What's your best/worst/most embarrassing LF experience?

[matthew_runde]

Since I'm new to large format I'd like to hear about your favorite, least favorite, or most embarrassing experience involving large-format photography.

 

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Did you publish a book? Did you forget to calculate the bellows-extension factor for an important client (a nightmare of mine)? Did you trip over your tripod and fall in the lake?

 

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If it's an unusual experience in large-format photography, then I want to hear it. Thanks!

[ken_miller3]

Myself and a friend went out shooting in the mountains (my first

trip out with my Calumet 45N). I didn't have a proper pack for the

camera, nor did I have proper prorection for the camera back. I

ended up breaking the ground glass. But this wasn't the

embarassing moment.

 

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I went to the local camera store and picked up a new ground

glass (which was fairly pricey). Took it home, ground down the

edges to get it to fit properly, and screwed it into the back. I

inserted the back into the camera, and locked it in. I then took

the bellows, and moved the switch on the back standard to

insert the bellows. But, stupid me, I moved the switch the wrong

way.

 

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Damn back with the new glass fell out of the back of the camera,

and smashed into the monorail, breaking the glass. I didn't

even get a chance to take ONE shot with the glass.

 

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The worst moment? Going back to the camera store and getting

another glass. And yes, it was from the same person. I also

bought a glass protector the same time.

 

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An expensive lesson. But relatively funny. Now.

 

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Cheers!

 

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-klm.

[alpshiker]

Maybe that occasion when I decided to make some portraits in large format. I set the camera in someone I know's

garden, install some flashes for the fill in, set everything, make the person look right, find an unaesthetical pleat in

the jacket and walk to the person, stumble in the flash sync cable, hold the flash just in time while the camera

joyfully crashes to the ground! I found later that the person had a Monalisa kind of smile on the pictures that were

made... Wonder why?

[brian_ellis3]

Surely someone else has loaded up the backpack with the film holders,

light meter, loupe, darkcloth, cable releases, lenses, filters, lens

cleaner, spanner wrench, rain cover, and . . . . . . . . left the

camera at home.

[christopher_campbell]

A year ago I was hired to photograph an important collection of

contemporary art that was being donated to a university. I

needed practically every piece of gear I owned: all my lighting

equipment, a Sinar system to shoot the 4x5 transparencies for

publication in a catalogue, a Hasselblad system to shoot

specific details to illustrate the catalogue essays, a Nikon

system to shoot 35 mm slides for the press packs, and a Nikon

digital camera to shoot images for the web "exhibition." The

university gallery was forty miles from my studio, and I spent an

entire morning just UNpacking cases of gear, laying out

everything so that I could switch formats rapidly and work

efficiently and systematically for the upcoming week. All the

lenses were cleaned, the film holders were vacuumed and

loaded, the boxes of Polaroid were opened and ready to fly when

I looked around and noticed that one thing was missing: the

Sinar f2 itself. Racing back to my studio, I had to laugh that the

camera occupied the only position in which a last look around

the studio (at eye level!) didn't betray its omission: I had missed

it because it was sitting comfortably eight feet off the ground, at

the top of the big vertical copy stand I use for photographing flat

art! Since at least ONE thing usually goes wrong on any given

job, it was kind of nice to get it out of the way at the start, so that

the rest of the job could go smoothly!

[enrique_vila1]

Last year I went to a little town near the Amazonic Jungle, to take

photos with my brand new Linhof Tech. After 12 hours driving, I

realized i had left my tripod at home....

 

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Anyway, I ended up taking the photos, using a tall chair to rest the

camera on, an couple of small boxes to change the orientation of the

camera.

 

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Embarrasing, but fun...

[jnanian]

i went to a lawyer's office to take his portrait for a magazine.

broke out the camera and got the light source on him the way i

wanted it. i thought i had set my light meter to the right asa ... but

realized when i began to process 1 sheet of film at a time that i

had underexposed everything by 4 whole fstops.

not good :)

[skygzr]

I suppose this is more darkroom than large format, but it's no less

embarrassing.

 

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I was testing expanded development of sheet film, and very carefully

developed it.....in fixer. I suppose it could have been a better

story if it was irreplaceable wedding photos!

 

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Just so you'll know, TMY in Rapid Fix loses both the shadows and the

highlights.

[fw1]

I was in Hokkaido (north Japan) with my family, where there are a

number of bear attacks each year, and I had warned my family to be

careful. It was one of the first times that I had gone on an extended

trip with my 4x5, and my family was getting more and more annoyed

with the amount of time each shot was taking. Anyway, I had been

composing a shot for about 20 minutes under the darkcloth when there

was this enormous roar behind me and I was grabbed from behind - I

was absolutely terrified, thinking that I had disturbed a bear, when

in fact it was my daughter venting her frustration at another long

wait. I think that she is still laughing at the look on my face.

