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Thread: Hello from the Mojave Desert

  1. #1

    Hello from the Mojave Desert

    Hello,
    My dad, who I am sure some of you know for producing Steve Hopf Ground Glass, has gotten me interested in large format photography. Currently all I have is a digital camera, a 35mm SLR, and a 6x6 cm rolli. I have my sights set on an 8x10 feild camera, but it might be a long time before I can afford one. I also have a 20"x20" ultra large format camera, but shooting in 20x20 is to expensive and it is to bulky and impractical to use as a field camera anyway.

    My hobbies are kind of limited right now because I just graduated highschool (yesterday) and I dont have a real job yet, but I enjoy hiking, rockhounding, lapidary and jewelrymaking, marine aquariums, numismatics, the list just goes on. Of course, I have been involved photography since before I was old enough to hold a camera and I was developing my own prints by the age of 12, so photography is pretty ingrained, but only recently have I started thinking about doing large format. That probably has to do with the fact that I just moved in with my dad in the mojave desert, which has some beutiful landscapes.

    Anyway, I just decided to join the forums so that I could learn more about large format photography, but I can also answer any questions you have about my dads ground glass.

  2. #2

    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    California
    Posts
    227

    Re: Hello from the Mojave Desert

    Hey welcome to the community. I saw the surname and thought 'what if.....' then your post. There's lots of users of your dad's glass and Im sure there will be questions to follow.

    Enjoy and congrats on your graduation.

  3. #3

    Re: Hello from the Mojave Desert

    Yeah, hopf is a pretty uncommon name, especially in the US. Most of the hopf's who came to the US from germany changed their name to hoff or something because the P is actually silent and most people have a hard time saying it.
    Thanks,
    -Julian

  4. #4

    Re: Hello from the Mojave Desert

    where in the Mojave are you? Ridgecrest, here...

  5. #5

    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    Gulfport, MS, USA
    Posts
    873

    Re: Hello from the Mojave Desert

    Welcome to group therepy, Julian! And congrats on your high school graduation! LF is a different dicipline from your other photographic experiences, requiring a much more patient approach than the typical 35mm/digital shooter's "shoot alot and pick out the best one" approach. Since you're on a tight budget, you might want to think about starting off with a good Crown Graphic or Super Graphic press camera; they have ample front movements for most scenic work, almost always come with a good usable lens, and can be found quite reasonably; 4x5 film is also much less expensive than 8x10. If you find one with a broken ground-glass, grab it cheap...I think I know where you can get a good deal on a replacement glass!
    Last edited by Vick Vickery; 23-Jun-2010 at 20:12. Reason: add info

  6. #6

    Re: Hello from the Mojave Desert

    Quote Originally Posted by williamtheis View Post
    where in the Mojave are you? Ridgecrest, here...
    We are in Lake Isabella, but every thursday or friday we go into ridgecrest for the lapidary shop at the indian wells gem and mineral club.

    Vick,
    I am thinking about making my own camera. My dad has experemented with making bellows with some success, workable bellows but not perfect and crisp. I want to make a field camera but experementing with pinhole is fun to. If it comes down to it I may buy a setup, but we are in dire financial straits, so its low on the list of priorities when it coems to spending cash. I am pretty confident in my ability to peice togethor a camera though, even it it has bellows fixed at infinity and no movements for strictly landscape photography.

  7. #7

    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Location
    Calgary, AB Canada
    Posts
    617

    Re: Hello from the Mojave Desert

    Welcome to the sand box. There is a wealth of knowledge here plus a ton of great gear being sold at very fair prices.
    *************************
    Eric Rose
    www.ericrose.com


    I don't play the piano, I don't have a beard and I listen to AC/DC in the darkroom. I have no hope as a photographer.

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