Large Format..

I've been asked a few times why I have chosen to shoot large format.

It's not about resolution.  It's not about detail.  Heck, it isn't even about the size of the photo...

Then what is it about?

My simplest answer is simply... Because I enjoy it.  There is a frustration and a sheer amount of joy when shooting with a large format camera. When you set up your shot, you have nothing to take the measurements for you.  The light has to be measured just right, then you have to take into account for the aperture, and even the bellows draw, before you can even take your photo.
There are no auto exposure large format cameras.  The weight of the camera is something else, too. Almost like the phrase.. "DEAD WEIGHT" ... you feel that way when you are carting around a monorail.  Even Field Cameras get heavy after a while, and I'm sure a Press Camera doesn't get any lighter the longer you're carrying it.

One of my most prized cameras is my Deardorff 5x7 1950's Chicago original camera.  Originally owned by my late grandfather, it has, sadly, gone into disrepair, and is not in the best of conditions.


Lack of proper storage, lack of care, and
moisture has not been its friend.  Stored in a basement that suffered from moisture and mold, it did not fair wonderfully.
It would have been nice if there was more to it than what there is. You can see it in the photo above.

Everything about Large Format is big.  Big film... Big lenses.. Big cameras...
And ultimately, big times for each exposure.
Just to show you a basic idea on the size of the lenses, I put a roll of 35mm film beside my Schneider 210mm lens.
As you can see, it's far from small!
The lens in the background is a Agfa Anastigmat Apotar 105mm ƒ/4.5

When I'm out in the field with my 4x5, I have to set up each shot meticulously, and slowly.  Focusing is an art!  Sure, with a 35mm camera or a 120 camera you are much closer to the view screen, and can easily focus, a large format camera requires a bit more finesse. A magnifying Loupe works great! I have a folding Magnifying Loupe to critically focus and make sure what I want sharp, is sharp.

Also, weather becomes a factor.
Sure, you have the image composed how you want it.  You've adjusted the camera to keep all the lines straight that you want straight, focus is perfect and you've set you aperture and shutter speeds.
Film is ready to be exposed and you trip the shutter...
But you have to wonder.. "Did the light change from when you set the shutter and aperture? Did the wind blow and shake the camera during the exposure?  Did you properly compensate for bellows draw?"
You won't know until you get back to develop the image and see the final negative.

Left - Agfa Anastigmat Apotar 105mm ƒ/4.5
Right - Schneider-Kreuznach Symmar 210mm ƒ/5.6

There are also other things to take into account when you're out shooting.
Such as Bellows Factor.  When you're at "INFINITY" you don't have to worry about your bellows factor, but the closer you focus the more you have to take into account for bellows draw.

I use an app on my smartphone to calculate bellows draw, but it can be done in your head or with a bit of math.

The other thing is Image Circle.  Just because you're using a Large Format lens doesn't mean you will get a full image circle.  Adjust the front for rise, and add a bit of tilt and you run the risk of losing your image circle.
I've shot a few images where I've lost part of my circle simply because I added too much rise, and gave a bit of a shift and lost the lower corner of my image, which was too bad, but it did add to the image.

It can be quite frustrating when you load the film into the holder, get the camera set up, and pull the slide out only to find that the film drops out of the holder because you missed getting the film under the rails on both sides.
It's happened a few times to me, unfortunately.
But it's always a learning experience!

Heading out in the field can be quite the challenge too, with the weight of a monorail and tripod braced against your shoulder.
I have a Duffle bag that I use to cart my camera to and from a location and the car.  But once set up, it's carried via my tripod and braced on my shoulder.
The bag carries my film holder and my lenses.

When people see me they either have no idea what I'm doing, and many times they pull out their cellphone and take a photo or three of me.  The other thing they do is start blabbing to me, asking me questions about the camera and where I buy the film for it.
What it really comes down to is that I completely enjoy using my large format camera in every aspect.  Sure, it is not the easiest method to capture images, nor is it the lightest.
Errors are compounded by the fact that you don't get a do-over.  One shot, one chance.  After the image is taken, you cannot capture the same image again.  If you didn't get it, you didn't get it.  You cannot try again for the exact same image, you'll simply have to move on and go to the next.

Recently I went out on a photowalk with my good friend +Alex Luyckx who is one of the few that understand the enjoyment of "Large Format" photography.
Other photographers, such as +Andrew Koran, +Mathew Marrash, +Holger Drallmeyer and +Kelly-Shane Fuller also understand Large Format enjoyment.

