teaching large format

I'm teaching a large format class and was wondering, what do you wish someone would

have told you about lf when you started that you know now. I'm looking for little tricks

stories and doh! type things.

I recently got a 4X5 Super Graphic camera. After a half century with roll film, I had to think about the nuts and bolts of loading, developing, and printing.

 

The first problem was loading shhet film in the dark. There was nothing to tell where the notches should go in the film I bought.

 

Next, I had to get something to develop the negatives. After a good deal of looking, I went with the Jobo reel and loader. I tried it in a changing bag, but now do it on the counter in the darkroom.

 

Next I needed an enlarger to replace my Beseler 23C. I bought an Omega D2. If I were doing it over, I might have stuck with Beseler because I like their negative holders.

 

The point I am making is that the switch from rollfilm to 4X5 means every process has to be reconsidered.

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Now my guess is that your question really involved shooting in large format. My guess is that most of your students have come from 35mm or digital. And that means that they might be used to shooting dozens of shots to hope for one good shot. That is not a good option with LF. It is a very different mindset where each shot should be carefully composed and metered to get a negative that is easy to print.

a consistent and repeatable method of remembering which film holders are loaded/unexposed... loaded/exposed... not loaded.

 

that shutters need to be closed before removing the darkslide

 

that darkslides need to be removed before tripping the shutter

 

that rear lens caps need to be removed before mounting the lens

 

that toilet seats should be lowered before loading film in the bathroom

 

that setting up a camera, composing an images on the gg, and waiting for your vision to materialize before you is absolutely sublime.

I wish it had occurred to me right from the start that film can both shift and shrink in the holder under certain shooting conditions. Long exposures of several seconds or even minutes are common with LF and for the longest time I didn't understand why I was getting blurred or ghosted shots -- I kept thinking I had knocked the camera. Teach your newbies to seat the film and let it get up/down to temp before taking long exposure shots.

Doug

 

Great post!

 

I still would like some guidance on the mysteries of camera movements, shifts. swings, tilts Scheimpflug condition etc. I (still)have dificulty in determining how much movement is needed.

 

Duhhhh. Carry a spare cable release, as failure means tripping the shutter by hand and that shakes.

 

Also, making sure to check all 4 corners of the GG for tripod legs, my legs, vignetting, bits of overbright sky, non-parallel lines.

 

Replacing the slide to show if the film has been exposed or not-white vs black.

 

Cheers

I'm keeping a file of duff negs for posterity. Every time I make a neg with CLASSIC GOOF writ large across it (spots, splashes, light leaks, whatever) it's getting filed with pride in what I learned.

My top "learned it the hard way" items:

 

- Be sure the shutter has been closed before drawing back the darkslide on your filmholder!!! This mishap can still bite even an experienced photographer if you are in too much of a hurry.

 

- Invest the time to develop solid exposure calculation skills (zone system or equivalent), as LF film is too bulky and too expensive to do much exposure bracketing. Of all my LF mishaps, improper exposure is the worst offender by far.

 

- Be sure you have a darkcloth solution that will work in a strong wind (must attach to the rear standard via a pull cord or elastic band). Most of the time in windy conditions I'll eventually get a long enough lull to release the shutter, but composing/focusing takes far too long to rely on this.

 

- Be sure you have an additional means of securing your camera (second tripod, attachment arm, bungee cord, etc.) when using long lenses or in windy conditions. A golf umbrella can also help.

 

- If it did not come with one, attach a millimeter scale to your camera to measure changes in bellows draw, so that you can easily calculate the f-stop required for adequate depth-of-field.

 

 

- Check your bellows pleats when using wide angle lenses, to be sure the bellows has not folded inwards upon itself causing bellows vignetting.

 

- Place a mark on the lensboard of each lens showing the maximum front rise that lens can support. This saves time versus peering through the front the lens looking for "lack of coverage vignetting."

 

- Stick a Post-It note on the horizon area of an ND grad filter so that it is easier to spot.

 

- When traveling, keep film in a water-protected container with the ability to use a Blue Ice packet to keep the film cool. I once had Quickload packets curl due to excessive desert heat. Also when traveling off-road a water container in my jeep burst, drenching several film boxes and ruining part of that day's shoot.

 

- Use an old folding jogging stoller or equivalent (with locking wheels and a hand brake) to haul around your LF kit, rather than carrying everything on your back. This especially adds to the enjoyment of using larger formats such as 8x10.

