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!

Roll Developing

I have learned a technique for developing sheet film from a friend, and fellow photographer, +Holger Drallmeyer.  Now, he doesn't take full credit for it, as his method is using 300mL of chem, and usually uses it for C-41 developing.  I have refined it to using only 100mL of chemical.

I have been asked many times, how do I do my developing?

Well I have been promising my blog post for it for a while, but haven't yet done it.  Until now!

So, for starters, I use a 5-roll Nikkor Stainless steel tank with a Kindermann plastic lid.  They seem to work very well together, nice and tight!
This is very important to prevent leakage.
This is the tank and lid I use.  Behind I have the 650mL cylinder that is filled up to the 300mL mark.  This will be used for 3 sheets of film, 100mL at a time.  I decant it into another cylinder to 100mL.  This is specifically done to make sure I have the suggested 6mL of developer, as I use Rodinal for 4x5 sheet film.  Of course, I don't always do this.  Sometimes I mix it 100mL at a time with 2mL of developer, as I use a 1+50 ratio.

The green bucket is my dump bucket.  I pour all used chemicals into that afterward, other than Fixer, which I use a 1200mL cylinder.  Normally I also have a drip tray when I am doing inversion developing, or using my Combi-Plan sheet film developing tank, at least if I am developing 6 sheets at a time, which is very rare.  I specifically use that these days for STAND developing, as my Roll Developing technique seems to suit me very well.
Lastly, this is also done at the edge of the table, and for easy clean up sakes, try to put some newspaper or a old towel on the floor under the lip of the table, as chemical can always potentially drip out of the tank.
So first thing is first.  The film.  We need to get that sheet of film out of the holder.  So, get your holder and have the tank ready.  As you can see this is in the light.  When you do it you have to do it in complete darkness, or under a 7w DARK GREEN safelight (unless you are using super panchromatic/IR film which requires complete darkness), which might as well be near on pitch black.  This information has been shared to me by another friend +Kelly-Shane Fuller who is a very gifted technician with cameras, chemistry, and apparently even cars/motorcycle engines.
That doesn't say anything about his photography, though, which is phenomenal!  A very very good photographer.  Easily rivals my work, if he would stop shooting Selfies I think he has a lot of potential (sorry an inside joke between the two of us).
But in all honesty, he really is an exceptional photographer, as is +Holger Drallmeyer.  If you get a chance, check out their work!

So opening up the holder we have now got the film ready to be removed from the holder.  Now before you say, "Good gawd man, you just ruined a perfectly good sheet of film!" you would be wrong.
This sheet of film is Chinese Shanghai GP3 film which is suffering from their complete near on lack of Quality Control  There is a good half cm (1/4 inch) missing of emulsion off the acetate, and 1cm (1/2 inch) of anti-halation missing.  Plus there are machine marks and pinholes in the emulsion.
So it is used now for experiments, and stuff like this.
From there we need to load that film into the tank. You need to cup the film slightly to fit it into the tank, making sure that the emulsion is facing toward the middle of the tank.

The reason you want the emulsion side toward the middle is so that the chemical washes across the emulsion first and foremost, for if it is facing toward the edge of the tank, it might stick to the edge, get damaged, or not develop.
Don't worry, the anti-halation layer WILL wash off.

The other question I have been asked is, "How do I know that 100mL is enough chemical to coat the film, and how did I come to that conclusion?"
Simple.  I developed a BLACK sheet of GP3 in 100mL of chemical and it developed evenly.  I have developed many more sheets of film using 100mL (and the last one with 75mL) of chemical perfectly!  I have been tempted to try 50mL, but am worried it won't work.  Have to try it with a 'scrap' sheet sometime.
I guess in answer to the question is just that.  It was a guess, and it worked!  I started at 300mL but thought that 300mL is a little much for one sheet.  So I reduced it to 200mL without a problem, then finally got to 100mL and am really happy with that!
10 sheets would be 1L of chemical solution, which is awesome, considering my CombiPlan uses 1050mL of chemical and will only do 6 sheets, and the FR Tank will do many more (I think either 10 or 12 sheets) but uses 1500mL!!

So now we have the film in the can, the lid is on, the lights are on, and we're just about ready to get started. Right, so now what?
Easy, we get the chemical ready.  I usually have at least 2L of water at around 18°C ready to go for mixing and using for stop bath.  Of course, I also usually develop a good 4 to 6 sheets in one session.  First sheet is developed, then it goes into the sink to be washed.  While washing, I'll develop the next sheet.  When it is done developing, I take the sheet from the wash, and put it into the Wetting Agent bath, and develop the next sheet.  Then it's like a procession.  Develop, wash, wetting agent, hang to dry.
And when I am done the last sheet, I set a timer for 15:00 and let it wash for that amount of time.
I almost always leave the film in the wetting agent for 5:00 unless I am developing, then it can be for about 15:00 or more, depending on how long it takes to develop each sheet of film.

So now we have the 100mL of chemical ready to go.  So lets get started!  Pop the filler cap, and pour it into your tank and start your timer.
This is where this method starts to excel over the inversion method.  You can actually reduce your developing times by about 10% because it is "constant" agitation!  The faster you agitate will control your contrast and grain levels.  Faster agitation = more grain more contrast.  Slower agitation = lower grain and lower contrast.
Of course using a different developer, like HC-110 or TMAX Developer will change those as well.
I just really like Rodinal with 4x5 because of the high acutance and incredibly smooth tones.
+Alex Luyckx will contest to that and say, "No way, Pyrocat PMK All the way!" 

Keeping the tank on the edge of the table, so it is flat, you roll it back and forth.  You can go fast for higher contrast, but you will increase your grain, or slowly to keep grain down and a smoother contrast.
On the right image you will see a line that I have drawn on the can.  This line says, "ROLL PAST" which is so I know I have given the can a full rotation left to right/right to left.
When the time is up you dump the developer, and pour in your stop bath.  Continue to roll it back and forth for at least 1 minute.  When that is complete, dump that bath and pour in the fixer.
I fix for about 5 minutes continuously agitating the film the same way.  

And now that we've finished developing it, we can pour out the fixer and peek at the negative.  And here it is!
Perfectly developed negative!

So as you can see, this method works very well, and can be used for C-41, E6, and B&W developing.

When you start using this method for developing film, you'll start to tray develop less and less.
Or maybe you never have tray developed your film, or you haven't shot sheet film before and were intimidated by tray developing, this is an excellent alternative to tray developing.
For one, you can do it in the light instead of complete darkness.  This method is easily controlled, and has less of a chance of scratching your film, pretty much almost a "NIL" chance of it.  Plus, no elastic band marks from the "TACO" method.

This is an excellent method for developing your 4x5 sheet film, and even 5x7 sheet film, as 100mL will even cover 5x7 sheet film.

Hope this was informative and gave you some insight into another, and possibly easier, method to develop sheet film!

Until next time, keep those shutters firing!