I'd like to add another tip: If you think you got your shot the first time, don't waste film/money/time on other back up shots. I concentrate so much on the first exposure that anything I shoot after that in the same set up/subject is usually not that great and a huge waste of money. Dance, shoot and move on.
Great tips. My favorite: Don't be afraid of limitations. That can be a mantra not only for LF but for life. The obstacle becomes the way. The bonus tip was great too. Have fun. Most people are not professionals. We doing it for fun.
When I first got into LF I hate the idea of limitations, more than likely because it was a new problem I'd never encountered. A few thousand exposures later, the limitations are some of the more fun parts of the process!
On point, with the episode of LFPP with Dave Shrimpton I was listening to today. He said if one hesitates to make the LF jump, try pinhole LF either with film sheet of paper direct positive... Following the discussion, it was making sense and here you plant a seed with the pinhole bucket :) I haven't yet followed this recommendation but I will once I am back from my summer break. LF pinhole sounds fun and it's a good starting block for building the muscle memory behind this type of photography.
Thanks Jason, lots of great interviews with photographers over on the LFPP. Been following David's work for a long time and he's giving great advice on simplifying things with LF pinhole.
Yes, absolutely. So many of the 5x7s are not much larger than a 4x5 but much smaller than most 8x10s and with a 4x5 reducing back you get the best of both worlds. 5x7 for contact printing and 4x5 for the wider availability of films for scanning and enlarging.
Thank for the advice Mat. I've just taken the plunge by purchasing an old Brook and James 4x5 Commercial View using your "spend less on the camera so you have more money for the fluff and film" mantra.
All good advice!!! I started with a speed Graphic and then built a 8x10 pinhole camera ... a big old box that i had fun painting!!! I do have an ancient Kodak 8x10, but I do use the 4x5 more out of ease!!!
I agree with 5 of your 6 tips. I avoid using expired film (tip #4) because I do not like being surprised by poor Image quality caused by film deterioration.
one more tip, to save money use instant film, lomograflok back, so you can light test the gear, lens shutter speeds, and you can check composition and if it is what you expected it to be; I just shot a roll of 120 expired, in a 500c\m but was glare full, not useable, but, it helped me to feel comfortable shooting, as you said, did the dance, found compositions, and importantly found out about the light, how bright a film can take, and tip, if in doubt, use a low asa (100\160), that way the brightness is only highlights, not glare. like the army does, do a "reconnaissance" mission the first time somewhere, with digital, or a MF camera, check out how accessible the site is for lf, can you set a tripod up in the composition you want?, can you sit at a nearby bench to rest, set up gear, etc. this helps you succeed at the lf, so you enjoy the images, not just the process of shooting.
Good tips. I'm a large format beginner myself, having run about 20 sheets now though my Speed Graphic. I got some (relatively) cheap Fomapan 400 film at 40 € for 50 sheets to practise with and found out I have to overexpose it by 2 stops to get decent density but I've got some nice pictures (and a few hopelessly under exposed ones) already. I've only scanned my negatives so far as my enlarger takes 6x6 cm maximum but I'm building a 3D-printed 4x5 head for it to be able to make real prints. I'm really liking the format so far.
Thanks for the comment and sounds like you're well on your way with exposing and testing. Shoot me a message with that 3D printed head when you get finished, I'd love to see it. Cheers!
Solid advice. I'm a 37 year 4x5 photographer (and 35mm, 6x6, and digital) and would definitely have to get some experience if I moved up to 8x10; not to mention new support equipment. I hate to imagine getting an enlarger for 8x10, probably contact print and / or scan and inkjet print.
Dude, you rock! Thanks for all the information and inspiration. I've recently bought a Sinar F2, thanks to you I knew why. Now that I've got the nessecary fluff, I'm going to try it out in the wild (as soon as the weather gets better here).
I add several steps to the "dance". There is the warm up of loading film into the film holders, in complete darkness. Then the big dance around the tripod. Followed by the cool down of unloading the film holders into the processing holders, again in the black. Followed by the rhythmic dance of developing. At the end of all that dancing we hope to do a happy dance around beautiful pictures.