Always bring a watch with a second hand into the field. The "one-one thousand, two-one thousand, three-one thousand" method only works so well!

That the Polaroid Type 55 negative is your very good friend when you want to know

exactly what is and is not in focus.

 

that photography is not a science and only sometimes an art and that you have to know

the science before being able to make in an art.

Take a shotgun and blow Murphey and his laws to H*ll before starting out.

i would find the level of knowledge and desires to be learned from each student.. get them to fill out a form, or short essay of what they know and what they want to learn.. you may have to break the class up in two or more parts.. one for those who just want to take a big picture,(im one of those), those that want to get into the advanced aspects.. maybe the more advanced students can start off the first half helping the starters, and then the second half can be the complicated stuff going into what they want.. this way noone will be bored, or feel left out.. its like being a carpenter, once you think your good, you talk to a boatmaker, or bow maker, or dekoy carver,, it never ends and no-one knows it all.. dave..

Always zero all adjustments before setting up for a new shot. Bulent Ozgoren

One more darkslide rule: always remember to PUT IT BACK IN before pulling the film holder...

 

Even my 99 year old grandma found that one amusing (she might well have seen the same trick 75 years ago).

I would not confuse someone that is FIRST starting Large Format by explaining to them what all the movements do, the zone system, blah blah blah. All that complicated stuff should wait at least a few days after learning the camera.

 

When I first learned large format, I was told what all the movements did, but since I had never used the camera before...I had absolutly NO clue WHEN to use them!

 

Having LOTS of practice is the most important thing. Period.

 

Ryan McIntosh

www.RyanMcIntosh.net

Most of the things teachers tend to neglect teaching with LF is a good, solid, predictable method of processing.

Make you students' lives easier, and show them the miracle that is the Jobo system. Please don't make them suffer through the waste and frustration of tray processing. I blew more LF shots in college than I want to remember due to processing error, because all we learned was tray.

Make sure when loading the film into holders in the darkroom that both edges of the film are UNDERNEATH the rails along the 5" side.

 

There are few sounds more disturbing in life when, after making the shot of your life, on the last film holder you brought, that you hear the unmistakable "crunch" sound when re-inserting the darkslide, because one edge of the film fell forward and obstructed the darkslide path

when i first started out, i loaded my large format film holders in my basement after having turned out the overhead fluorescent lights. it took me a while to figure out that they give off radiaton that fogs the film after the lights are out. all of the other suggestions are good ones, but i would say practice, practice, practice.

Lots of great responses. Two come to mind right away.

 

When you think you have an appropriate "dark room" for loading film, test it first. Turn the lights out and wait 3-5 minutes for your eyes to adjust then you will know if there are any light leaks. I have used the small bathrooms before and taped the door cracks only to find, a few minutes later that there was still plenty of light coming in. No problems yet with film damage yet but you never know.

 

Secondly, hammer home the importance of patience to avoid all of the pitfalls listed above. It is likely something that can only be learned from (bad) experience, rather than taught, but just let them know this is a slow, methodical process. It may be difficult to see how such a painful regimen of process could possibly result in a creative experience but it does and is more than rewarding. Best of luck and have a great class.

To check inside the bellows for mosquitos and flies before shooting. Doh #1!

 

That leveling the tripod carefully will save a lot of time in the field.

 

That some of those crappy-old-looking lenses are really excellent.

 

To learn to use the view camera first as a box camera, then move on to movements a few

weeks later when you are comfortable with the camera.

 

And, to never loosen your grip on the camera until you are absolutely positive that it really

is attached to the tripod. Doh #2!

A view camera is not a 35mm and should not be treated operationally, photographically and mentally as one.

 

----It doesnt have a motor drive or matrix metering.

 

----If the picture is bad 99.999% of the time its the photographers fault not the cameras.

 

 

develop a consistent repeatable methodolgy

Years back, as a student my biggest issue was the darkcloth (lack of control). It would have to have been the most annoying thing whilst learning the view camera. If your students are having issues with an uncooperative darkcloth then tell them to get an old (or new) cheap black t-shirt. The idea of stretching the neckpiece over the g/g was a was progress by far...

 

If they do choose to use this idea then remind them not to stand in awkward positions where they are likely to lose balance, if they fall whilst their head is wrapped in that t-shirt then the camera is probably going to come down with them..

