards

andrew

[val75]

Very true! I find the inverted image helps to somewhat "abstract" the image and aid composition. I put that word in quotes because it isn't of course a literal abstraction, but for me at least it helps to break the thing that's so easy to do with small formats, particularly with eye level finders, of getting so fixated on the primary subject that I overlook the whole composition. I'm no great photographer by any means, but family and friends do notice the difference between my shots and most of theirs and when asked how I do it I say that the number one secret is to pay attention to what's actually in the frame. Take a close look if you have time, and pay attention. I realized that before I got into large format but the forced slow, deliberate pace along with the inverted image virtually guarantees we do it, where I (probably like everyone else) still find myself occasionally snapping off 35mm frames ruined by what's on one side or sticking into or out of the edge and so on.

Look forward to hearing from you and your results when you return. My fiance and I are talking about going to Europe next summer. She's lived in France and been to the UK and Italy. I've never been out of the US. I don't think we'll have time to get to everywhere we'd like but I'd love to see Italy! (I used to be an avid amateur road cyclist and still love cycling, which is reason enough among all the many other reasons to see Italy!)
Having used a digital camera for a few years now, I forgot about the amount of time necesary to take film pictures. Not that I complain about it, but it requires a different approach. Especially framing the inverted image!

If you've never been out of the US, then I think Italy is a good place to start with ;) Though I can honestly say that the whole of Europe is worth seeing.

[val75]

Hi Valerio

good to see that you've joined this forum too

regards

andrew
Hi Andrew,

good to see you too.

Cheers!

[E. von Hoegh]

Tsk Tsk, Valerio. That was a dirty trick you played on poor Benito.;)

Welcome!:D

Some here are a bit warped......:)