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| Me and my 4x5 |
I've been working with a Camulet 4 x 5 large format camera. It's been a lot of fun and frustrating all at the same time. I won't be the first one to say this, but film photography slows the process down. Well... large format photography nearly stops it! Using a 4x5 camera is glacially slow!
First off, you have to load your film holders. I have two that hold 2 4"x5" sheets of film. This requires opening a lightproof double lidded box (similar to Russian dolls) in a dark bag and sliding one sheet of film in each side. So far, I've double loaded twice. Meaning that I put two sheets on side of the holder. When this happens, I lose a shot in the field since there's no way to tell until you transfer the sheets of film into the developing tank.
Now that you have film holders ready, you have to compose a shot while viewing it reversed and upside down. I can ride any roller coaster, fly in helicopters, and read in the back seat of a car without getting seasick. For whatever reason, moving the scene while looking at the reversed image disorients me and makes me feel a bit ill.
Once you're happy with the potential image, you need to take multiple light meter readings. Right now my method is to find something I want to be white, metering on that, and then adjusting the f/stop up three. (Was that the zone system explained in a single sentence)?
Last check to make sure the scene hasn't changed or that you're okay with what has moved in or out in the last 15 minutes since you decided to shoot this particular location. Remove the dark slide and trigger the shutter.
It's a very involved process. At this point for me, it feels like the opposite of Henri Cartier-Bresson's decisive moment. I'm sure I will get the hang of it and start making good photographs with it.
Below is my favorite image so far. I'm using Ilford HP5 Plus 400 speed film. The old lens I'm using has a minimum shutter speed of 125th of second. The film is too fast and the shutter is too slow for most shots in full sun. I'm going to try Ilford Delta 100 Pro or Kodak Tmax 100 next to get more flexibility with the light and really take advantage of the giant negative!
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| Waiʻana, Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi |
It’s amazing how much is captured by 4x5 film. I have to scan the two halves of the negative separately and then stitch them together in photoshop.
