Post Your First Successful LF Picture

[Vaughn]

fantastic! quick question, how did you scan it?

A 16x20 selenuim-toned silver gelatin print photographed with a digital camera. Part of a series called Humboldt Bay Light...tried to find another example...all I could find was this one. Dock, Arcata Bay. An 8 minute exposure at sunset. Started out as a 2-minute exposure, but the light kept dropping. I got bored and ran up and down the floating dock to get a little movement in it. All sorts of scanning lines in it -- I think I scanned a contact print (4x5). The 16x20 print is sweet, but took a lot of spotting work (Spotone #3 and a #000 brush!)

I was on the Bay today...about another foot or so higher tide than this image. On the water at 10am, paddle with the tide up a slough about 4 miles, had lunch on the bank with my friend at the 9.7' peak at 11:30, then back out with the tide to the Bay and our take-out point by 2:30. We ended up with a head wind coming back which matched the current going our way, so more paddling than expected, but not excessive, but a work-out!

[willwilson]

I like this thread! This is 4x5 negative #2 in my archive. Looking back through these first negatives was so interesting. I remember being so excited about 4x5. Every piece of film was so exciting.

This one is of my 335. APX 100! Miss that film.

-Will

[Daniel Unkefer]

Backyard Snow by Nokton48, on Flickr

One of my first with my new to me at the time 4x5 Norma. 210mm f5.6 Nikkor EFKE PL100 in D76 1:1 8x10 fibre print Fortezo, Omega DII Omegalite Dektol 1:2 180mm black Rodagon

[John Layton]

Daniel that's really nice...the type of image that I'd be tempted to print with a fine black line around the edges but possibly would then seem a bit contrived.

Interesting idea this post...reminds me of its corollary - of which I've always reminded myself (and my students in years past) - that we're students for life, and always capable of going out and creating what we will consider to be our best work, no matter what had come before it.

[esearing]

I don't know about successful but I did write up my thoughts after using a view camera for the first time in 2004. https://esearing.com/articles/vci/vc1.html

[Daniel Unkefer]

Daniel that's really nice...the type of image that I'd be tempted to print with a fine black line around the edges but possibly would then seem a bit contrived.

Interesting idea this post...reminds me of its corollary - of which I've always reminded myself (and my students in years past) - that we're students for life, and always capable of going out and creating what we will consider to be our best work, no matter what had come before it.

Thanks John. That's very kind of you to say so.

[ericantonio]

Backyard Snow by Nokton48, on Flickr

One of my first with my new to me at the time 4x5 Norma. 210mm f5.6 Nikkor EFKE PL100 in D76 1:1 8x10 fibre print Fortezo, Omega DII Omegalite Dektol 1:2 180mm black Rodagon

Love it!! Also, are you about 18' tall? Dang. I'm 5'5" on a good day with a pair of motorcycle boots

[Daniel Unkefer]

Love it!! Also, are you about 18' tall? Dang. I'm 5'5" on a good day with a pair of motorcycle boots

Thank you Eric !

Actually I was on a second floor shooting through an open window. So no ladder required.

[pchong]

One of the first 4x5 that I have ever shot. Sinar X with Nikkor W 180mm f/5.6 lens. Long exposure metered at 1m 3s, and exposed at 3m 48s after reciprocity on Shanghai GP3 film rated at ISO50, developed at ISO100 with ID-11.

There seems to be a glare on the right, do you guys think its a light leak on my film holder or its a lens flare from the building nearby? Picture is not 100% sharp due to the fact that I was on a bridge which is not fully rigid...I can feel slight vibrations as people walked by.

[FishyFishArcade]

This was my second ever 4x5 sheet, taken just before Christmas 2022. It's maybe not the most interesting picture, but I was pretty pleased at nailing the focus and exposure, especially as I was using bellows extension.

Chroma 4x5
Fujinon NW 135mm f/5.6
Fomapan 100
Fomadon R09 1+50 9 mins @ 20°


Wine miniatures by fishyfish_arcade, on Flickr