[kevin_kemner1]

I live in the desert where everyone has a tendency to get dried out

if you don't drink enough water and use some kind of moisterizing

hand cream. I met a photo companion for some field shooting at a

ghost town and the temperature was about 105f. We shot about 30

shots combined. About a week later we got together to compare

negatives and everyone of his had a large juicy thumbrint on the

negative. Seems when loaded up the film he had just lube his hands

with Jurgens. Needless to say Jurgens is not light transparent.

[j._mose]

Back in 1973, at the age of 15, I was in the local high school

auditorium where the Port Washington (NY) school board, union officals

and teachers were discussing a potential teacher strike. I thought I

hot ---- because the local town newspaper would send me out on local

assignments. Now picture this.....there were 4 -5 professional

photographers, all with Nikons as I recall. Then there's me...a 15

year old kid with his 4 X 5 Crown Graphic taking shots! I got many

strange looks! (my first camera was a Crown Graphic at 13 years old,

thinking I'd learn more about photography with a large format than the

typical 35mm) I had just purchased a junky condition Grafmatic back,

which I loaded with 6 sheets of Tri-X. I took a shot and was so

anxious to take a second shot I quickly cocked the shutter and yanked

the Grafmatic back so hard that the dark slide (which is suppose to

lock) pulled all the way out and all six septrums popped out, sprung

forward and landed on the ground! I was in the front of the

auditorium when this happened....I received a lot of laughs...much to

my chagrin!!!!

 

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J. P. Mose

[jorge_gasteazoro3]

One day I went to take some pictures with a friend and we stopped at

a field, I set up my camera on a flower and got under the dark cloth,

no matter how I fiddled with the focusing or the lens opening I could

not see an image on the ground glass...after about 5 minutes of

trying I went to my friend and asked him what did he think was wrong,

he looks at the camera, and then looks at me with a small smile and

tells me: "if you take the film holder from the back, it is easier to

focus".....:-))

[pat_kearns1]

It seems I have a habit of putting a red filter on and forget to

compensate and adjust my exposure. One of the worst episodes was on

a cold morning in Monument Valley. It was about 25 degrees and I was

setting up my tripod. I wasn't wearing gloves and pinched the end of

my little finger opening the legs. I closed the legs to extract my

finger and saw that it had cut the fleshy pad off. Luckily, my hands

were so cold there was no pain or bleeding. I had to drive 20 miles

to find some bandages. Needless to say, bandaids and antibiotic

ointment is always pack in my camera bag. Pat.

[duane_kucheran]

A once in a lifetime opportunity to capture a steam locomotive that

was due to pass by about a mile away from home. Got the camera ready

and checked out. Decided to use a rollback to capture a sequence.

Got the lens swing all set, the darkslide out and forgot to advance

the film between shots. I ended up with a ghost train on a heavily

overexposed & slightly jiggled background...

 

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To provide a backup, if I had two tripods I would have set a motor

drive 35mm camera on the other one and let it rip.

[roger_urban3]

I haven't had any embarassing moments. I have had a bakers dozen of

what might be termed 'learning experiences'! <Yah, right!>

 

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1) Using my new Jobo CPP-2, developed 5 8x10 B&W negs in Ilford fixer.

 

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2) Forgetting to refocus camera after moving it and then taking

picture.

 

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3) Not changing asa on my light meter when changing film

 

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4) Shooting with 72mmXL lens and not moving bag bellows fold out of

the way entirely, thereby prevening one corner of the film from

getting exposed.

 

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5) Fiddling around with the cable release and taking the picture

while not noticing that my fiddling with it caused it to change

positions so it fell directly in front of the lens.

 

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6) Loose knobs on view camera or tripod connection

 

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7) Stopping down lens so much that diffraction became readily

apparent (Fuji 600mm)

 

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8) Having sheet film shift positions slightly by settling while the

picture is being taken, which gives a horrible astigmatism effect on

the slide/negative.

 

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9) Unscrewing rear element of enlarging lens and dropping it on

floor. Twice, within 30 seconds.

 

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10) Going out on a shoot doing long exposures without a timer.

Believe it or not, I have found a piano metronome works just as well,

plus it is audible!

 

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11) Making prints and not noticing a big hunk of dust on the glass

neg holder in the enlarger, until I have gone through about 5 or 6

negs and examining them while they are drying. Same dust spot showing

up in the same position on multiple pictures.

