Jump to content

Getting into it


ross_wilson1

Recommended Posts

My girlfriend bought me a new Tachihara for xmas and a Polaroid back.

 

Until now I've been 35mm guy, home processing and print, B&W and Ilfochrome.

 

I'm finding it difficult to get enthused enough to use the Tachihara (I've take

one shot). Do you guys have any ideas on where to start, what subjects to start

with? Perhaps some stuff where I can see the real LF benefit.

 

I used to think I took my time with medium format, but that's fast compared to

this beast!

 

Do you often take the camera out only to come back with nothing?

 

Regards

 

Ross

Link to comment
Share on other sites

LOL!

I come back with nothing more often than not! And my beast weighs about three times what yours does!

Take time to get used to seeing things through the ground glass. Fool around with still lifes, or go somewhere where you have had some luck in smaller formats and see what you can do. It does take time to develop a fondness for large format -- the process of seeing is changed in a lot of ways, some subtle and some not so subtle -- but I am sure you will eventually see why people fall in love with large format.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I for one would like to say Welcome to Large Format Photography... Your girlfriend must love you very much and is very confident in your photography... I will have to say, I would either do some still life around the house or go to a national park or to a local mountain/beach in your area and find a subject you like and study it for a while... Then set up the camera and compose your shot and do tests shots with polaroid back... Look at different angles and view points within the subject and figure out what you would like to shoot then shoot a sheet or 2 of film... Go home process it and then make a print and see what you have... study the print for subtle problems that you did not notice on the polaroid... I have a 2 4x5's Tachihara & Shen-Hao plus a Kodak 8x10 & Kodak 11x14... I have gone on road trips for weeks and sometimes months where I have only come back with maybe 50 shots worth printing... Do not be discouraged you will fall in love with it and if you want to chat contact me and I will try to answer more questions for you... Good Luck... Ted
Link to comment
Share on other sites

You've got a good lass there! ;)

 

Yeah, sometimes I drag my shen-hao around all afternoon for no good reason. In the course of a saturday afternoon I'll fill up a CF card, *maybe* take a couple of 120 shots, and *maybe* up to 4 LF sheets (b&w being cheaper than velvia, too...).

 

You could experiment with movements a bit. Start with rear tilt on a scene where you've got something obvious nearby (boulder, etc) and the rest of it mostly off towards infinity (mountain, etc).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ross: All of the above suggestions are good. Photograph the same things as you do with a smaller camera. Hope you get some regular film because the results can be much better than with Polaroids. Re the comment of Ted Stoddard about coming home after weeks with ONLY 50 shots--he does very well. Sometimes people work for weeks and get just a few pictures, if that. But what they are able to get is in a class by itself.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just to add another tidbit... I have been known to shoot hundreds of 4x5 film in a week... Which requires me to load and reload constantly... My film costs are not bad I had been stocking up for a while... I shoot many types of film... My significant other does not like the fact that I love to travel... she hates to travel... need to find a new one lol... I will take pics of my equipment and post it here for you all to see.... I also may get 50 shots worth printing but may actually only print 10% of that....
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lucky to have a gf like that. Yes I sometimes cart around my 4x5 just for a workout. My suggestion is to have the gf pose nude and print some 16x20s, maybe that will inspire you. Does your enlarger accomodate 4x5?
Link to comment
Share on other sites

You've definitely got a keeper there (I mean the girlfriend, although the camera is also.) Polaroids are not a good avenue to get hooked on large format, IMO. As someone else said, a few 16x20 prints will help. For me, the epiphany came with my first 4x5 transparencies on the light table.

 

Do I "take the camera out only to come back with nothing?" You bet. I love photographing waterfalls and rushing streams, but since I shoot transparencies it's not possible to work in direct sunlight; the white water is either totally blown out or else half the scene is blocked shadow. So if the sun is out when I get to the water, the camera may get used for something else, but often just stays in the bag and goes home unused.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry to hear that your "finding it difficult to get enthused enough to use the Tachihara." You'll love the camera once you are confortable with it. It does takes time to set up those cameras, so don't think that you can just point and shoot, but time is your friend. Knowing that an hour of setting up your camera will seem like "regular time", when your using it all the time. My wife also never goes on my "road trips" because it does take more time, but when she does, she brings a book with her. Just shoot your backyard or a nearby park. Shoot, shoot and shoot. When I started, I would take 5 or 6 neg's and hope that I'll get one... now I know that when I shoot 12 negatives they will all be fine. Which I print is up to me, not the camera.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you have difficulty getting used to the camera itself, just practice in your living room. Take it out, mount it on the tripod, open it up and set up for a shot. Then reverse the process. Do that 20 times and there will be no more mystery or hesitation, and you'll be setting up the camera in no time at all.

 

As for subjects that reveal the real LF benefit, those will consist of just about anything you want to shoot. The primary benefits from my point of view are 1) control of image geometry and focus; 2) size of film, which captures superior amounts of detail; and 3) control of processing single sheets, which lets you "customize" exposure and development of each shot.

 

The camera movements become addictive once you understand and use them! Being able to focus everything from real close to infinity with exquisite delicate detail is a real plus! And with front rise, buildings don't look like they're falling over backwards anymore!

 

Regarding your girlfriend: Wow! Please relay my warmest compliments and regards -- and, by the way, does she have a sister?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow, thanks for all the responses. I've got a real buzz about this weekend now, just what I needed.

 

I've been making a list of places to go and got all my gear together, I'll make a post on Sunday to let you know how I do and if the bug really bites.

 

I know how lucky I am with regards to my girlfriend, we met working in a camera shop, she knows loads about photography generally so I can talk to her about it too. And she looks hot toting her little rangefinder.

 

Thanks a lot for all the kind responses.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just remember that LF is the "zen" photography. Take your time, enjoy the process, and, if you take the photograph, you just got yourself a memento of the experience! I've travelled an entire day and come back with four 5x7s exposed, but each was was a learning experience.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Ross,

 

Your girlfriend has very good taste, and she wants to lock you for hours behind the ground glass....where she can find you easily!

 

Let's say that you do not have to take hundred pictures to have one acceptable. You take your time to compose, measure, focus, and ...back from start again. But after few months of trial and error, you will have the perfect pictures. From then, things should go faster, but LF is first a philosophy (somebody said Zen above) and technique follows.

 

Enjoy doing LF with your gf at your side, she can carry something too..

 

I am currently working in Mongolia, developing strategy to bring my LF here next time. It is the perfect place for LF, dark blue skies, white clouds, and to focus to infinite means really something.

 

Best regards, Serge

 

NB: reading some good LF books in parallel will not hurt: Simpson, Adams

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Large Format Photography is more a state of mind than a choice of eqipment. A guy who enjoys driving his Porsche and does it well may appreciate the appeal of an old Bentley but probably will find that it doesn't really suit his driving style.<P>You obviously are serious about your photography (doing your own 35mm processing, including Ilfochrome, etc) and may have already found your niche. I'd say just give it time -- it may eventually fit your needs or it may never be more than a beautiful toy.<P>Meanwhile, use it to photograph that girlfriend to show your appreciaton.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...