Invest in 4x5 equipment?

[gbroadbridge]

I thought you might enjoy Clyde Butcher's methods of shooting in Florida's Everglades with snakes and alligators, as well as a lot of water.

Clyde Butcher

Discover the life and works of Clyde Butcher, a master of black and white photography. Explore his stunning images of nature and landscapes, and learn about his artistic journey.

clydebutcher.com

Clyde Butcher

Discover the life and works of Clyde Butcher, a master of black and white photography. Explore his stunning images of nature and landscapes, and learn about his artistic journey.

clydebutcher.com

I believe Clyde Butcher shoots MF digital now ...

 

[chuckroast]

They're a lot more interesting too...



View attachment 419041

Larry, aka "Lawrence Of Furrabia" sez "wassup":

However, he does not sit still long enough for a 4x5 portrait...

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

I believe Clyde Butcher shoots MF digital now ...

Yes he's gotten to old to handle LF.
I've seen both his digital and chemical prints and they're really outstanding up to 5 or 6 feet wide in his Venice, Florida gallery.

 

[Jim Peterson]

View attachment 419040

He or She is Beatuful!

 

[GregY]

He or She is Beatuful!

He...Felix

 

[gbroadbridge]

He...Felix

What about in colour photos?

 

[GregY]

What about in colour photos?

Felix is a friend of mine's cat...... the one & only photo i made...& i only shoot bw

 

[koraks]

Moderator note: a tangential discussion on tariffs was removed from this thread.

 

[MattKing]

I'm watching carefully the cat posts as well!!!!!!

 

[chuckroast]

I'm watching carefully the cat posts as well!!!!!!

I promise to paws on those

 

[GregY]

For a little cross-pollination here's a cat appreciation photo by Cartier-Bresson.....

 

[GregY]

& one for the Richard Avedon haters.....

 

[chuckroast]

For a little cross-pollination here's a cat appreciation photo by Cartier-Bresson.....View attachment 419269

The Decisive Moment ... for the bird.

 

[DREW WILEY]

Don't get me going. Every time there's a bird or wildlife documentary on the TV, one of my cats watches intently, and then tries to figure out how to get inside the TV, assuming real birds are somewhere in there. The other night the local news was showing infrared night shots of a mother mountain lion and her cubs roaming around the neighborhood. My cat was trying to swat a the tail of one of them - seemed to be a nice play partner, not realizing the real scale of those critters.

 

[wiltw]

& one for the Richard Avedon haters.....
View attachment 419270

Talk about thread drift...from 4x5 cameras to cats, almost a dozen! They don't use cat hide to make bellows, do they?! (Just reaching for a connection, for the moderators! )

 

[ntenny]

You folks just don’t pick the right animals for large-format portraiture. It can be done:

(OK, to be fair, this shot was handheld with a Speed Graphic, so it could have been a faster-moving subject. I don’t seem ever to have taken a good cat picture on LF though.)

-NT

 

[DREW WILEY]

Cat fur is great for bellows, even darkrooms, filmholders, cleaning camera lenses etc. Saves you from spending a lot of unnecessary money on special digital creative apps simulating cat hair all over your images.

 

[djdister]

Not to be a stick in the mud, but to get back on topic - I just bought a new 4x5 non-folding camera, and I intend to shoot both 4x5 and MF with my 6x12 back. I already have a bunch of lenses, so no need for that. But contrary to the thread title, I don't consider it an investment because I won't make any money off of using it or selling it (eventually), for me, it's an expense not an investment.

 

[chuckroast]

Not to be a stick in the mud, but to get back on topic - I just bought a new 4x5 non-folding camera, and I intend to shoot both 4x5 and MF with my 6x12 back. I already have a bunch of lenses, so no need for that. But contrary to the thread title, I don't consider it an investment because I won't make any money off of using it or selling it (eventually), for me, it's an expense not an investment.

I think the term "investment" in this context has more to do with your personal investment in time and effort to learn to use the tool, not the monetary costs incurred.

 

[djdister]

I think the term "investment" in this context has more to do with your personal investment in time and effort to learn to use the tool, not the monetary costs incurred.

Well if that is the context, then I do intend to invest my time in using it. I don't think the learning curve will be that steep since it will be about the fifth 4x5 camera I have owned...