Jack Dykinga's Large Format Landscape Photography book...reviews?,

[sergio_ortega6]

Today I got a look at Dykinga's new LF Landscape book at Borders'.

I'm constantly looking for good LF reference books for students and I

would like to know if any of you have read it and what you thought of

it as an instruction manual. I already have all the others:

Stroebel, Adams, Simmons, and so on.

 

I'm not sure whether the book is meant to be an in-depth

instructional guide, or a glossy introduction to a complicated

subject, particularly considering its intended audience, large format

photographers. From my perspective, I did not find any really new or

useful information.

 

It certainly has a lot of pretty pictures; Dykinga is a hell of a

good LF landscape photographer. And it's bound to sell a lot of Arca

Swiss F cameras and Schneider lenses. From my initial cursory

reading the various sections (lenses, filters, films, etc.) are just

OK. The section on view camera focussing seems pretty limited, as do

other sections.

 

Any thoughts? Reviews?

[ed_candland1]

I would agree that it's not a in-depth instructional guide and even Dykinga states this in the book. He also recomends in his book that the Stroebel book is the one to get for instructioal use. But still it a nice book that gives you an idea of how one landscape photographer works.

[Troll]

Frankly, I thought the pictures incredibly weak for someone with his reputation (I'd never seen his work before). But the down-to-earth practical advice and little hints on actually photographing in the field was quite helpful.

[wilbur_wong]

I got a copy a few weeks ago and when I loaned it to a friend of mine who had not been shooting LF,he got so inspired by it, that he is now starting into the format.

 

I've been shooting landscape LF for over 20 years and I still learn a lot from nearly every author I read, and this one is no exception.

 

It is obvious to me on this LF forum that there is no one right or wrong way to photograph, and there is much that can be learned here. However books can give me a much greater depth of understanding of particular aspects of photography that are explained in the expanded context of a photographers complete approach to their own vision.

 

This book has affirm for me some of my own approachs - some of which are similar to his, and some of which are not!

 

I personally recommend this read. By the way I got my copy from View Camera Magazine, I sure at a lot lower price than Borders.

[eugene_singer]

Sergio, having lived in Arizona for many years, I became a Jack Dykinga fan from seeing his work in Arizona Highways magazine. I was pleased when he published "Large Format Nature Photography" because I wanted to learn his technique for using a 4X5 monorail in the field, as though it were a 35mm camera. I learned a few new tricks from the book. As far as using the book as an instruction manual for students. It depends on the level that your students have achieved. It certainly wasn't meant for beginners. Just a nicely illustrated book showing one mans' technique for making 4X5 transparencies out in the natural environment. I really like the book.

[golliegwillie]

Really the book should be viewed an artist describing his way of working technique rather than a general instruction book on large photography. Amphoto promises too much when they describe it as the first large format nature photography book. Dykinga describe his way of working, and is unapologetic in not describing the alternatives. You can get that perspective from a more basic large format book like Stroebel's, which I think Dykinga assumes his readers have.

 

For instance Dykinga prefers to control shape AND focus with rear tilts. It's a non standard way of working that goes against traditional large format teaching, but it suits Dkyinga's aesthetic goals and speeds up the photographic process for him. It also suits the limited movements that certain field cameras are capable of (though the cameras that Dykinga uses have no such limitations). I recently had the opportunity to purchase such a camera, with no front tilt, but plenty of back movement. I asked the seller how dealt with focus control and whether he felt limited by not having front tilt. He didn't really know how to respond except that it was never a problem for his working methodology. After reading Dykinga's book I understood where he was coming from.

 

For me I gained alot out of this back tilt focus control perspective- even though I don't use it personally-because it helped me to better understand the relationship between bellows draw and the Schiemflug rule. I probably should have understood it already, but after reading Dkyinga's book certain things clicked for me- I can't say if they will for you. I feel I work more faster and more efficiently from the perspective I gained from this book.

 

I would just use what's helpful in the book to your way of working, and like any advice given on photo.net, throw out what's not. You can argue about Dkinga's methodology, but it's tough to argue with his results. Having his perspective on his working methodology seems worth $29.95 to me.

[noshir_patel]

I have the book, and aside from learning about Gnass Gear products I didn't get much out of it. My absolute best learning resource was the site now hosted at www.largeformatphotography.info .

