Large Format Landscapes

[SamReeves]

nr. Williams, CA
Nikkor 90/8 w/orange. Chamonix n1, Delta 100, pmk,

Looks great!!! I've always wanted to explore the foothills of the Sac Valley.

[mandoman7]

Thanks David and Sam. There's a lot of wonderful scenery all the way up the west side of this valley, IMO, particularly when the clouds are moving in from the coast. As is often the case, access to the right spot is a big challenge.

[Zaitz]

One of the few I got of the redwoods:



4x5 HP5+ @320 in Rodinal 1:50 for 10 minutes.
Crown Graphic Special - Caltar 75mm f/6.8 @f/32. Metered time of 6 seconds exposed for 36 to account for reciprocity.

[dsim]

Lovely tones, atmosphere and composition.

[Leigh]

nr. Williams, CA
Nikkor 90/8 w/orange. Chamonix n1, Delta 100, pmk,

That's absolutely lovely, John. Very nicely done.

BTW, where do you rent your clouds? I've tried a couple of local rental outfits, but they don't deliver.

- Leigh

[atlcruiser]

One of the few I got of the redwoods:



4x5 HP5+ @320 in Rodinal 1:50 for 10 minutes.
Crown Graphic Special - Caltar 75mm f/6.8 @f/32. Metered time of 6 seconds exposed for 36 to account for reciprocity.

stunning!

[SocalAstro]

One of the few I got of the redwoods:



4x5 HP5+ @320 in Rodinal 1:50 for 10 minutes.
Crown Graphic Special - Caltar 75mm f/6.8 @f/32. Metered time of 6 seconds exposed for 36 to account for reciprocity.

This is REALLY nice :-) Great shot.

-Leon

[MumbleyJoe]

Well Zaitz, outstanding work - both Yosemite and Redwoods.

I shot in Yosemite last year along the mist trail but I was not as brave as you to venture down onto the rocks like that. I love the results though, truly. Kudos for not just the shot, but the effort required to get it.

The Redwoods shot is outstanding! Oh how I wish I had some fog to work with when I was there. I was just thinking of posting another shot of my own, but after seeing that I'm really reluctant, I may need to at least give it a page or two of buffer space so as to avoid comparison. It's truly outstanding! Very very well done.

My Redwoods shots have suffered from excess contrast (at least for scanning), due in part to likely taking the wrong approach to developing the negatives. I don't really know anything about developing with Rodinal - was your approach specifically tailored to mitigate the contrast (compensating, or N- for example) or was the light really as forgiving as it appears. Well, none of the technical details are all that important, it's the end result that matters, and you absolutely nailed it here - what a beautiful photograph.

[Vaughn]

Wonderful image, Zaitz! Good to see that you got to play in some fog!

MJ -- that sort of light in the redwoods is perfect for relative easy exposure and development for silver printing. Lots of contrast, but not too much. Getting the wind to stay quiet for the length of the exposure is the tough part!

I made an 11x14 image last Sunday under the redwoods -- metered f90 at 2 minutes. The film I used (Efke 100 IR) fails greatly with reciprocity, so I exposed at 8 minutes (+2 stops), and another at 16 minutes (+3 stops). The 16 minute one came out pretty nice, though even with greatly increased development, I could not get a lot of density in the higher values. Should make a fine silver gelatin print, but not enough for carbon printing (may be enough for Platinum). I should have gone for 30 minutes -- I think that would have really nailed it for me (or I could have backed down to f64, but it was a 24" lens and not a lot of DoF for the situation.

There is a little bit of movement here and there (wind from passing cars, road was only 30 feet or so away) and some small birds that land on branches and shake them.

I'll see about photographing (digital) the neg on a light table this evening and reversing it in PS and posting it. It is of a maple tree I have been working with for years.

[Zaitz]

Lovely tones, atmosphere and composition.

stunning!

This is REALLY nice :-) Great shot.

-Leon

Well Zaitz, outstanding work - both Yosemite and Redwoods.

I shot in Yosemite last year along the mist trail but I was not as brave as you to venture down onto the rocks like that. I love the results though, truly. Kudos for not just the shot, but the effort required to get it.

The Redwoods shot is outstanding! Oh how I wish I had some fog to work with when I was there. I was just thinking of posting another shot of my own, but after seeing that I'm really reluctant, I may need to at least give it a page or two of buffer space so as to avoid comparison. It's truly outstanding! Very very well done.

My Redwoods shots have suffered from excess contrast (at least for scanning), due in part to likely taking the wrong approach to developing the negatives. I don't really know anything about developing with Rodinal - was your approach specifically tailored to mitigate the contrast (compensating, or N- for example) or was the light really as forgiving as it appears. Well, none of the technical details are all that important, it's the end result that matters, and you absolutely nailed it here - what a beautiful photograph.

Wow, thanks for the nice comments! Really appreciate it. I was looking for a safe spot down to the rocks and found one. You could tell people have done it before and I was well away from the rushing water and had a relatively flat spot to set the tripod. I was fortunate to find it and get a nice view of the falls. I was impatient and should have waited a little longer than I did for some even better light but I was very hungry and only brought 1 water up (which I refilled with MTN water).

I know EXACTLY what you mean about the Redwoods. For me it was almost a nightmare to photograph in during any kind of direct light. I too was hoping for some dense fog. Most mornings had a bit but it always seemed away from where I needed it. The rest of the day was spent hiking and really busting my knees (at 23!). The bit of sky showing through the canopy gets blown out and the dark shadows at the base of trees and plants gets blocked. It was also a trying environment to compose in. Detail everywhere and I strive for simplicity.

I did try to shoot and develop most of my sunlit scenes in an attempt to reduce contrast. I don't have a lot of experience yet but knew I needed to curb it a bit. But with the fog it was already very nice. Somehow I managed to expose it nearly perfectly with the reciprocity failure. Thanks again for the comments and post your photo up! I think this may be my only 4x5 from there that I am satisfied with.