[LargeFormat] about to take the jump

[rstein]

Dear Nephew William,

     Please see if you can locate a copy of a book by Roger Hicks and
Frances Schultz on large and medium format photography. It is an illustrated
volume and quite current in the shops. Mr Hicks is a MARVELLOUS writer - and
I rarely go to such praise. The book has very adequate intro and detail on a
lot of ways that you could enter into large format.

     I cannot hope to emulate Roger - indeed I poke into that book myself
for ideas repeatedly - but I can add some little experience from a decade of
LF work. Mostly for my own benefit - sometimes for sale.

1.     4 x 5 is the most common large size film. Remember that each sheet
contains the seeds of other formats - 2 x 5 1 x 5 2 x 4 4 x 4 . Seems simply
stupid to say it but I did the costing for outlay vs return on the purchase
of rollfilm backs for my 4 x 5 cameras and found that for a long time in the
future I can shoot sheet films cheaper than rolls.

2.     4 x 5 enlargers are more common than 5 x 7 's. and 8 x 10's are thin
( but heavy ) on the ground. You can MAKE a good 4 x 5 enlarger out of a
dead Polaroid MP4 copy camera for very cheap.

3.    Wood cameras are light to haul and cute to use and wobble like a
politician in a by election. They can do the job if you are careful.

4.     Metal cameras are either heavy or have bits that stick into your eye
when you bend down - sometimes both. This is fun in a studio but not up a
rock face.

5.     Tripods are the best place to look for improvement in your work.
Heavy, solid, insensitive. Not you - the tripod. The more so the better. If
you are in a studio consider a studio stand.

6.     Do not buy junk to start on. You will not get better - just
frustrated. Or worse - you will not get good and you will not know why. Get
one good camera, one good lens, and a dozen good double darks.

7.    Lenses. Schneider, Rodenstock, Zeiss, Nikon. Buy the wonderful old
oddities later - buy a new good one now.

8.     Filters. Nikon, B&W, Hoya, Tiffen. Yellow, Green, Red, ND 6X, Pola

9.     Diffuser. Zeiss Softar #2.

10.   Lenshood. Compendium if you can find one - rubber folder if you can't.

11.   Loupe. Still haven't solved this one myself.

12.   Film. B/W neg - Ilford FP4 Col neg Kodak Portra 160 VC

    Getting into large format work is like having a baby - everybody has
good advice and all the advice is different. And it takes about 9 months to
produce a result.

     Uncle Dick