I started with 4x5 four years ago. I use sheet film but enjoy shooting with glass negative as well. Six month ago I got me an intrepid 8x10. It has its limitations but it is very lightweight. I use a Nikkor M 300mm f9 which is lightweight as well. Hope to travel to Japan at the end of this year with my gear in oder to take some photographs of zen gardens in Kyoto. Maybe I even use 8x10 glass negative and a 19th century aplanat. Thank you for your inspiring channel.
Stefan that sounds like a fantastic plan! My whole photography journey began with a long summer study in Japan back in 2008. I've not since returned with all my film gear but hope to one of these days. So many awesome natural sites to see!
Hi May, great episode and so much truth in there! Just another suggestion, if you haven’t done any similar content, could you please make an episode on how to travel on long trips with an 8x10, especially how best to load film and what your preferred process is when it comes to storing expose film and keeping track of you inventory? Thanks!!
Great tips! I'm glad I started with 4x5 - I think I'd likely never shoot much with 8x10 because of carrying it and the cost. At least 4x5 is semi-manageable. Though I did recently get a 5x7 and I have two 8x10 film holders (I was going to make a pinhole). The part I have the most problem with is actually finding time to shoot what and where I want to. Though I do probably need a new tripod.
Finding the time can be really tricky, and it's not something you want to rush if possible. Also, classic tactic of picking up the small accessories to justify the BIG purchase! ;)
Awesome and an excellent set of tips! I honestly wish I had started with expired film with LF, went through a lot of sheets from fresh Ilford films and plenty of mistakes. But also the cost helped make me learn and focus on the dance!
Agreed on the expired films Alex! I think everybody should try fresh, heavy duty emulsions like Kodak TMAX & Tri-X just for the feel, but they can be painful films to make mistakes with.
Limitations. I have a Speed Graphic, a 1940-ish Anniversary model. Front rise and limited shift, no swing. Bed drop in place of tilt (it's really there to get the bed out of field with lenses as wide as 90mm). The lens I usually keep on it is a 13.5cm f/4.5 Tessar -- a good lens, but it's in a shutter with no works at all, so I can only use it with the focal plane shutter (which, fortunately, works well and is accurate, even at 80 years of age) (or very long exposures and a lens cap, except I haven't got a cap that fits it). That's the lens I have the RF calibrated for, because it's a major PITA to use the ground glass with the focal plane shutter (and with the one on a Speed, don't forget it doesn't cap when you reset it for the next exposure -- dark slide in!). Yep, limitations, but that's the camera I'm converting to a Graflok back so I can better use my Grafmatics and the Lomograflok instant back I plan to order soon. Sure, I have more capabilities with my Graphic View monorail, but the Speed Graphic's limitations are where the fun is. And "The Dance" -- I learned the dance with a 1930s vintage Patent Etui in 9x12 cm format. Large format that will fit in a coat pocket, but about 90% of the area of a 4x5. Opening the shutter to focus on the ground glass, frame, make sure that little bit of front rise wasn't going to leave me with vignetted sky (not much extra image circle on a 135mm Radionar), closing the shutter before pulling the dark slide, keeping track of exposed holders by dark slide orientation. I only ever shot about twenty negatives with that camera, but it gave me what I needed when I got a 4x5 monorail (an Aletta with leaky bellows), then traded that up for the Speed Graphic and Graphic View (and somewhere along the way, two Ica/Zeiss Ideal plate cameras, back to 9x12 format). And it's still fun, even while I'm still trying to iron out loading my Yankee Agitank (two sheets in one slot on *both sides* last time). I should open the box of Tri-X Ortho someone sent me, test a couple sheets, and makes some images on that -- I can load it under safelight. Free film is the kind to really have fun with!
How times change. In 1964 I went to the USAF Photo School in Denver and we started out with a Deardorf 8x10 camera, then a month later we went to the various 4x5 Graphlex cameras IN 1971 I started Brooks Institute and you started with a 4x5 view camera.
