I've been thinking about giving LF portraiture a try. Pondering, it seems like the logistics aren't anything like that with smaller, more automatic cameras.
For example, in a studio setting, it seems like one would need to focus and compose the image with the aperture wide open. (It's dark in studios.) And, all of a sudden, THE MOMENT IS THERE! So . . .
>> Close the shutter.
>> Close down the aperture.
>> Put in the film holder and remove the darkslide.
Guess what -- MOMENT IS GONE.
Not to mention that the sitter might be distracted by ALL OF THIS ACTIVITY. (Forget trying to keep the sitter from seeing the shutter, to prevent them from knowing the moment of exposure.)
At least in a studio, one can have tons of light for 4x5 or 8x10.
One thought that occurred to me is that, in any setting, one could have some sort of reference point, so that the photographer could gauge whether or not the sitter had changed their position by any significant amount. (Out of the narrow plane of focus?) Perhaps this might remove the need for periodically checking the image on the g.g. That might enable the photographer to be camera-ready when that moment occurs.
I saw a contact print (of the negative) in a book of one of Arnold Newman's well-known images photographed with a 4x5 camera. The content of the final photo was actually pretty small within the negative. (He had to enlarge significantly.) Two thoughts occur to me. He captured a wider photo than needed, in case the sitter moved. The other, with a wider lens, one has a little better depth of field.
We know that large format photography is more contemplative, more introspective endeavor. One wonders if the sitter is in a similar frame of mind.
Anyway, all of these meanderings lead me to ask, what are the tips an tricks of large format portraiture? How can one obtain a good photograph of a person, yet still manage the logistics of a large format camera?
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