LF Sightings?

Bruce A Cahn · Nov 19, 2009

I guess it depends on where you live. You do see them sometimes on the street here in NYC, and I have also seen them in LA. I know that plenty of Europeans use LF because my store has sent a lot of cameras there, especially to the UK.

CraigMoyer · Dec 14, 2009

I've seen only one other large format shooter out and about, but I know of a handful in the city.

jp80874 · Dec 15, 2009

We gather 10-24 of them 5-6 weekends a year in our backyard here in NE Ohio just to see what they look like. The local digital club has been talking about having a bounty on LF shooters so I thought we would start gathering them just to be able to collect when the bounty becomes official.

John Powers

sv@diycamerakit.com · Dec 15, 2009

Good question, I've seen a few on some occasions, but not on regular basis. I am amazed by the memory some of the members have, remembering some sighting 20 years ago. Damn, I can't remember what I had for breakfast ...

Ian Grant · Dec 15, 2009

In over 30 years of using LF I've only every seen one in use while out and about, and that was being used to photograph the building I worked in so I went and had a chat with the photographer. In the UK amateurs have only really begun using LF in more recent years unlike their US counterparts. Of course I've seen others when going out socially like APUG events etc.

Ian

Whatadame · Dec 15, 2009

I shoot 35mm and medium format, but here in Northern California I see a fair number of 4x5 shooters, and one glorious day at the horse races saw someone shooting 5x7!!!

Jesper · Dec 15, 2009

Never, ever seen another one.
A bit sad.

Marc Akemann · Dec 15, 2009

Outside of workshops (like Photostock) and other outings with friends, I've only seen two LF photographers in action. One was back in 2001 at Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada. He was too far away for me to ID the camera and I didn't want to bother him so I continued hiking with my little Nikons. The other one was on an assignment for a local magazine in Ann Arbor. I was to photograph another photographer (Glen Calvin Moon) who was shooting LF interiors of a house. The magazine went under before the article went to press and I never got paid for that one. The publisher/editor's son was drafted in the 1st round by an NFL team and she $plit town.

Marc

Martin Aislabie · Dec 19, 2009

Sadly, apart from at APUG gatherings I have never seen another LF user in the field.

I know a guy who has a Wista and is only a couple of miles from me but he doesn't shoot much anymore

However, when I take my 5x4 out it attracts huge interest - from both Digi converts and normal people

I'm always prepared to chat to those who seem genuinely interested but have as a consequence missed the best light more times than I care to remember

Those who have been under the Darkcloth and seen the Ground Glass seem both thrilled and amazed – they all remark about the picture being upside down

Martin

rphenning · Dec 19, 2009

I've only seen another one once and that was way before I even knew what LF was, let alone had one myself.

KenR · Dec 19, 2009

Bryce Canyon

I've seen only one guy shooting large format, ever. I was in Bryce Canyon about 6 or 7 years ago and a fellow was set up to catch the morning light on the Thor's Hammer formation. I wanted to chat with him a bit as I try to shoot 4x5 whenever I don't have to hike too far, but he turned completely away from me and didn't respond. I looked over at my wife who just rolled her eyes and pointed down the trail. When we returned 2 hours later, he was in the same spot, and again ignored my greeting. Unfriendly or just tired of all the same questions?

Venchka · Dec 19, 2009

1989. Near Canyon Village, Yellowstone. A gentleman behind what was obviously a banquet camera. My guess is 7x17. I was most impressed.

That's all folks.

Ektagraphic · Dec 19, 2009

I actually met a large format guy who came to speak at a camera club meeting and he inspired the large format gene in me to become dominant so I have picked up a 4X5. Other than that I have never seen any large format at all.

papagene · Dec 20, 2009

Ektagraphic said:
I actually met a large format guy who came to speak at a camera club meeting and he inspired the large format gene in me to become dominant so I have picked up a 4X5. Other than that I have never seen any large format at all.

Then you'll just have to attend one of our NE-APUG gatherings!

gene

fschifano · Dec 20, 2009

David A. Goldfarb said:
In New York you don't see it every day, but often enough.

There's a guy named Louis (or maybe Lewis) who can be seen around town with his Graphic usually shooting Polaroids at events where people dress up. Here's a photo of him by Helen B--

So you've seen him around too. The guy is a totally unique character, the kind you only find in NYC. He's a throwback, alright, to the days when unique characters like him were more commonly seen. NYC isn't like that any more. It's getting to look like Anywhere USA more and more every day.

