Lost art - Hand held LF

Surprised no one has even brought this up,...but I think that many LF shooters have overlooked a great opportunity. That opportunity is the use of LF cameras, hand held...when that rainbow or other event happens in just seconds. I use my Super Technika V both on a tripod and in the hand held mode. Sometimes,..when opportunity strikes...I can grab the V and make the shot when others are still unpacking their tripod. Any thoughts/...or are my views out of vogue.

Richard the last time I saw someone actually using a handheld

4x5 was at a ku Klux Klan Rally in Vidor, Texas in 2000. And he

was using a rollfilm back on is Linhof Technika (things were

moving to fast for me to notice the type. I agree that it is a

forgotten art.

I'm sure there are plenty of Graphic users out there who agree whole-

heartedly. Being "out of vogue" is crap, for it implies that someone

else dictates your (or my) style. I say do your own thing the way

you want, and enjoy it.

Richard,

 

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I always hand hold my crown graphic, usually bounce out of the

explorer and off chasing trains, deer, turkeys, antique autos, and

anything that catches my eye.

only thing that goes on a tripod is the 8x10

I agree that there is (still) a place for this kind of photography,

and although I don't have anything focusable like a Super Technika,

I've played around with handholding homemade/prefocused LF cameras

(see for example

http://www.cs.berkeley.edu/~qtluong/photography/lf/cameras/hand-held-1

1x14.html). For me at least, the biggest strike against handheld LF

shooting (except in rainbow-like "emergencies") is the cost of film

and processing: tripod work always results in a far higher percentage

of keepers than handheld work, and at several bucks a sheet I

personally can't afford to be snap-happy ala Cartier-Bresson in his

prime. But then too I suppose that that "risk" is part of what makes

the handheld LF successes so rewarding. Anyway, thanks for your post,

Richard; it makes me want to go out and experiment some more (without

the tripod)!

 

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Hi...

 

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I have just sold my Tech V, but was a happy owner for a time. I had

all the equipment needed to use it hanheld, including grip,viewfinder

and cammed lenses.

 

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The fact is that I Never used it (not even once), mainly due to high

weigth.

 

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Probably guys with Graflexes have had better luck.

 

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Cheers..

 

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Enrique.-

These URLs always get broken up. In the one listed in my post above

there should not be a space between the 1's in hand-held-11x14-html.

 

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Of course there are reasons it is a lost art ....

 

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Manual metering is awkward while handholding an LF camera.

Film holders and darkslides are awkward while handholding an

LF camera. Depth of field is poor at f8. Film speeds are too

slow, especially in color.

 

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Bottom line: you'll get better results from MF.

I'm always toying with the idea of getting a Speed Graphic or

Technika, then I just think of how much easier my medium format SLR is

to deal with (no need to change cams and stops when changing lenses,

rollfilm, spot metering prism, easier to handhold, etc.), and I come

to my senses. I have enough 6x6 backs to use the zone system or

multiple film types in medium format, so sheet film doesn't hold that

attraction. I guess if I wanted one camera to bridge the gap between

medium format and a view camera, I would do it, but I'm happy with my

6x6cm system for what it does well and with my 8x10" system for what

it does well, so 4x5" handheld doesn't really make sense for what I do

right now.

Handheld 4X5 photography is still viable but doens't seem to be

appreciated by most in this group. It is a different kind of

photography in most cases - unless you are just in a hurry or are

prohibited from using a tripod.

 

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I just purchased a Grafmatic to use with my B&J with an eye toward

occasional handheld use.

 

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Both of these cameras are lighter than the Linhof Master I once had.

Addendum: I guess the place I've seen Speed Graphics used handheld

most recently has been for Polaroids--once at a Mothers' Day gospel

pageant, where a photographer was selling Polaroids outside the

theater to mothers dressed in their holiday finery, and once behind

B&H Photo, where the staff was using a Speed Graphic with a Polaroid

back to take what I presumed to be an ID photo.

I've been using my Super Graphic (with a Linhof grip on the side and

a couple of Graphmatics) for hand held photography since I got it a

couple of years ago or so - great fun.

 

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A number of us on the Streetphoto list have been using LF hand held

for Street type photography.

 

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I have often used it hand held in this way for assignments, as do a

number of other photographers I know.

 

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It isn't so difficult. And the rig is really no harder to swing

around or less bulky/heavier than my Nikon F4 and all it's gizmos I

carry around - not in practice, anyway. And the PE's swoon when they

get that big neg... (E6 100 pushed to 400 if need be) and also B&W

 

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How do you think all those hundreds of thousands of Life shots were

done...?

 

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tim a

While evryone seems to be talking about Technikas and

Graphics there is a photographer shooting in Hawaii a while

back, Jack Dykstra, who was shooting hand held with a 45

Technikardan. Somehow he attached a grip and a finder. We

never saw the camera. Only some pictures.

 

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then there is also the Wista RF.