 

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12) Taking portraits with empty sheet film holders.

 

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13) Going out to shoot skiers and not going to the ATM first to get

some cash to be able to pay the entrance fee. For myself and wife,

while she's complaining about freezing from the cold.

[william_hahn1]

I'm also relatively new to large format photography, and

I have a motto: sometimes it helps if you make an even

number of mistakes!

 

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Example:

 

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I was shooting a stream, had focused, metered (it was overcast

and not bright), set aperture and shutter speed, cocked the lens,

made sure the cable release wasn't in the picture (a specialty of

mine), closed the lens, inserted the film holder. All of this

took some time.

 

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Just as I pressed the release, I noticed that I was standing in

bright sunshine. The sun had come out and my meter reading was

obsolete. Just as I was thinking that I had dreadfully overexposed

the film, I noticed with some relief that I had failed to pull the

dark slide out of the film holder!

[roger_urban3]

Oh yah, almost forgot:

 

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14) Getting my exposed film holders mixed up with my unexposed film

holders. Has a tendency to put a lot of question marks and

explanation marks in the air all around my head.

 

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15) Changing lenses and forgetting to refocus.

[dan_smith]

You ask about good as well as bad ones. One of my worst was having

done what I thought would be one my best portraits of friends

photographing, using my 8x10, and after coming home having relatives

stop for a visit & discovering a nephew in the other room with the

film holder in hand... pulling the darkslides open & shut.

 

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One of the best was a solid commercial shoot. Waiting 3 months for

the sun to set to get the clients new building with the sky just

right to accent the showroom, spending 6 hours with them directing

cleaning the lot, windows, showroom displays, having them scrape tape

marks off the windows & hosing down the driveway. Then, shot with the

8x10 & having the lab owner say "we seldom get professional work of

this quality"... The 30x40 print is straight, no nothing to touch it

up.

[psychophoto]

I somehow managed to avoid most of the newby mistakes when

I was still a newby. They seem to be catching up with me now

that I've been doing the sheet film dance a few years. About two

months ago I was struggling to get a shot on my 8x10 before the

light faded. I clicked the shutter, got one good one. Then I

flipped the holder around and pulled out the darkslide- the

wrong darkslide. Swearing, I pulled the proper darkslide and the

light promptly disappeared. So there I was with one unexposed

sheet and one previously good sheet that was duly assasinated

by sheer idiocy.

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By far my most tiring episode occurred when I was

photographing in a natural area near my home which has all

sorts of running trails around a largish area filled with lots of

narrow, steep-walled valleys. I was in the bottom of one of these

valleys photographing while trekking down the course of the

stream at the bottom. I noticed it was starting to get dark, so I

decided to scale the side of the valley rather than backtrack,

which I figured would take me long enough that I'd be walking

back to the car in the dark. So I start up the side of the valley.

Now the site I deemed appropriate looked deceptively easy to

climb. Granted, the first 40 feet or so were fine, until it pitched up

to about a 80 degree elevation of wet shale for about 80 vertical

feet. Maybe I'm a closet thrill seeker or was particularly thick-

skulled that day, but I decided to press on. So there I am

clawing my way up this wet, lose shale grabbing occasional

rotting tree roots, and jamming my tripod legs into the ground. I

eventually worked out a system of slowly jamming in my tripod

above my head, kicking my boots into the ground and moving

maybe 3 feet every 4 minutes. I eventually made it to the top and

just laid there amongst the hemlocks for a while caked with

mud, shins cut to hell by the shale, backpack still on. Eventually

made it home about an hour after dark. Not an experience I'll

likely repeat soon. Then again, there is a reason I carry basic

climbing gear with me now.....

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Oh yeah, and when I got home I botched the film processing.

[peter brown - www.peterbro]

I think this could be called a "natural" embarrassing moment. I was shooting

in Borneo for a travel company and was asked to visit one of the nature

reserves for orphaned orang-utans and photograph some of the baby

orang-utans being re-introduced to the wild. After about 40 minutes of

trekking through the jungle to one of the pre-release stations, my partner

and I and the representatives of the reserve (including the director of the

research station) were surrounded by three young orang-utans who

proceeded to delight us with their antics, walking along with us, swinging

from tree to tree and even at one stage, taking my hand and walking along

beside me. My delight turned to some concern though, when one of the

youngsters decided he liked my tripod, grabbed it from me and took off

through the rainforest with it and with me in hot pursuit.

 

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These little blighters can run pretty fast and he was able to move through the

thick rainforest quicker than I. After a few minutes I gave up and thought

that I'd probably end up having to balance my camera on a tree or something

or give up the shoot. Arriving back at the trail my companions were still

buckled over with hysterical laughter. We decided to carry on and

fortunately, as we rounded the next bend in the trail, there was the thief,

standing with my tripod (I'm sure he was laughing).