It's funny how when I first started shooting film I'd blow through several rolls of film a week, but as I got more experienced I started slowing down more and more.  Eventually I found myself shifting from 35mm to medium format and large format.
Taking my time from image to image I was finding that 35mm was too long to finish each roll.  120 was a nice balance for image quality, lower exposures per roll, and let me slow down and take my time from image to image.
But I still find that it's too many frames... I'm looking for a 6x9 camera so I can slow down even more, but still be portable.

But when I want to really slow down, and really get the shot I want... I shoot Large Format.

There's a building I've been working in (I'm an electrician by trade, but love the art of photography) and there's an absolutely beautiful retention pond.  After having to temporarily satisfy myself shooting the photos with my cellphone and with a Brownie Hawkeye (not to mention my Argus C3) and a Spotmatic and even my Voigtlander Vito CL, I got out there with my Monorail.
I set up, and shot a set of 4 exposures.  2 shots on some expired (1977) Kodak TXP320 (Tri-X Pan 320) and 2 shots on Kodak Ektar 100.

My first shot with my 4x5 was on Kodak Ektar using my Agfa Anastigmat Apotar 105mm ƒ/4.5 (see photo above) while the second Ektar shot was using a Kodak Ektar 127mm ƒ/4.7 lens.

When I set up a shot it can take a few minutes, or more..
One image I set up took about 5 minutes from the time I had the camera up on its tripod to time I had the image composed and focused, it was over in the blink of an eye..

In 1/15s I had the image recorded to film, and it was one of the few times (like the image of the stairs above) I knew I had the shot as I wanted it..

There was no wind, no motion in the camera at all, and I had the shot..
It gave me a strange sense of satisfaction to get the photo exactly as I wanted it.
Only taking 5 minutes was also quite the surprise, as the latest image I have taken took more than 40 minutes from start to finish to take.

I got the camera set up in only a matter of moments, but the light wasn't right.
It's amazing how waiting for the sun to reach the right spot in the sky to give me the right colour of light, the right intensity and the best reflection off the glass of a building, can take so long.
I had to satisfy myself with using my Spotmatic and Vito to take a few random shots around the area where the 4x5 would just be showing off.

So I waited... and waited.. and waited
Finally the sun was giving me the right amount of light, was in the right spot.. and I knew I only have a few minutes to get the photo..

So I cocked the shutter, pulled the darkslide, and tripped the shutter...

I know I've got the shot how I wanted it... But currently the image is ... waiting for development..
The Ektar will be sent out to Borealis lab in Quebec, while the Tri-X Pan will be developed in either Caffenol-C or HC-110 Dil. B....

I have yet to decide fully..

For now, I'll have to be satisfied with the images I took using my Voigtlander Vito CL and Spotmatic.

As it stands right now, I'm only moderately satisfied with the Vito and Spotmatic images, but my Brownie images completely blow them away, for the most part.

Although it can be quite trying to shoot 4x5 (or larger) film, and rather daunting, there is a satisfying feel to it.  You get some remarkable image resolution out of it, and incredible enlargements should you so choose.

My fellow shooters know that for detail and resolution you cannot beat large format.

But that's not why we shoot it.  No, that is not at all the reason whatsoever.  If it was all about sharpness, detail and resolution, why would anyone in their right mind shoot Pinholes with 4x5?
They do.  In fact, so have I!  The image to the right was shot with a homemade Pinhole lensboard using nothing more than my original Calumet metal lensboard, some tinfoil, electrical tape, and a piece of wire thread to poke the hole.
That's it.. and here's an image created using nothing more than a super small hole, and the mindset to create it.

There's no automation with creating these images.  It's just you, the camera, your film and knowledge, a bit of chance and your light meter.  Keeping notes is a very valuable asset, especially when it comes to development.  N+2?!  Or was it.. N-1?!  Oh yes, film holder 1-2 loaded with Fuji Acros 100... July 10th.... Here it is..
Okay, Develop as normal, good...
When you have multiple film holders, this is a very good habit to have.  Keep notes!  Not only will it help you keep track of each shot you take and how to develop them, but will also help you stay organized and disciplined.

I'm never going to say that Large Format is for everyone.  In fact, it's definitely not for everyone.  People who prefer to shoot small formats, and like the fact that you can shoot many images and have multiple chances to get that "image" will be better off not shooting 4x5 or larger, but those that find 35mm or even 120 a little too quick, well... Large Format photography might be for you!

