Why do you use large format?

[nikonosguy]

because it looks cool when i whip out a graflex ---

because it's fun

because it's a different process

because i'm hipper than the hipsters

 

[telenous]

Why do you use large format?...What are your reasons?

I 've only modest experience but what appeals to me the most is the fact that large format photographs have greater 'descriptive power'. They are like self-contained worlds you may enter and peruse leisurely, with many varied focal points of interest. There's also something about large format cameras, they change the way (and the pace) you relate to the world, and the way the world relates and responds back to you. What you get with LF in the end is a fundamentally different sort of picture from the one you get with a 35mm camera. There's also improved tonality and all the other advantages but to me these are concomitant, though obviously welcome, bonuses.

.

 

[shadowfox]

It just feels great to use a LF camera. Its very peaceful.

Also, it makes strangers friendly; breaks down barriers.

Absolutely agree.

 

[DominikDUK]

So that children and their mothers can say "look mom/child he uses a very old camera" and the better educated "does it use plates".
I believe Frank Petronio has it right you interact differently with your model/subject because you can't look trough the viewfinder at the moment you take the picture. You're either standing behind or next to the camera and look at the model/subject in short you have eye contact this reassures the model imo. And at the right moment you put a small amount of pressure on the cable release and voila you made an intimate photo eye contact everything. From a technical perspective I like the tonal transition I get from LF. I also agree with Frank some Landscapes are better served by using 35mm or even halfframe.

 

[Rogier]

Because its a conversation piece ;-)
Every time I set-up my Finley 4x5 pinhole camera it attracts attention and opens up conversations. Quite a difference to what I feel like while street shooting....


IMG_6596 by Rogier Diver, on Flickr

 

[Roger Hicks]

This is all wonderfully cheering. Some of the reasons here, I hadn't realized had influenced me -- but they had!

Cheers,

R.

 

[JoeV]

I'm liking shooting Harman DPP in large format, both for the results and the process. Having a fiber print direct from the camera via a simple print chemistry development routine is the closest thing to magic I can think of. It's simultaneously hands-on and rather immediate, while remaining enough of a technical challenge to be interesting.

~Joe

 

[unixrevolution]

I shoot a pair of 4x5's, an 8x10, and a converted Quarter Plate graflex that takes 4x5 film holders. I have loved large format since I started with it a couple years ago.

I like the large images, I like the perspective and focus control, and I like the contemplation. I like trying hard to find the best place to take my one photo.

I also love the doors it opens. People get interested, nostalgic, curious, and they just LOVE to pose for a large format camera the way they never would for a DSLR, or even a Leica.

it's a conversation starter and gives this shy extrovert an icebreaker and a way to stand out among the crowd.

 

[Nokton48]

It affects how I perceive and what I am trying to achieve in a particular project. It definately affects the subject and is much more of a collaborative effort in those cases. And Yes it relaxes me.

Then there are the obvious fidelity and technical advantages.

Below:
8x10" Sinar Norma Camera, Sinar Norma 8x10 Bag Bellows, 165mm F8 Sinar Super Angulon Lens, Sinar Norma Shutter, FOBA C10 Tripod, Sinar Norma Pan/Tilt Head.

 

[kram]

Because ir gives me shift and tilt facility, as cheap or cheaper than miniature or medium format cameras, which is strange in away.

 

[Jamie123]

Image quality is one reason but most of all I use LF because the camera forces me to make a series of conscious decisions in order to arrive at an image.

 

[maddoc]

😀 😀 I've not yet devoted enough time to my Crown Graphic to have an opinion on this question. Curiousity just got the better of me initially. I hope to get more proficient but doubt that I'll ever be printing huge enlargements.

To Maddoc, I understand that the ridges on the fresnel supposedly go against the ground side of the glass. Honestly? I think I can see better to focus without the fresnel there but that may just be my tired 60-something eyes. 🙂 It's all still a work in progress.

Kenny

Kenny, the problem is the correct position of gg and film holders. Linhof factory sets it up correctly but the previous owner changed the setup years ago and forgot about the changes he made. So it is try and error now ...

 

[csxcnj]

I started with 35mm film in the early 70's, had a good 15+ year break, got back in to photography in the early 2000's with digital, rediscovered film and use digital mostly for railroad photos.

Why I am getting in to LF: in 2008 I suffered a rear cerebral stroke from a job site injury. I lost all ability to walk, read, focus my eyes quickly etc. I could not even turm my head without extreme pain and nausea. I was told I would never drive or work physically again. Well 3 months later I was driving (best guess by a neurologist was my body being stationary eliminated the balance issues) and 5 months after that I was working again. If you ever get that kind of prognosis from doctors get new doctors!

Part of my self planned therapy was walking my neighborhood with a film camera to train my body to walk again and actuall do at least two things at once. A film camera forced me to think about and set focus, speed and aperture while walking and moving my head to look for shots. It was ugly at first but that exersise was a big part of healing.

Since my recovery I have realized that the slower I go when photographing the more I enjoy it. I stumbled on to the Largeformatphoto forum over a year ago. The more I read the more I thought that it would be the ultimate in slow, thought out photographing. And I am enjoying every minute of it, including the frustrations and screw ups. And the other things about perspective , focus cntrol etc. too, but those reasons aren't why I got in to it, they're just added benefits.

 

[mervynyan]

gives me sanity, have some great photos as benchmark to match. smaller formats are fast and luck trying...

 

[Kenj8246]

Kenny, the problem is the correct position of gg and film holders. Linhof factory sets it up correctly but the previous owner changed the setup years ago and forgot about the changes he made. So it is try and error now ...

Ahh, I thought you were referring to something else.

 

[rpsawin]

LF photography engages me in all aspects of the process more so than any other format. I really enjoy the slower pace and being immersed in the "zone" (similar to the system...lol).

 

[csxcnj]

LF photography engages me in all aspects of the process more so than any other format. I really enjoy the slower pace and being immersed in the "zone" (similar to the system...lol).

I was about to ask you what a EIEIO was but I sounded it out 😉

 

[Photo_Smith]

It makes me get up before first light, set up and get ready shoot and be home for breakfast-wife, kids no one missed me– just solitude.

I think it also provides a foil for the digisnap era the opposite from an iphone camera.

 

[pasiasty]

- manual control of everything single step
- much less pictures to post-process
- camera movements (they help me hiding my total lack of aptitude)
- it attracts (some) models
- it allows me playing with fine mechanics
- cameras are usually look nicer (but black Cambo SC series)
- it's way cheaper than hi-quality digital (my most expensive LF lens was about $300, while it's hard to find anything good for an (D)SLR under $1000)
- if anything breaks, I can usually repair it by myself

 

[Emile de Leon]

Just got my new Ebony 8x10 in..
Super pleased..this one is 7.5 lbs..ultralite for 8x10..
Cant wait to take it out..
Havent shot LF in a long time..
Now to buy some chemistry..