I have a leofoto tripod , I have used it for 35mm and 120 and now want to use it for my intrepid 4x5, I wonder if it's actually sturdy enough since everyone walks around with those beasts of tripods. But it feels sturdy enough and it is capable to handle the weight
Encouraging video! I received my Wista Field 45 DX with a Fujinon W 1:5.6 / 150 yesterday. First thing I have ordered is a film holder. I have no idea where this route will lead me to ...
congratulations! i find this a interesting (and beautiful) camera. will it fold with the lens? i thought my tachihara (similar to the wista) would fold with a small lens but it will not.
#6 Write stuff down! Doesn't have to be neat or a super system just little note book and soft pencil. Number your dark slides. Write down what you when you do it.
Another tip. Large format isn't a process you can rush. Taking your time to scout a location, noting the time of day and lighting. pre visionalizing the shot then coming back to set up and wait for just that right moment can be very rewarding
Personally, I would recommend to start with 5x7. It is not that much larger and clumsier than 4x5, but contact prints (or direct positives, if you are aiming for that) are significantly larger and more impressive at this size. And often 5x7 gear is cheaper than 4x5, because there is not that much (or even less) demand, only lenses could be (but not will be!) a little more expensive than 4x5 lenses because of their larger image circle.
Wow, talking about something other than 8x10 tends to bring 5x7 shooters out of the woodwork. Never seen so much support for 5x7, but y'all have to admit, there's limited everything out there in that size.
If you have access to a darkroom & enlarger, definitely 4x5. But if that's something that's not available to you, I would seriously encourage people to consider 5x7. It's the smallest size sheet film that still feels fairly satisfying when contact printed in your bathroom. Yes, film is a slightly more limited, but lenses are still plentiful. With the exceptions of the widest ones, most lenses that cover 4x5 will also cover 5x7.
Mike availability alone is while you'll see me seldom recommend 5x7 at the rate I suggest 4x5. For most hybrid shooters, 5x7 might as well be 8x10 and the limitations of film emulsions is approaching ULF territory.
@@MatMarrash I tried to emphasize the limits. In a non-hybrid work flow and with no enlarger access, 4x5 just isn't great. If you're someone who wants to learn some analog b&w printing, 5x7 is great for contact prints and doesn't cost much more than 4x5.
4x5 is great! but if you are feeling inspired and excited to get into other formats than 4x5 do not get into 4x5. go for what interests you and what you want. Do not listen to side-stepping advice from people on the internet or elsewhere.
I agree, go for what you want. But if you're like a lot of folks that want to try this and the up-front costs seem insurmountable for 8x10 and ULF, a 4x5 setup is a drop in the bucket comparatively.
expired filmsare the worst that can be. for a simple reason, if we all use expired films, there will be no new ones, because I simply stopped producing the company since no one is interested in buying it
I'd like to add another tip: If you think you got your shot the first time, don't waste film/money/time on other back up shots. I concentrate so much on the first exposure that anything I shoot after that in the same set up/subject is usually not that great and a huge waste of money. Dance, shoot and move on.
Great tips. My favorite: Don't be afraid of limitations. That can be a mantra not only for LF but for life. The obstacle becomes the way. The bonus tip was great too. Have fun. Most people are not professionals. We doing it for fun.
When I first got into LF I hate the idea of limitations, more than likely because it was a new problem I'd never encountered. A few thousand exposures later, the limitations are some of the more fun parts of the process!
Thanks for the advice. I’m selling my hasselblad cfv 50c and picking up an intrepid 8x10. Stoked to start this large format adventure.
A good solid tripod is probably the single most neglected photo gears out there. Good advices!
It really is!
On point, with the episode of LFPP with Dave Shrimpton I was listening to today. He said if one hesitates to make the LF jump, try pinhole LF either with film sheet of paper direct positive... Following the discussion, it was making sense and here you plant a seed with the pinhole bucket :)
I haven't yet followed this recommendation but I will once I am back from my summer break. LF pinhole sounds fun and it's a good starting block for building the muscle memory behind this type of photography.