One thing is for certain... I got the bug.. and I got it bad!
So bad, in fact, I'm actually pulling lenses on Quarter Plate cameras, 116 cameras, 616 cameras and even 6x9 cameras for their lenses to use on 4x5!
Every time I see an old Kodak Folder I check.. "Oh do I have that lens?" or... "I wonder if that'll give me full coverage....

All in all, I will not stop shooting large format.  I find myself shooting more and more lately.  After the last photowalk where I went with Alex to the University of Toronto campus in Downtown Toronto, I blew through the most frames of 4x5 I have ever gone through in a day..  Actually both him and I both did!

He claims 8 sheets of film, while I claim 10.  Sadly I mucked a couple, but it's all in the enjoyment of shooting..

Oh, and speaking of old Kodak Folder lenses...

Not bad, I think for a 100 year old Rapid Rectilinear lens off an old Kodak Autographic Brownie that used to use 116 film!
In fact, I would have to say, this makes for one hell of an enlargement!  I happen to have made one on 11x14 Silver Gelatin paper..  Absolutely stunning!  Sadly, however, it's still not quite big enough.  I think, perhaps, 16x20 is in order!  At least it'd be without cropping!

For now, I'll have to remain satisfied with the monorail, as I am too funded out to get my Deardorff restored, but it'll be a wonderful project, and a beautiful (and stunning) camera once it is finished.

So until the next time... Keep those shutters firing!

Why I Shoot Large Format...

So there is a question put out there by some friends of mine.
Also, with +Alex Luyckx and +Mathew Marrash, who have both been asked similar questions, I have wondered this very thing myself.

Why do I shoot Large Format...

It's a complicated question, that is not easily answered.  One reason I can think of, is quite simple.  It is very relaxing.  I enjoy shooting formats like 35mm, and 120.. but there is something that feels too fast about those formats.  In a "never stop, never slow-down" world, I like the fact that there's something that cannot be done quickly.

"Winding" - Shanghai GP3

When I find myself looking for something far more relaxing and enjoyable than pointing a camera at a subject, and releasing the shutter without much though, I turn to my 4x5.  Sure, I wander around with a massive Monorail, but there is something about these amazing cameras.  They have immense capability.
The incredible amounts of movement on them, such as swing, tilt, shift, rise or fall, it gives a whole new dimension to the photo.

Take the image above.  I'm able to keep the path in focus, while throwing other areas, such as the trees at the top of the image, out of focus, keeping your eyes centered on the path moving through the image.

Plus you can take a single film, and change your entire Metering Index for each shot.  A 400 speed film can be 100, or even 800, giving different looks without ever changing your film.  Just change your developing.

"Oakville Lighthouse" - Fuji Provia 100F

When you shoot colour, it takes on a whole different dimension.  The detail begins to pop right out.
Colour takes on a whole new depth, and the clarity is unobtainable through any other means.  Sure, it's only 4x5, but if you take a look at a regular printed photograph that you get from your Local Walmart, from a digital or 35mm print, you'll notice that the print dimensions are 4x6.
Now imagine a negative, or a transparency, that is basically taken on a sheet of film that is just 1" narrower

than the 4x6 print.

To this day, I still remember the very first time I got my hands on my 4x5 Monorail.  Browsing the Kijiji website, I just so happened upon someone who was selling a Calumet CC400 with lensboard, case, 5 film holders, a pack of Fuji Provia 100F, and some other various stuff for a very inexpensive price.
All I needed was a lens, and I was ready to go!

So I popped onto that great auction site and got myself a Schneider-Kreuznach Symmar-S 210mm ƒ/5.6 Linhof lens for a price that I have never found again.

After I got the lens I designed, and made, my own lensboard. Painting the front Red, it really made it stand out.  The lensboard takes in the "Calumet" red dot logo and blends it seamlessly with the surrounding Bluish-Gray finish of the rest of the camera.

It really looks quite sharp!  Those that have seen the lensboard always remark at how lovely it looks.

The next lens I picked up was an old Kodak Ektar 127mm ƒ/4.7 Wide-Angle lens, commonly found on a Speed Graphic, such as what +Alex Luyckx has.  It has such a wide image circle, that I think it'll even cover 5x7 film!  It gives me movements on 4x5, and like many Kodak lenses, is incredibly sharp.