Richard there's another train shooter and I've lost his name. I'll

describe him and you can probably tell me. Met him on the Nevada

Northern. Picturesque guy and we should've been taking pictures of

him. He's got an old Crown with a Lanthar, shoots nothing but Tmax

400, always has a cigar in his mouth, never meters because he knows

what the tmax will do (that's not entirely true, I think I recall a

Ptax meter) and always shoots handheld. I had a good time shooting

with him for a couple of days. He was teasing me because I was

hauling a tripod around for the 5X7. Oh yeah, he's got a whole car

full of flash-bulbs and always does the night stuff with bulbs! A

strobe would never do. Tell me who he is.

There are current production, light weight (under 3 Lbs.), modern,

fast, flexable, modular, Hand Held LF cameras available, designed for

just this kind of use with an eye to treckers and hikers. They are

available 4x5, 6x12, 8x10 and are fully configurable. They are the

GranView series of cameras. Best attribute, they are inexpensive. Take

a look at http://www.granview.com

 

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Fred

This is the way I do aerials from helicopters. Works great and now

with the new 400 Kodak color it's even easier! No problem here.

Cheers

O. Winton Link? Died last year.

Richard you've got a good point. I've got a Gowland 8x10 Aerial that

I've used on the ground as well as airborne. The camera was designed

for a 300mm Nikkor M and I've been using it for a portfolio I'm

working on. When I think of handheld LF I find myself in awe of the

old time press photogs who made wonderful images as if the whole

thing was second nature to them. It would be interesting to build an

8x10 with a focal plane shutter that could handle some of the fast

old barrel lenses that one comes across on occassion---sort of like

an old Fairchild that could be focused. If a long enough lens could

be had it should take awesome close-ups of moving objects---like

racehorses and such. I might just try it with the Gowland just to see

if I can get by with f9 and 1/400ths at the next county fair(sort of

like a Nikon F2 on megasteroids?) It would also be interesting to

know how successful the Hobo cameras have been since the Hobo and the

Speed Graphics would probably be the 'entry' level cameras for those

interested in LF handheld. I got into LF handheld originally because

the $60 speed graphic I bought at a junk store had a stripped tripod

socket! Regards, John

Believe it or not I saw what looked like a Speed Graphic in the

background of some Olympic TV coverage the other day. Yes it was

being hand held. I just about fell off the chesterfield (that's a

couch for you yanks) when I saw it.

Thanks to all of you who responded to my post. I enjoyed all the

posts and got a chuckle or two. For the few nay sayers, let me just

say that I just today signed a 120 day contract for large bucks, on a

major construction project. When I first made my 'pitch' to get the

account...I showed a portfolio to the owner and chief construction

engineer. I showed some of my ads from TIME and NEWSWEEK and was

surprised at his reaction, when I showed him some LF, B&W big prints

from a pipeline construciton project.....and he

replied..."WOW!...you're my man"!

My point is simply this. Don't overlook hand held large format and

the quality it can deliver. It impresses people who are not photo

savy. Sure, I'll shoot this job with three 35's, but that Linhof

Super Technika V,....got me the job. Richard (smiling all the way to

the bank) Boulware. Thanks for your posts. (:-)

Don't forget the Hobo camera marketed by Bostick & Sullivan. Comes in

8x10, 5x7, and 4x10. Made to hold one very wide angle lens, stopped

down a bit, and you just point and shoot using the top viewfinder. No

bellows -- it's an 8x10 point-and-shoot! Very VERY tough

construction. Made to be chucked in the trunk w/ a couple film

holders. Tripods allowed for but discouraged! I've seen fantastic

work with it. The guy who invented the camera and builds them is said

to prefer using an Angulon (not super) 90mm, which puts the entire

image circle inside an 8x10 frame. I don't remember the specs

exactly, but once you stop down to like F22 you have focus from like

6" to infinity .... -jeff buckels

Guys, guys, guys

I have been using a cambo wide with 47xl and recently with 150

sironar-N. The beauty of this camera is that I can easily do with hand

holding but for some reason I have never tried??? Now you guys have

induced me to give it a go, well, I'll definetely give it a

shot........

I still use my Super Technica V and Super Speed Graphic hand held from

time to time. I wish I did a lot more than I do. I also have a 4 X 5

Super D Graphic which I finally used to take some shots in the

neighborhood...that camera certainly got a reaction! Someone on the

Graflex website is trying to arrange a gathering for Graflex users to

go out and shoot (I think in the New Orleans area). This sounds like

a great idea. Car clubs gather regularly with their classics and

cruise. The idea of photo shoots with classic cameras and/or LF hand

held cameras at various cities, national parks would be a lot of fun.

Reading all of the responses makes me want to go out and shoot hand

held too!

 

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J. P. Mose

Over on the Streetphoto list there is a required dress for shooting

any form of Graphic (or clone) handheld:

 

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Black tapered pants with shiny, pointy toed black shoes, short

sleeved shirt and thin black tie, along with a fedora. A sports coat

optional for cooler weather. I suppose if you were shooting a Linhof,

one of those little Tyrolean hats could be substituted, though the

above look does seem mandated in my Linhof Handbook.

 

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20 or 30 of us shooting like that in New orleans would look pretty

cool I think

 

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tim a

Alright! That's it. I'm putting a handle on my Deardorff. Now,

where's that duct tape?