MurrayMinchin · Dec 20, 2009

Four years drifted by since I started this thread, and still no LF sightings in these neck of the woods. Suits me just fine though, as it appears I'm going to have the market cornered for LF photographs of north coast BC nature scenes. It'll sure suck later when I get all famous and there are photographers stumbling over each other like they now do in Yosemite and slot canyons.

Murray

jp80874 · Dec 21, 2009

MurrayMinchin said:
Four years drifted by since I started this thread, and still no LF sightings in these neck of the woods. Suits me just fine though, as it appears I'm going to have the market cornered for LF photographs of north coast BC nature scenes. It'll sure suck later when I get all famous and there are photographers stumbling over each other like they now do in Yosemite and slot canyons.

Murray

Murry,

I don’t understand. 90 posts and 6,372 views at this point. Many of us live close enough to someone else on APUG or the LF Forum. If they want to see and photograph with other LF shooters why don’t they just invite another LF shooter to talk and join them somewhere interesting near by? They don’t have to know each other initially. They have an awful lot in common just having LF and being on one of these forms. Aside from our NE OH APUG gatherings and Bill Schwab's events, Shawn, Peter, Dale, Lee, Nicholas, Scott and Paul (a U Akron class mate) and I have met to shoot in local parks. As they used to say, “Try it, you’ll like it.”

John Powers

Schlapp · Dec 21, 2009

I know two people on this island who have various LF cameras apart from myself. I have only ever seen one of them in use in the past three years. People don't seem to use them very much - just like to own them and talk about them.

jp80874 · Dec 21, 2009

Schlapp said:
I know two people on this island who have various LF cameras apart from myself. I have only ever seen one of them in use in the past three years. People don't seem to use them very much - just like to own them and talk about them.

I use mine, 250 sheets of 7x17 and 100 sheets of 8x10 last year.
I'll try my suggestion once more. Maybe an invitation would draw them out.
What do you have to lose?

John

AmandaTom · Dec 21, 2009

I work for Pt Reyes National Seashore and I have seen a couple of view cameras out here. I mostly see the drive-up-shoot-drive-away variety of photography. I use my LF mostly at night so in that case I don't see many people at all, much less other LF shooters.

grahamp · Dec 21, 2009

The couple of times I was over near Pt.Reyes this year we were visiting friends. Not the best time to bring the 5x4. I do at least half my work with the Wista. 2009 seems to have been more darkroom than field time, though. But with a few days off work over the holiday and a chance for cold clear days, that might change.

k_jupiter · Dec 22, 2009

AmandaTom said:
I work for Pt Reyes National Seashore and I have seen a couple of view cameras out here. I mostly see the drive-up-shoot-drive-away variety of photography. I use my LF mostly at night so in that case I don't see many people at all, much less other LF shooters.

Ah. Perhaps you need to set up a weekend sort of gig where people come up and shoot with you. You might be impressed with my 8x10 Deardorff. <wink, wink>

I am just kidding but a guide who knows PT. Reyes would be fun.

tim in san jose

MattKing · Dec 22, 2009

LF Sighting for Murray

This might resonate a bit for Murray...

These were shot earlier this year on Granville Island in Vancouver. They are shots of students attending the Emily Carr University of Art and Design (as it is now known). They were completing some of their course work.

I explained that I intended to share this with an alumni

Matt

Martin Aislabie · Dec 22, 2009

Schlapp said:
I know two people on this island who have various LF cameras apart from myself. I have only ever seen one of them in use in the past three years. People don't seem to use them very much - just like to own them and talk about them.

The guy I know with a 5x4 a couple of miles from me doesn't use it much.

His wife told me he likes to own it, use it as an ornament to show visitors but has no real interest any more in using it.

Martin

Terrence Brennan · Dec 22, 2009

The good old days...

MattKing said:
This might resonate a bit for Murray...

These were shot earlier this year on Granville Island in Vancouver. They are shots of students attending the Emily Carr University of Art and Design (as it is now known). They were completing some of their course work.

I explained that I intended to share this with an alumni

Matt

That could have been ME, 35 years ago, as a freshman student at Ryerson Polytechnic University (then known as Ryerson Polytechnic Institute), in Toronto, Ontario!

They are even using a Cambo camera; ours were 4x5, and that one looks to be--is it 5x7?

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