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 [...]
Have you amassed a large collection of negatives since you began photography? how about transparencies, prints, your camera collection?
What is going to happen to all this stuff when you die?
I have amassed a very large collection of all of the above, plus a collection of other photographers prints, glass negatives, books and ephemera.
I have my [...]
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 [...]
My posts have been delayed recently because I have been away a couple of times and had a number of teaching workshops to do.
In my personal work, I have been using a 5×7 inch Kodak Specialist camera with old Ilfospeed paper in the back. This technique can produce lovely results, but often the paper negatives [...]
At the University where I teach part time I have a number of students who stand out from the crowd because of the talent, dedication or ingenuity they display.
One such student, Chris Finch has recently been working with 5×4 and processing in two bath.
A couple of weeks ago, we were discussing the various ways sheet [...]
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 [...]
I contact printed my 10×8 negs onto some grade 3 Forte Fibre Based paper today (this paper is slightly less contrasty than a grade 3 on Ilford Multigrade). the main reason I chose it was that the exposure for the shadows can be determined by a simple test and the highlight detail can be controlled [...]
I finished my printing this morning, so I put the 10×8 sheet film through the two bath developer. I process individual sheets in trays, so it takes quite a while, but the results were astounding!
The tonal compression that this method gives is just amazing.
I will do some prints as soon as I get a bit [...]
The picture possibilities today are not ideal, the snow has been messed up on the roads, but not cleared enough to get anywhere. I would like to take the 10×8 out and do some snow scenes, so I’ll stop writing and go and load some darkslides.
SOME TIME LATER
I did manage to get out with the [...]