My First 8X10 Photograph

[Belle]

After noodling with my 4x5 Graflex for several weeks, I decided to hop right up to a 8x10, and got myself a Deardorff. And now I’m hooked. I really like the hands-on approach to taking photographs. The process involves a lot of thinking which really adds to the overall enjoyment.

I won’t go into too much details but one thing I learned is you really need a GIANT tripod. My developer told me to do the “tap one leg to see if the tripod shakes test” and my tripod utterly failed.

There’s a tinge of camera shake and the film was a tad overexposed. Westlake Theatre, Downtown Los Angeles, f/64 @ 1 Sec, ISO 400 (Ilford).

 

[charjohncarter]

Beautiful, I went by the theater about 6 hours ago on my way back to San Francisco from visiting my daughter. The skies were smoky from all the fires, so your sky will look better when things clear up. But when will that be? Now get a finder for your 4x5 and use it handheld, it probably feels like a miniture camera now.

 

[Skeletor]

Sorry, even at this small size the photo looks like it was taken handheld. You are right, you need a better tripod.

 

[David Goldfarb]

You'll get a better tripod, but at least you're off and running. If you don't have the budget for a major tripod investment at the moment, invest first in a better head. Presuming that's the tripod you're using in the picture with your post, I'd say the head is a bigger problem than the legs. A good choice for an 8x10 flatbed camera that you want to carry into the field would be a Gitzo G1570M--it's got a nice big platform, isn't too heavy, and is a three-way pan-tilt head. If you can find a used one, they're not too expensive either. Ries heads are also nice for flatbed cameras, but a bit more expensive.

My first LF camera was 8x10". The big groundglass just made everything feel much more intuitive than the smaller formats. Once I got the hang of it, I found it easier to use smaller cameras, and today I shoot both smaller and larger sheet film formats. Enjoy!

 

[sepiareverb]

810 is indeed an incredible format. I shot nearly nothing else for about 8 years (assignment work aside). Your thought about the pace being the draw was right for this shooter too. Pulled it out this spring for the first time in a few years and wasn't ready for slow again yet. One day I'll be back under the dark cloth.

Enjoy!

 

[Belle]

Thanks for your notes.

Another small issue I had was the old lens I used did not have a copal shutter, so I did not have a soft shutter release connection to triggering the lens. It was triggered manually. I believe this also contributed to the camera shake as well. I solved the lens problem and ordered a new tripod.

BTW, I didn't know 8x10 camera lens were the size of a WHOPPER!

p.s. charjohncater - I think the theatre your drove by is the Grand Lake Theatre near Oakland (beautiful theater!). The Westlake Theatre is in the Pico Union District near Downtown Los Angeles.

 

[David Goldfarb]

I can't quite tell what kind of lens and shutter that is from the picture, but virtually all LF shutters have a socket for a cable release. Very old shutters may have a piston with a fitting for a hose and bulb, but this lens looks more recent than that. If the cable release socket is missing, it can be replaced.

 

[charjohncarter]

Belle, no I was in LA, may daughter live there, and I drove home on I-5, ooooog.

 

[Belle]

charjohncarter - I see. What a long drive. One of my goal is to get a photograph of the Grandlake Theatre in Oakland. Hope I have a trip up there soon. Cheers!

 

[charjohncarter]

Belle, there is plenty to photograph in the Grand Lake Theater area. You can walk to Lake Merritt, maybe not with an 8x10, but there are many old nice buildings very close to the theater. I went by it today. I didn't have a camera, godfreydaniels.

 

[JCT]

Now that pic brought back some serious memories for this ex- West LA gal!


Nice first shot, I got a Deardorff about 8 months ago and have been having a great time fiddling with it -- I find the required slow-down to be therapeutic. But my camera is a serious "user" --- yours is a beaut!

I also had to invest in a new head and use my old 1325 Gitzo tripod.

Have fun,

JCT

 

[Turtle]

I'd say the head is a bigger problem than the legs. A good choice for an 8x10 flatbed camera that you want to carry into the field would be a Gitzo G1570M--it's got a nice big platform, isn't too heavy, and is a three-way pan-tilt head. If you can find a used one, they're not too expensive either. Ries heads are also nice for flatbed cameras, but a bit more expensive.. Enjoy!

I have two Berlebacks and a 1570M. It gets no better. Berleback have good value very solid heads with no centre column. I have two and three section models - the two from the car and the three if hiking. Both are VERY stable and the two you could sit on top of. The 1570 head is magic!