Large-format landscape photographer races to finish life's work using discontinued technology

[FruitFlakes]

Thought this would be of interest to many here, and not just LF shooters - what would you do if your favourite processes/film were to stop?

 

[Woodsy]

*cough. Acros. Cough*

 

[Nomad Z]

... what would you do if your favourite processes/film were to stop?

Stock up if possible and start using another process/film, up to and including coating my own glass plates.

 

[FruitFlakes]

*cough. Acros. Cough*

Yeah that really sucks, with the right lens the 35mm stuff can even look a bit medium format-y.

Stock up if possible and start using another process/film, up to and including coating my own glass plates.

Luckily my favourite films are still ok for now but the glass plates are a good shout, that's one advantage of using large format. Ideally I'd find an 8x10 or 11x14 for that though.

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

Sad story. I am surprised he still has any stock left. He is probably the last large format worker with cibachrome. Though he did not mention what transparency film he was using.

 

[joxby]

Well, I've had this link in my bookmarks for as long as I've had bookmarks, so...15-20 years, I expect they stocked up in 2010, I dunno if they're still operating now though.
All the good stuff is gone, we're left with the rubble of a quite special artistic industry.

http://www.lab-ciba.com/index.html

 

[Nomad Z]

... but the glass plates are a good shout, that's one advantage of using large format. Ideally I'd find an 8x10 or 11x14 for that though.

10x8 is a good size. The cheapie photo clip-frames come in 10x8, so ready-made plates can be had easily, and it's big enough to contact print. Also a bit more feasible to make an enlarger without it becoming (even more) enormous, and 10x8 is easily good enough to make a big print. It'll also fit onto a flatbed scanner like the Epson V700 (which has the capacity to do full width transmissive scans).

 

[Andysnap]

Slightly coincidentally a few years ago I met a Canadian photographer called Ron Smid in his shop in Whistler . We had quite a chat about photography in general and film photography in particular as he generally shoots with a Pentax 67. He told me he had bought as much Cibachrome as he could when he heard production was ceasing and had it stored in a vault somewhere.
I later found out that he was wuite well known in Canada as his calendar was always the biggest selling landscape calendar in Canada. I was very impressed with his work and as in the link above it definitely gives images a depth that is impressive.