Photographing a wedding

bdial · Jan 13, 2012

Perry,
Check out Jon Shiu's ad in the classifieds.

Steve, I still have my Braun that uses the 510 v battery, though I've not used it in a long, long time.

Brian C. Miller · Jan 13, 2012

Perry, this just occurred to me: how many film holders do you own?

If you don't have oodles of holders, then just load up what you have and use it for some formal shots and a couple events. Cover the rest with roll film.

jp498 · Jan 13, 2012

When you get whatever you're going to use together, go the rehearsal and try some stuff.

I'd do some formal things with LF like a couple group photos, the 210 would be great for a shot down the aisle with them "on stage" together. The 135 could be prefocused for 10-12' and you could get two shots off as they head down the aisle afterwards by you walking backwards ahead of them and judging the distance and using the sportfinder. Might be a slightly blurred imperfect shot showing the excitment and people and motion.

The 135mm would be excellent for groups. The crown can be modified to tilt down, which might help you get everyone in a group photo in focus if you still want shallow DOF. For photos of the couple, I'd go for an older smoother 210ish lens than the Nikon and focus on the ground glass. The nikon would be excellent and do an awesome job, but an old singlecoated/uncoated triplet or tessar might have a more timeless feel to the images and smoother older looking bokeh.

Perry Way · Jan 13, 2012

You guys are going to get a kick out of this. Last night I decided to begin a CLR on the Crown, and not knowing my strength, I wiped off the beam splitter surface on the rangefinder. So, now I have to replace that. But it was pretty worn to begin with, so.. soon as I find a decent priced replacement for that glass I'll have a "new" rangefinder.

Brian C. Miller said:
Perry, this just occurred to me: how many film holders do you own?

If you don't have oodles of holders, then just load up what you have and use it for some formal shots and a couple events. Cover the rest with roll film.

Brian, I'm against roll film, if I were for it, I'd just use my RB67 system and perhaps my Voigtlander Avus 6x9 for some old world looks or for the bokeh which I really dig on that lens. The reason why I'm against is because of the curve of the film and because it's smaller than 4x5. Once I moved to 4x5 a few years ago I can't just go back unless it's for "snapshots".

In the case of film holders, I have something like 15 or holders, but for this wedding I'm donating the last of my Readyloads, in TMax100. I have 58 sheets of that remaining so I think the Readyloads will tie me over for this wedding and I'll use my other holders and load some Ektachrome and have a few set aside with some Adox CHS Art 25 for super precise closeups.

jp498 said:
When you get whatever you're going to use together, go the rehearsal and try some stuff.

What an excellent idea! Think I will do that!

jp498 said:
The nikon would be excellent and do an awesome job, but an old singlecoated/uncoated triplet or tessar might have a more timeless feel to the images and smoother older looking bokeh.

Yes I agree, there are pluses and minuses to everything. I'll admit, the Mamiya glass is so good on the RB67 system I have, it is too good (in some cases)! I rather prefer the bokeh of the older lenses on average!

Perry Way · Jan 13, 2012

bdial said:
Check out Jon Shiu's ad in the classifieds.

too late! Sold!

mopar_guy · Jan 13, 2012

jp498 said:
When you get whatever you're going to use together, go the rehearsal and try some stuff.

NO, NO, NO.

Get a working kit together ASAP and shoot Yesterday. Waiting until a couple of days before the Wedding is cutting it wayyy too close. You need to make sure that everything will work prior to the day and just try to get replacements or deal with mechanical issues at the last minute is a really bad idea. Lens/shutters found on the auction site will generally need CLA or tune-up and that can take time or buy from a photographer who has actually used the equipment. Some of this stuff is really old and will have issues such as flash synch not working.

mopar_guy · Jan 13, 2012

If you need to work on the Rangefinder: You can go to Graflex.org and do a search for "beam splitter" or "beamsplitter" or "Rangefinder Repair".

Source for beam splitter material: http://www.scientificsonline.com/mirror-type-beamsplitter.html

jp498 · Jan 13, 2012

mopar_guy said:
NO, NO, NO.