Thanks Jason, lots of great interviews with photographers over on the LFPP. Been following David's work for a long time and he's giving great advice on simplifying things with LF pinhole.
Agree to start with a 4x5 yet I wish I would have started with a 5x7 with a 4x5 reducing back to upsize later to 5x7. LFF Rocks.
Yes, absolutely. So many of the 5x7s are not much larger than a 4x5 but much smaller than most 8x10s and with a 4x5 reducing back you get the best of both worlds. 5x7 for contact printing and 4x5 for the wider availability of films for scanning and enlarging.
Thank for the advice Mat. I've just taken the plunge by purchasing an old Brook and James 4x5 Commercial View using your "spend less on the camera so you have more money for the fluff and film" mantra.
Thanks Tim and welcome to large format! Those B&J monorails are tanks and plenty to learn all the ins-and-outs of the large format process.
All good advice!!! I started with a speed Graphic and then built a 8x10 pinhole camera ... a big old box that i had fun painting!!! I do have an ancient Kodak 8x10, but I do use the 4x5 more out of ease!!!
I agree with 5 of your 6 tips. I avoid using expired film (tip #4) because I do not like being surprised by poor Image quality caused by film deterioration.
While bigger film can mask some of the signs of expiration, it still happens and with color can fail in spectacular fashion!
one more tip, to save money use instant film, lomograflok back, so you can light test the gear, lens shutter speeds, and you can check composition and if it is what you expected it to be; I just shot a roll of 120 expired, in a 500c\m but was glare full, not useable, but, it helped me to feel comfortable shooting, as you said, did the dance, found compositions, and importantly found out about the light, how bright a film can take, and tip, if in doubt, use a low asa (100\160), that way the brightness is only highlights, not glare.
like the army does, do a "reconnaissance" mission the first time somewhere, with digital, or a MF camera, check out how accessible the site is for lf, can you set a tripod up in the composition you want?, can you sit at a nearby bench to rest, set up gear, etc. this helps you succeed at the lf, so you enjoy the images, not just the process of shooting.
Amen to that bonus point especially. Great video, Mat!
Thanks Chris! :)
Good tips. I'm a large format beginner myself, having run about 20 sheets now though my Speed Graphic. I got some (relatively) cheap Fomapan 400 film at 40 € for 50 sheets to practise with and found out I have to overexpose it by 2 stops to get decent density but I've got some nice pictures (and a few hopelessly under exposed ones) already. I've only scanned my negatives so far as my enlarger takes 6x6 cm maximum but I'm building a 3D-printed 4x5 head for it to be able to make real prints. I'm really liking the format so far.
Thanks for the comment and sounds like you're well on your way with exposing and testing. Shoot me a message with that 3D printed head when you get finished, I'd love to see it. Cheers!
Solid advice. I'm a 37 year 4x5 photographer (and 35mm, 6x6, and digital) and would definitely have to get some experience if I moved up to 8x10; not to mention new support equipment. I hate to imagine getting an enlarger for 8x10, probably contact print and / or scan and inkjet print.
Thanks Steve and you're dead-on with the hassle of 8x10. Enlarging it is an insane amount of work!
Dude, you rock! Thanks for all the information and inspiration. I've recently bought a Sinar F2, thanks to you I knew why. Now that I've got the nessecary fluff, I'm going to try it out in the wild (as soon as the weather gets better here).
William this is great news and congrats on the F2. They're great cameras and just enough weight shaved off to be field ready. Cheers!
I add several steps to the "dance". There is the warm up of loading film into the film holders, in complete darkness. Then the big dance around the tripod. Followed by the cool down of unloading the film holders into the processing holders, again in the black. Followed by the rhythmic dance of developing. At the end of all that dancing we hope to do a happy dance around beautiful pictures.
Great tips! Very encouraging. Thank you. Wow, I really noticed how sharp the new video camera is today. Looks fantastic. Great work as always.