[tony_galt]

I bought a copy in an Albuquerque camera store while I was in New Mexico on vacation this summer. It is clearly, as others have noted, not a basic technique book, and, in fact, its horizons are circumscribed with respect to landscape photography. The book's assumption is that you are working with color transparency film and it is excellent for that. (I was shooting transparencies at the time and it answered important questions about things like exposure.) It is not, however, a book for you if black and white landscape work is what you want to do. The photos in it are quite beautiful for the most part and reading the captions to understand how the camera was set up was very imformative. I think it is worth owning if you are in the earlier stages of large format learning and interested in color landscape work. I take it off the shelf and leaf through it once and awhile. There are also many potentially useful tidbits in it--for instance: ship film via FedEx instead of UPS because white RedEx trucks reflect heat while dark brown UPS trucks absorb it. In many ways the book is LF landscape photography what John Shaw's books are to 35mm landscape photography.

[nicholas_f._jones]

Before I got the Dykinga book I had learned LF technique by consulting all the usual handbooks and by regularly visiting this forum on particular points and to find out what others have been doing. What Dykinga offers is one person's straightforward account of how one person works and achieves satisfactory or better results. It's simplified; it ignores other ways of working--as noted in previous posts. But it does sort of put it all together, which is a revelation if (as in my case) you've never seen it all put together before either in action or in print. I share a previous post's misgivings about controlling both shape and focus with rear tilt, but Dykinga's technique is a reasonable place to begin--a good base from which to go on to add refinements. I shoot only black and white, but even so I think the book was a worthwhile modest investment.

[joe_nagy]

As a newbie to LF (I got into it because I was shocked that at 8x10 my digital P&S offered such poor focus of the great places I happened to be traveling through) I enjoyed Dykinga's book. It helped me: understand the use of longer lenses in landscape photography (stacking/compressing background), understand Swing (which I used to hoped good effect at the Matterhorn this summer) and look for vignetting and understand its cause.

 

Also, the images, IMVHNO, give me something to shoot for (if you'll ignore the pun). I'm always interested in why people decide to judge others' images. As with all art isn't it simply a representation of how we see? He happens to see in a way pleasing to me. Comparing photographers is like comparing artists. To me Van Gogh sees in a unique and interesting way that I like while Cezanne does not (too much brown...). So, for me, the book works.

[mike sisk]

I picked up a copy last night after reading the comments here. Not bad at all--

it's always interesting to see the techniques that others use.

 

However, I'm embarrassed to admit the most useful thing I've gotten out of the

book so far is that one can use bicycle tire inner tubes cut to length and

slipped over the legs of a Gitzo tripod to give it a cushioned, grippy surface. I

never thought of this before and I've never liked the taped on pipe insulation

or the commercial leg covering options. Just this morning I tried this out, and

my goodness, it works.

 

 

In case you're wondering, 26"x1.75" bicycle tubes work well on a 1340 Gitzo.

[wayne_crider4]

I look forward to finding the book, but would probably be more interested in Jacks camper truck setup, and his observations on getting permission to shoot where others can't go. Sometimes it's the other stuff rather than the film, tripods etc that make as hugh of a difference in getting the images. BTW, from what I hear, 4x4's and camper toppers are home away from home for many pro LF landscape shooters. You don't actually think they camp in a tent or stay in a hotel do ya?

[sergio_ortega6]

I went back and bought the book. Had a chance to read it last night.

 

I agree with those who observed that the book is more a personal view of one landscape photographer's working methods and philosophy, as opposed to a pedantic, how-to guide on LF in general. I find the approach inspiring, and it makes me want to go back out to Utah/Arizona and do some photography.

 

Some of the tips are very useful, especially the bicycle-tire-tube-on-the-Gitzo-tripod-leg thing. I'm going to try that. His packing tips are also quite good. And I hope that his positive remarks on the G-Claron lenses, and accompanying photos, will put to rest some of the controversy on the usefulness of these lenses.

 

I wonder, not knowing anything about the book publishing business, how many copies of a book like this would have to be sold to make a profit?

[luis_saavedra]

I find Dykinga's book inspirational. His approach is so simple it makes you want to give it a try. I've been tempted to undertake this kind of photography.

--Luis

[justinblack]

This book is the best PRACTICAL guide to large format nature photography. Jack has spent

years refining his approach, and it works beautifully. Any new large format landscape

photographer, especially one who shoots color transparencies, will benefit from this book.