Big respect to large format users

Steve

Steve

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I'm doing a city and guilds photography evening class, and we got the opportunity to use a large format camera.

It was a technical 5x4, and we had a turn each to photograph a fellow student.

I struggled really badly to focus...just couldn't nail it.

Anyway this was my first ever attempt with a large format camera:

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I have a lot of respect now for large format users, and the thought of lugging one of these beasts around outside of a studio makes me reach for a compact.

It makes what Ansel Adams et al achieved all the more remarkable.

Huge respect to all the large format users
 
That's a very good first attempt.

As you may have well found out, LF slows you right down.

I have to confess that due to having "easier" formats, I do find I shoot very little LF, not least of all because of the "lugging" around of kit, the time it can take to prepare everything ( darkslides etc) and then of course the time to set up, compose, focus and actually execute the shot.

I too hold a lot of respect to those photographers both from the past and present who have and continue to shoot regularly on LF .....imo it demands a lot of dedication.
 
I've got one of his collections of Scottish Mountains etc and he talks about dragging his LF camera on a sled through knee deep snow to try and get a shot with out any footprints. At one point he was making less than a mile every hour... Bloody fantastic shot though!

One day I might have a go with a view camera but for now I'm still deciding on a MF and that slows me down enough just now.
 
I too am in awe of LF photographers. Simon Roberts' election project in particular where he managed to capture "decisive moment" pictures with a 5x4 camera. I wish I was that good with my Mamiya.....

Mike
 
Great job for a first attempt, mine was horrible!!
There is nothing quite like looking at a large ground glass, its almost magical.
Warning LF is addictive, the detail you can pull out of 5x4 negs let alone 8x10 or larger is amazing.

Mart
 
Woodsy said:
LF is a wonderful thing, isn't it. I personally am very glad film is still made for it.
Click to expand...

Me too although the obscure sizes like half and whole plate tend to be difficult to come across ...fortuanatley Ilford do ( or at least did!) an annual production of obscure sizes.

I get through very little of it, nonetheless it would be a crying shame if it ceased production and left many LF cameras "high and dry".
 
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