 

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I gingerly edged closer to him and when I got within striking distance I lunged

for the tripod, managing to grab one of the legs. Now I don't know if any of

you have tried having a tug-of-war with an orang-utan, even a baby one, but

these guys have muscles that'd put Arnold Schwarzenegger to shame. He

almost hauled me into the jungle along with the tripod until the reserve

director came to my assistance and we were able to wrestle my tripod off the

"delightful" little creature.

 

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The shoot went on according to plan and I have nothing but praise for the

solid construction of the Manfrotto tripods - a lesser tripod would have broken

in two and ended it's days as a plaything of the young orang-utans of the

Borneo jungle.

 

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Peter Brown

 

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--

If at first you don't succeed - skydiving is not for you.

[dave_schneider]

The third trip to a location up the side of a butte in the Missouri

River Valley to finally get the right shot. Lugged all the equipment

up the hill about a mile and a half, set up the tripod and the camera

and realize the reason I didn't like the view of the first two trips

up to this spot is that the place I parked my car was right in the

middle of the picture. The light for this shot is only good for a

short period of time as dusk, the spot is 600 miles from my house.

Maybe next summer I'll try again.

[james phillips]

I went out on a cold winters day with a dozen film holders (no

readyloads)and took a variety of shots. Froze my fingers and fogged

the ground glass frequently but did the best that I could and kept

shooting throughout the day. The next day I went into the darkroom

and began to develop the film that I had exposed the weekend before.

Much to my surprise the films were coming out clear. I went through

another batch being extra careful, mixing new developer, and taking

every precaution I could think of.

 

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Same results with completely blank film. I decided to try developing

the film I had shot the day before. The film developed but was very

dense and seemed to have ghost or multiple images. Suddenly I

realized what had happened. I had confused my film holders and

instead of taking out the newly loaded holders the day before I had

ruined most of both weekends shootings by shooting the same films

twice.

[matthew_runde]

Come to think of it, I do have a story involving large-format

photography. Perhaps not as embarrassing as some of the other ones,

but I'm certainly not that proud of it.

 

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When I was just starting out in photography I used a manual-focus

Nikon with a fairly soft lens. Around the time I learned how to

preset the depth of field I became frustrated with the lack of

sharpness of the lens and the format. I wanted a 4x5.

 

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I saved for quite some time, and then spent a few thousand dollars on

a Toyo 45AX, a Bogen 3036 tripod, a 90mm f/4.5 Nikkor SW, film

holders, and film. The Toyo came with a free Sekonic L778 meter.

 

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I may have been a bit intimidated by the stuff because I didn't make

photos with it. Ever. Not a single one.

 

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After about a year my photographic interests changed a bit and I sold

it all for about half of what I had paid. I bought a Nikon N90s, an

80-200mm f/2.8 Nikkor, a smaller tripod, a bag, and some film, and I

visited Paris.

 

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Now, after a couple of years of using the N90s I am fed up with the

small images that will look unsharp when I enlarge them. I am

seriously considering buying another Toyo, another 90mm lens, a

Quickload holder, and another bag. I would be thrilled to have the

setup that I had before.

 

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This time, however, I'm not selling the Nikon.

[andre_noble4]

I was trespassing on government property in Malibu, California, doing

LF architectural assignment for school early one morning. A park

ranger appeared in the distance, but I decided to continue

shooting. I must have stay on the property shoot another 45

minutes, (LF ain't quick.) with ranger looking at me from distance.

Just as I finished all the exposures, she approached me and

questioned me. She then told me never to return or to face risk of

arrest and forfeiture of my equipment if I did. I apologized

profusely.

 

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I left shaken, but content knowing I had the nerves to complete the

job. Unfortunately, upon return to driver's seat of my vehicle I

realized I hadn't the nerves of steel I thought. I discovered that

I had, at some point during the shoot, shit in my pants!

[karnezis]

1. Bringing Quickloads but no Quickload holder.

 

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2. Bringing my entire kit to a shoot...except the tripod.

 

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3. Shooting with empty film holders.

 

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4. Double exposing film.

 

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5. While doing extreme macro work, I managed to slowly peel

the bellows off the front standard. I didn't notice it until I was

done shooting (of course).

 

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6. In 35mm, I really like how quiet my Canon Elan 7 is. The film

advance is even quieter when you forget to put film in it. I didn't

realize it until I was done shooting (of course).

 

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Give me time. I'll think of more.