How and Why Did You Choose Your Format?

[keithwms]

Choose? One?

When I settle on one I'll tell you.

Ditto.

 

[Snapshot]

Well, I'm a 35mm shooter because I love the flexibility this format offers me. The cameras are relatively portable and easier to carry than other format. This allows me to do a range of photography, from candid street photography to portraits, and still get good results. I don't just expect grainless 20" x 24" prints.

 

[Ian Grant]

Back when at school I started with 35mm and once swapped for a Yashicamat for a weekend, later I bought a very early Rolleicord, followed swiftly by a pair on Mamiyas a C33 & C3. 120 they became my main B&W format. Then came 5x4 in my early 20's but used mainly for business/work.

When I began shooting more personal work in the mid 80's I became frustrated by lack of movements with my Mamiya 645's, so switched to 5x4 only using 120 for commercial work.

Then I grew up and bought a 10x8, it's a progression. I still use 35mm but only very occasionally, I've begun shooting 6x17 because I'd always wanted to shoot with a much wider format, and now I have a hankering to shoot square again, so have a Yashicamat and a Rolleiflex.

Ian

 

[DannL]

Two score and then some,
holding cameras in my grip.
I finally found a nine by twelve,
to be the perfect fit.