"Rundown" - EFKE IR820C w/Red Filter (Kodak Ektar 127mm)

But that doesn't necessarily answer the question as to why I shoot large format.  And as I said, it's not a question easily answered.

Lets look at it a different way.  Why not shoot large format?  Well, simple.  The gear is heavy, cumbersome, expensive, and not easy to transport.
There are film holders, different lenses and boards, big heavy tripods, and enough movements to make your head spin.
But at the same time, when you are shooting a 35mm camera, or even that dSLR, you have a very limited perspective to think of.  Where, I find, Large Format lets you take a whole different perspective when shooting.
You can shoot at an angle, and by adjusting your lens angle you can get straight lines and correct perspectives.
Plus, you slow down.
In a world where the digital camera can fire off 30 frames in a few seconds, the large format camera lets you stop, relax, and focus.

"Spidersilk" - Fuji Provia 100F (Schneider-Kreuznach 210mm)

This image is probably a prime example of slowing down.  From start to finish it took me no less than 2 hours to get it set up.  After focusing I had to measure off the bellows and calculate the bellows factor.  That means adding stops to represent the amount of light lost from the lens to the film-plane due to the bellows extension.  This is done using a tape measure, or a guesstimate, of the lensboard to the film plane.  A 210mm lens will have a bellows draw of 210mm from the film plane to the lens at infinity.  This is the normal factor for the lens.  While you extend it beyond 210mm you have to increase the number of stops of light for your exposure.  Thankfully, instead of doing a bunch of math either in my head, or on paper, I have an app for that on my phone (yes there is an App for just about everything!).
Then you have to take a light reading.  Well, when I took this, the sun was blasting down through the sky and blowing some parts of the image out.  I was shooting a transparency after all, and wanted some of that powerful light to be behind some clouds.  So I waited.... and waited... and waited....

After what seemed an eternity (was just short of two hours) I found the sunlight starting to wane.. then finally that harsh glaring light softened down.
Quickly taking a ready, and factoring in the bellows draw, I dialed in the settings on my lens, and the shutter.
Loading the film holder, drawing out the darkslide, then releasing the shutter, I knew I had the image I was after.

It was then that disaster struck.  I forgot to label the holder properly, or note it in my book what was loaded.
So I ended up with this film being loaded into the tank along with many other B&W sheets to be processed in HC-110 Dil. H.

Sure enough, however, the image is nothing less than amazing.  Super smooth, and incredibly well toned!  I couldn't have gotten a better image if I tried.
It almost feels like it just works better in B&W than it ever could in colour.

My wife complains at times when I take the 4x5 our on a walk.  "Why are you taking that thing for?? It's so big and heavy, and takes you forever to take a single photo!"

"IR Garden" - EFKE IR 820C Hoya R72 Filter

Well, again, you slow down, and you really pay attention to what you are going to take a photo of.  When I was at High Park, I imagined this water garden all aglow in IR light.
The image in my mind was perfect...
I lined it up in the camera, stopped down the lens, and just envisioned it.
Metering the shot as best as I could, I got the shutter ready and released it....

Tick... tick.... tick... tick....  45 seconds ticked by....... then finally 90 seconds was reached, which was right on the money for what I metered for, and I closed the shutter....
I knew instantly that i had exactly what I was after...

Sure enough, the image, when I got the film developed, popped out and stared at me.  The negative was just beautiful!

My very first IR image had been captured.. Unlike many others who shot their first IR on 35mm or even 120.. I did it on 4x5!  And I was absolutely in love with IR!  So much so that I bought a roll of Efke IR 820C in 35mm... It makes you slow down as well, shooting IR.

Then there is the old lenses that you find on old Kodak Folders, or the old Rapid Rectilinear lenses, or even Achromatic lenses.
These are dual element lenses that are either cemented together (Achromatic) or separated by a pocket of air (Rectilinear).  The difference is that the Rectilinear lenses are actually convertible.  Remove one of the elements and you can get a Telephoto effect, or a Wide-Angle effect.  Most often it's a "TELEPHOTO" effect.

"Running" - Ilford FP4+ (Kodak Rapid Rectilinear)

I had a couple of old Kodak folder cameras which were no longer functional, due to lack of film, or the bellows being far too holey to be used.  So I did what any sane person would do.  I remove the lenses for use on my 4x5.

And I can tell you right now, that was the best choice I could have made for these old cameras!  The camera is just a light tight box, but if I can't use it, why let the lens, which is a beautiful piece of workmanship, go to waste?