Thanks Jeff! These new toys are fun to play with, but also means I need to ratchet-up the content. ;)
I started with 4x5 four years ago. I use sheet film but enjoy shooting with glass negative as well. Six month ago I got me an intrepid 8x10. It has its limitations but it is very lightweight. I use a Nikkor M 300mm f9 which is lightweight as well. Hope to travel to Japan at the end of this year with my gear in oder to take some photographs of zen gardens in Kyoto. Maybe I even use 8x10 glass negative and a 19th century aplanat. Thank you for your inspiring channel.
Stefan that sounds like a fantastic plan! My whole photography journey began with a long summer study in Japan back in 2008. I've not since returned with all my film gear but hope to one of these days. So many awesome natural sites to see!
@@MatMarrash Yes indeed, I visited all 4 main islands from north to south. Haven't seen my Japanese friends for almost two years due to pandemic.
My favorite form of poetry as a writer is haiku, my favorite form of photography is LF. The limitations can be empowering.
Hi May, great episode and so much truth in there! Just another suggestion, if you haven’t done any similar content, could you please make an episode on how to travel on long trips with an 8x10, especially how best to load film and what your preferred process is when it comes to storing expose film and keeping track of you inventory? Thanks!!
Great tips! I'm glad I started with 4x5 - I think I'd likely never shoot much with 8x10 because of carrying it and the cost. At least 4x5 is semi-manageable. Though I did recently get a 5x7 and I have two 8x10 film holders (I was going to make a pinhole). The part I have the most problem with is actually finding time to shoot what and where I want to. Though I do probably need a new tripod.
Finding the time can be really tricky, and it's not something you want to rush if possible. Also, classic tactic of picking up the small accessories to justify the BIG purchase! ;)
Awesome and an excellent set of tips! I honestly wish I had started with expired film with LF, went through a lot of sheets from fresh Ilford films and plenty of mistakes. But also the cost helped make me learn and focus on the dance!
Agreed on the expired films Alex! I think everybody should try fresh, heavy duty emulsions like Kodak TMAX & Tri-X just for the feel, but they can be painful films to make mistakes with.
Been there and done that.
Limitations. I have a Speed Graphic, a 1940-ish Anniversary model. Front rise and limited shift, no swing. Bed drop in place of tilt (it's really there to get the bed out of field with lenses as wide as 90mm). The lens I usually keep on it is a 13.5cm f/4.5 Tessar -- a good lens, but it's in a shutter with no works at all, so I can only use it with the focal plane shutter (which, fortunately, works well and is accurate, even at 80 years of age) (or very long exposures and a lens cap, except I haven't got a cap that fits it). That's the lens I have the RF calibrated for, because it's a major PITA to use the ground glass with the focal plane shutter (and with the one on a Speed, don't forget it doesn't cap when you reset it for the next exposure -- dark slide in!).
Yep, limitations, but that's the camera I'm converting to a Graflok back so I can better use my Grafmatics and the Lomograflok instant back I plan to order soon. Sure, I have more capabilities with my Graphic View monorail, but the Speed Graphic's limitations are where the fun is.
And "The Dance" -- I learned the dance with a 1930s vintage Patent Etui in 9x12 cm format. Large format that will fit in a coat pocket, but about 90% of the area of a 4x5. Opening the shutter to focus on the ground glass, frame, make sure that little bit of front rise wasn't going to leave me with vignetted sky (not much extra image circle on a 135mm Radionar), closing the shutter before pulling the dark slide, keeping track of exposed holders by dark slide orientation. I only ever shot about twenty negatives with that camera, but it gave me what I needed when I got a 4x5 monorail (an Aletta with leaky bellows), then traded that up for the Speed Graphic and Graphic View (and somewhere along the way, two Ica/Zeiss Ideal plate cameras, back to 9x12 format).
And it's still fun, even while I'm still trying to iron out loading my Yankee Agitank (two sheets in one slot on *both sides* last time). I should open the box of Tri-X Ortho someone sent me, test a couple sheets, and makes some images on that -- I can load it under safelight. Free film is the kind to really have fun with!
