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Thread: Where to begin in making very large prints from 4x5?

  1. #1
    jesse1996's Avatar
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    Where to begin in making very large prints from 4x5?

    Does anyone have experience in developing some larger prints? As of now I shoot digital and simply stitch the images together in photoshop. However I'm about to get a 4x5 camera which will pretty much make my digital camera a lightweight in terms of larger photos (3'x4' plus) a more recent panorama i have done is 54"x210" at 300DPI to give a sense of what i do. With film its obviously not as easy as just pushing a few buttons then going out for lunch while me computer does all the work. So! does anyone here have any methods they use for these much larger prints? is there a place i should go to get massive developing bins for these leviathan photos once the enlarger has been turned off? Are there places to get that sized paper for a better price? and are there places to get the chemicals is large enough quantities to even develop a print that has the sam square footage as a small bathroom?
    I am aware that most people don't dive into massive prints right away, and chances are i will practice with much smaller prints to get the hang of using the darkroom properly, however making massive images is sort of my thing, I've done it since my mum gave me my first camera! Most of my photos on my hard drive take up at least a gigabyte, so its just me!

    I would buy an 8x10 camera however I don't feel like spending the cost of a small car for an enlarger that might fall over and kill my frail hipster body.

    Thanks in advance and i will do my best to reply and thank each comment!

    Below is the aforementioned 54x210" panorama, the finished product is in black and white.

  2. #2
    Light Guru's Avatar
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    Re: Where to begin in making very large prints from 4x5?

    I would not try and chemically print them. Have your negatives drum scanned and print them digitally.
    Zak Baker
    zakbaker.photo

    "Sometimes I do get to places just when God's ready to have somebody click the shutter."
    Ansel Adams

  3. #3
    Tin Can's Avatar
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    Re: Where to begin in making very large prints from 4x5?

    Why change? Looks like you have it all figured out. Not kidding.

    Look up Clyde Butcher to see what he does to wet print big.
    Tin Can

  4. #4

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    Re: Where to begin in making very large prints from 4x5?

    A 4x5 inch sheet is 3.75 x 4.75 inches once we account for the blank film edge. Scanned at 2000 dpi (with an affordable scanner) we get a 68 megapixel file, but that's if we use the entire width and height.

    Your panorama image (54x210) is roughly of the ratio of 1:4 so you'd only be using only a 1.2 x 4.75 inch piece of film. Scanned at 2000 dpi that gives around 21 megapixels.

    A 54 x 210 inch image at 300 dpi requires around 1 Gigapixel.

    As others have suggested, it's better to stick with your current method.

  5. #5
    bob carnie's Avatar
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    Re: Where to begin in making very large prints from 4x5?

    first question do you want to do this in one single piece or do you want to do this in panels.?

  6. #6
    Jim Jones's Avatar
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    Re: Where to begin in making very large prints from 4x5?

    A quality 3'x4' optical print from a 4"x5" negative requires good equipment and meticulous technique. Wider panoramas would logically be digitally stitched and printed. A successful optical 210" print would even outclass George R. Lawrence's giant photographs over a hundred years ago http://cs.trains.com/trn/f/111/p/199777/2197909.aspx and http://www.pacificrimcamera.com/mila...on-Limited.pdf.

  7. #7
    Vince Donovan
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    Re: Where to begin in making very large prints from 4x5?

    Wet mural printing requires special equipment but it is a lot of fun. Rayko Photo Center in San Francisco has a darkroom just for making big prints - I've made murals there 30' long using all sorts of negatives. While it may not be part of your regular process, you might find it fun to go out there and try it out.

  8. #8

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    Re: Where to begin in making very large prints from 4x5?

    A long time ago the folks I worked for wanted a series of 4X8 foot panels,each utilizing cropped images from 4X5 inch negatives.They were B&W images projected on to roll paper and developed in "trays" made of 2X4's covered with plastic drop cloth type sheets and filled half way with chemicals.Once the paper was submerged we mopped the surface with an actual cotton rag mop.Because of the area taken up by these"trays" we only used developer and fix baths then washed with a garden hose and hung the prints to dry. After two or three preliminary tests we made a series of 8- 4X8 foot prints and mounted them to plywood backs for display.
    Not very "high tech" but worked ....

  9. #9
    Jac@stafford.net's Avatar
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    Re: Where to begin in making very large prints from 4x5?

    Quote Originally Posted by Randy Moe View Post
    [...] Look up Clyde Butcher to see what he does to wet print big.
    See the video of Clyde in his darkroom here.

    Ah, he uses a Saltzman enlarger, so that means he probably has a 14' ceiling!

  10. #10

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    Re: Where to begin in making very large prints from 4x5?

    Blindpig has the best idea if you want to make wet prints. I have been with a group which worked in a similar fashion quite successfully. If you search around you should be able to find a business which makes massive prints on a regular basis.

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