[LargeFormat] Greetings

[largeformat@f32.net]

I am an amateur photographer who started out with a Pentax K1000 during college in the early 80's and just kept on shooting.  As with many photographers I know, I have more cameras than sense.  Current gamut is from 35mm 1/2 frame through 8x10.  I tend to choose the largest format that I can get away with for a particular project.  Current LF loves include a Zone VI 8x10 and a Wisner 5x7 with lenses from the usual selection of Schneider, Kodak, Rodenstock etc., but I recently picked up a used Sinar P and a Crown Grafic after failed e-bay auctions . . . as I said more cameras than sense.  I do not tend to be particularly brand-loyal in terms of equipment.

Since the birth of my daughter, I have been shooting more 35mm film and more color (she moves damn fast for the 8x10 and it is nice to have someone else do the processing on the snapshots), but my primary interests lie with B&W.  I currently shoot Tri-X in 4x5, 5x7 and 8x10 and Iford Delta 400 for my medium format and 35 stuff.  I worked for a newspaper briefly in the early 90's, but found that producing photographs on deadline or at the direction or an editor (you could fill in "art-director" here, I supose) was not for me.  Current projects include portraiture and still lifes.  Examples of the latter may be seen at http://www.takeart.com under "Ben Marks".  I have lurked on this list for six months or so and have found it more civil and humorous than some of the usegroups in the rec.photo hierarchy.

Best of luck to all in the New Year.

Ben Marks
Benmarks@aol.com