How times change. In 1964 I went to the USAF Photo School in Denver and we started out with a Deardorf 8x10 camera, then a month later we went to the various 4x5 Graphlex cameras IN 1971 I started Brooks Institute and you started with a 4x5 view camera.
Just found this channel really like the presentation. Going to work through the videos. Thanks
I have a leofoto tripod , I have used it for 35mm and 120 and now want to use it for my intrepid 4x5, I wonder if it's actually sturdy enough since everyone walks around with those beasts of tripods. But it feels sturdy enough and it is capable to handle the weight
Excellent advice that even old-timers need to hear. Thanks much.
Thanks Michael it's advice I think we all need to hear every once in a while. Cheers!
Encouraging video! I received my Wista Field 45 DX with a Fujinon W 1:5.6 / 150 yesterday. First thing I have ordered is a film holder. I have no idea where this route will lead me to ...
congratulations! i find this a interesting (and beautiful) camera. will it fold with the lens?
i thought my tachihara (similar to the wista) would fold with a small lens but it will not.
@@stakkanovfriman2838 No, it does not fold with any lens. There is no room for it.
Congrats Markus and have fun with your large format journey!
Limitations are in a sense what makes creativity. Without them, we are stuck in the middle of a desert without any way to know where to go.
Amen!
As always, I'm here for Strudel.
We really need more long dogs on this channel!
#6 Write stuff down! Doesn't have to be neat or a super system just little note book and soft pencil. Number your dark slides. Write down what you when you do it.
Another tip. Large format isn't a process you can rush. Taking your time to scout a location, noting the time of day and lighting. pre visionalizing the shot then coming back to set up and wait for just that right moment can be very rewarding
❤️ ❤️ ❤️
Shooting for fun!
Personally, I would recommend to start with 5x7. It is not that much larger and clumsier than 4x5, but contact prints (or direct positives, if you are aiming for that) are significantly larger and more impressive at this size. And often 5x7 gear is cheaper than 4x5, because there is not that much (or even less) demand, only lenses could be (but not will be!) a little more expensive than 4x5 lenses because of their larger image circle.
Wow, talking about something other than 8x10 tends to bring 5x7 shooters out of the woodwork. Never seen so much support for 5x7, but y'all have to admit, there's limited everything out there in that size.
For me it's an escape - I love my 4x5 :)
I love my wife too but... ;)
There is an escape aspect to getting out on long hikes with LF!
If you have access to a darkroom & enlarger, definitely 4x5. But if that's something that's not available to you, I would seriously encourage people to consider 5x7. It's the smallest size sheet film that still feels fairly satisfying when contact printed in your bathroom.
Yes, film is a slightly more limited, but lenses are still plentiful. With the exceptions of the widest ones, most lenses that cover 4x5 will also cover 5x7.
Mike availability alone is while you'll see me seldom recommend 5x7 at the rate I suggest 4x5. For most hybrid shooters, 5x7 might as well be 8x10 and the limitations of film emulsions is approaching ULF territory.
@@MatMarrash I tried to emphasize the limits.
In a non-hybrid work flow and with no enlarger access, 4x5 just isn't great. If you're someone who wants to learn some analog b&w printing, 5x7 is great for contact prints and doesn't cost much more than 4x5.
Expired film is fine...... if you enjoy paying near-retail prices on ebay! So out of control these days.
Yeah if it's 75% or more of retail, no thanks!
Them tripods cost to damn much. $600 without the head
If carbon fiber isn't your thing an old survey tripod will do the trick for < $100.
4x5 is great! but if you are feeling inspired and excited to get into other formats than 4x5 do not get into 4x5. go for what interests you and what you want. Do not listen to side-stepping advice from people on the internet or elsewhere.
I agree, go for what you want. But if you're like a lot of folks that want to try this and the up-front costs seem insurmountable for 8x10 and ULF, a 4x5 setup is a drop in the bucket comparatively.
expired filmsare the worst that can be. for a simple reason, if we all use expired films, there will be no new ones, because I simply stopped producing the company since no one is interested in buying it