So I did some testing.  One of those tests was with some Ilford FP4+ and the lens during the winter.
Visiting one of my old haunts, the Trethewey Wetlands, I took a photo of the serene and glass-like Black Creek river.

What a beautiful site!  I knew that as soon as I closed the shutter I had the image that would make me remember about why I shoot 4x5 film.  Why large format is so special to me... and why I could never give it up....

Sure enough, this image has made its way onto my wall in the size of 11x14, but it doesn't even begin to do it justice.  It needs to be bigger.... 16x20?  Probably even bigger... It just had to be bigger!  It has so much immense detail, and has such a feeling of serenity and peacfulness.......  An image that can probably spend the next many years being reprinted over and over again..

But finally.... What I dare to dream of doing with my big camera...  Shoot portraits..

"Mother and Daughter" Fomapan 400 (Schneider-Kreuznach 210mm)

This is what I truly love.  Portraits... Large format Portraits have such a different feeling.  Such a different relationship, and just give you a whole new meaning to slowing down.  You want to capture that moment at the right time, the right way.

This is one of them.  Sure, it's not the best for that "Candid" moment, but sometime the stars align, and you are able to capture that moment, just by being there, and being ready.

"In The Field" - EFKE IR820C (Baush & Lomb Rapid Rectilinear) No Filter

So remember that when you are shooting any format, digital, or film, try to take the idea that you're shooting a much larger scale.  Imagine, instead of shooting just a super simple sensor the size of a postage stamp, or a piece of 35mm film, that you are shooting something much larger.  The size of a print, where a single shot matters.

Then focus, and pay attention to your surroundings, the light, the position of your subject.  How the background portrays with your subject, and ultimately, what the photo means to you.  Does it tell a proper story?

Even when you shoot a digital format camera, you can easily just slow down, and relax.  Take a breather and visualize the image before you before you even take the photo...
It'll materialize in your head, and when it does, then release the shutter.

You'll be much happier when you do..

"Ghostly Sitting" - Shanghai GP3 (Carl Zeiss Jena 105mm)

Finally, like many, although this image still eludes me, the shot I have visualized many many many times over.  I have taken this photo probably a hundred times in my head, and this time I thought I had it.
I was so close, but again, the shot eluded me.

Sadly, this bench is no longer in this location, but has been moved... Now the image I must visualize again...
And hopefully one day, with the right equipment, I'll get the image I was after...

So why do I shoot Large Format Film?

The simplest answer is this...

Because it lets me imagine a world that perhaps doesn't exist.  A simpler world, where time slows down, or even stands still... even if it's just for a moment...



Until next time...  Keep those shutters firing!

Life to Old Lenses

So some may call me evil, and some may even call me nuts..
While others will think it is terrible that I have ripped apart old folders for their lenses, but here's the thing. The cameras are basically just decoration, and for me, that's not much of an option.  I am also considering selling a few of my cameras.  Mainly the ones I do not use, but that's a hurdle I'll climb when I come to it.

Anyway, one of the cameras was a Kodak Autographic Folding Brownie No. 2a, which has a Baush And Lomb Rapid Rectilinear lens.  The stops listed on the lens if 8 16 32 64.  The thing is that is the old style Universal Stop.  ƒ/16 is US 16, so US 8 will be ƒ/11.

So it's a very easy conversion to understand.

I have tested these lenses out prior to actually committing them to film.

"Snowy Post" - Kodak Rapid Rectilinear Lens
Ilford MGIV Fibre based paper - Dektol 1+3
Paper Test

Getting the Monorail to the site to setup the shot was fairly easy.  Slippery somewhat, but not too bad.

I had a yellow filter and a polarizer on the camera, oh and a fashioned lens hood out of a black plastic thingy.

"Flow" - Kodak Rapid Rectilinear 114mm ƒ/11 @ƒ/16
1/15s Exposure - Ilford FP4+ 125ASA

I really think that this lens is far sharper than I originally though it would be.  I was actually hoping for some anomalies that never manifested themselves, which is actually rather unfortunate.

But perhaps that'll change when I give the Achromatic lens a go!  It's different than a Rapid Rectilinear.  The Achromatic lens is basically a cemented Doublet lens, but instead of the lenses being separated (front and rear elements) by a pocket of air, they are actually cemented together.

Should make things interesting!

Until next time.  Keep those shutters firing!