Having just processed the film that I exposed yesterday, and having thrown out two of the four sheets because of flaws - - -

 

An important consideration in LF photography, if not in life in general, is to develop the discipline of look at mistakes as opportunities to understand why things went amiss, and to learn how to prevent those mistakes in the future.

 

Specifically, the lessons that I learned from yesterday's outing:

 

1. Examine the image carefully on the ground glass to make sure that there aren't elements creeping in that you don't want. This is especially important with wider lenses (which often are slower and therefore produce a darker image on the GG, making examining the image carefully more difficult), and in particular with unwanted foreground elements like the railing of the balcony you are shooting from.

 

2. Use enough fluids when processing to make sure that the film is completely covered at all times. I process in trays using a "slosher" or cradle to separate individual sheets, and having made a new 2-sheet slosher on Monday of this week, I need to remember that 16 oz of developer is sufficient provided my agitation pattern involves lifting all four edges of the slosher so that the developer flows completely across the film.

When and where will you be teaching? Any chance in Hawaii at least your fingers won't get cold.

If using ready-loads, make sure that the negative isn't pulled out at the same time as the packet when you get ready to expose the image. In other words, the negative should be parallel to the ground glass, not out in the holder next to the camera. That might happen if the clip comes off a prior ready-load and stays in the film holder.

Always open the shutter to its largest diameter when focusing.

Don't leave your large format camera out in the hot desert sun. Maybe cover it with the dark cloth when walking around doing whatever.

Don't walk away from your camera and tripod during gusty winds. Maybe keep a hand on it at all times. Possibly carry a plastic back and some string to make a sand anchor for those really windy days. (Failure to head all this could find you lamenting your broken ground glass, crushed bellows and broken or scratch camera body - all of which is lying in the sand, dirt or mud at your feet.)

Large format is a process, not a finite journey. As time passes, as you learn, you will grow and your images will improve.

If you start out with 4X5 and decide to go to 8X10 or something else, practically everything in terms of equipment must start over. Not always, but generally. Camera, many lenses, enlarger, trays, film holders, timing, exposure calculations, etc., etc., etc.

Make a checklist of everything you need in the field when taking photos. It really hurts of get out there about two hours from home and find yourself without film, or a lense, or a shutter release, or a focusing aid, or a whatever it is that keeps you from taking that really great image that won't be there four hours later.

Four or five years, or about 5,000 images, and you may be starting to get there; almost ready to discover your own "eye".

Meet other good photographers and learn from them; and share what you have learned.

Practice, practice, practice.

Study what the old photographers did. Buy books. Read them. Buy more books. Keep a book open to a particular photo you like and look at it daily for a week or two. What did you begin to see in that image? What did the old photographers accomplish in blazing the first photographic trails that you can incorporate into your skills.

Be consistent. Keep good records. Be able to reconstruct what you did and modify it according to what is needed to improve the negatives and prints that you develop.

Initially, stick to one film, one paper and one developer for each. After you have really learned what you can do with those, then expand to more. And not before.

Large format is where it all began. Everything else is building out from there in terms of equipment and techniques. All methods of photography are artistic tools that one employs to make images that hopefully delight and entertain.

Photography is one of the few endeavors where there is always a more expensive way to accomplish the same thing.

Photograph what YOU like. Not what you think others MAY like. Set goals, determine priorities, stick to your subject and get better every day. You'll waste less time getting to where you are going, where ever that is.

 

This was really FUN! Thanks for the opportunity to unload. I'd keep writing more, but my wife says I have chores to do. :-)

hi,very interesting topic.because,hmmm,i,m still shooting LF,have alinhoff 4x5 and shoot also with a 8x10.

 

tricks,there is just one word,and thats lens and board movements,and that can only be learned by experimenting.ok,there are books available,but lots of mathematics,ok,i,m also mad about that one.i now shoot even moving 4x4,s with my linhoff.howyou may ask,prefocus,and i use a canon digital camera,mounted on a flashbracket,and that is my screen,once the camera is shoot ready.i got many funny looks from bystanders on this outfitt.

 

i,m just glad to see how many people out there are still into large format.welldone guys and keep it up.

you ever visit namibia,feel free to look me up in my hoemtown,luderitz.just ask for giel.