One of the problems that arises when using large format cameras is the difficulty in determining exposure when the bellows are extended beyond normal ‘landscape’ use. By that I mean, when you are shooting anything from say, 10ft away to infinity, your exposure will be whatever your meter indicates.
However, if you decide to shoot something [...]
As I get older I am occasionally reminded that I am in fact, knocking on a bit. The trouble is, I don’t feel any older than I did in my mid thirties.
A similar feeling pervades when I think of my standing as an artist/photographer. Am I well known, or still a small contributor whose work [...]
I have been out on a number of occasions since writing the last post. Some of the films are processed, but not all. We have had days when I could get to my darkroom and lots of days when I could not. I have had to scan the negatives to show the results here, but [...]
It’s almost a year since I started this blog and one of the first articles I wrote was about shooting in the snow on Ortho film (See ‘High contrast snow scenes’, Feb ‘09). I also wrote another article on achieving higher contrast by altering the film ISO and increasing the development time (see ‘Flexible film’ [...]
Although the weather is turning much colder now here in the UK, I really want to get out and do some more night photography. I’ve not done any serious night stuff for a while now and keep seeing shots while I’m driving or at other inconvenient times. I try to make a mental note of [...]
An earlier post which I uploaded from my phone whilst on holiday, referred to an obscure Chinese panoramic 120 camera which I had been using.
I have since processed the films from this camera and I was rather disappointed at the quality. Some were just OK, and others were really poor. The camera suffers from a [...]
Earlier this year I was shooting a lot of 10×8 and was convinced that I’d never pick up a 35mm camera ever again. By August I was fully in love with the 35mm format once more! Now, in September I am shooting 5×4, seeing pictures everywhere and producing images that I am really happy with.
I [...]
Today I did the third of my video interviews for this blog. I am interviewing other film photographers and darkroom printers in the uk. The videos will be uploaded at a later date when they are all edited and finished. Today it was a photographer who I have known for over thirty years and who [...]
I’ve just returned from a two week break in the West of Scotland, shooting mainly 10×8 landscapes. I shot almost every day and now have a lot of sheets of film which need processing separately. I intend to use the two bath process as this gives me the most even development where there are large [...]