Get a working kit together ASAP and shoot Yesterday. Waiting until a couple of days before the Wedding is cutting it wayyy too close. You need to make sure that everything will work prior to the day and just try to get replacements or deal with mechanical issues at the last minute is a really bad idea. Lens/shutters found on the auction site will generally need CLA or tune-up and that can take time or buy from a photographer who has actually used the equipment. Some of this stuff is really old and will have issues such as flash synch not working.

No disagreement there. I should have been more specific about trying techniques and compositions rather than equipment when I said stuff.

I'd shoot all iso 400-ish B&W. It's got the detail for everything and will allow you some shots you wouldn't get due to motion blur. Iso 25-100 will be pretty useless except for landscape; it could work for group photos with lots of detail if everyone knows to be still if you're looking to not have to buy new film.

Perry Way · Jan 13, 2012

mopar_guy said:
If you need to work on the Rangefinder: You can go to Graflex.org and do a search for "beam splitter" or "beamsplitter" or "Rangefinder Repair".

Source for beam splitter material: http://www.scientificsonline.com/mirror-type-beamsplitter.html

Yes, I found the instructions last night and this morning I found this very link doing my own detective sleuthing. (Google, haahah) I have me one of those on the way to my mailbox however, I do not trust myself to cut it down to size. The size needed is 10x20 mm. The blank is 50x50 mm. So I'm going to look around town for a glass person who will do a small job like take that 50x50 blank and give me 12 pieces of 10x20 out of it, then I will be able to repair 11 more rangefinders!

Perry Way · Feb 4, 2012

I just finished fixing my rangefinder. Works very well, so well in fact that I can focus on contrasting things, indoors without much light.

Awesomeness! I'm stoked!

Still need to find a lens though. Wouldn't it be nice, to get my hands on a 135mm Xenotar f3.5!

Does anyone know what 135mm lens is the fastest 4x5 lens?

EASmithV · Feb 4, 2012

You could use the 210 if you found a cam. The viewfinder isn't an issue, use the wire finder. It's automatically compensating (neat, that).

I highly recommend pushing a film that you're comfortable with. It's 4x5, you're not going to have much more grain grain for all practical purposes.

keithwms · Feb 4, 2012

I think somebody really needs to do a Holga/Lomo wedding.

markbarendt · Feb 4, 2012

keithwms said:
I think somebody really needs to do a Holga/Lomo wedding.

Whatcha waitin' for?

keithwms · Feb 4, 2012

Imagine, you arrange the ceremony on a beach and give everybody a holga and let 'em go to town. One spectacular orgy of unpretentious analogue photography. The anti-wedding.

markbarendt · Feb 4, 2012

I've thought about disposables along the same lines.

keithwms · Feb 4, 2012

I'm talking about cameras Mark, not wives....

Perry Way · Feb 4, 2012

EASmithV said:
You could use the 210 if you found a cam. The viewfinder isn't an issue, use the wire finder. It's automatically compensating (neat, that).

I highly recommend pushing a film that you're comfortable with. It's 4x5, you're not going to have much more grain grain for all practical purposes.

That's true, about my Nikkor-W 210, but last night I took the 127mm Ektar f4.7 off my 3x4 Crown Graphic, still in the lensboard and taped it to the lens board I have already on my 4x5 Crown. Took it out today for a test shoot. Have to adjust for infinity but once doing that I noticed there is so little difference between 135mm and 127mm in the rangefinder that I might just use this one. We'll see how these test shots go, once I develop them.

Regarding pushing, I don't do that on purpose, or haven't, so I don't have much experience on that. Leighgion shares that he pushes Delta 3200 and uses a compensating developer I don't think it was Rodinal or Diafine and stand develops for 1 hour and he seems happy with that. However I think he's looking mainly at the scanned negatives and hasn't optically printed any. My feeling is that pushing might eliminate contrast which would be desirable and introduce too much grain. But maybe it's about time to start experimenting and writing down notes on the process. Good idea Eric, thanks for mentioning it!

LoganCAdams · Feb 6, 2012

I took my Crown Graphic to a couple of friends' weddings before its shutter broke. Shot on some Polaroids and gave them to the brides at the receptions. They were absolutely giddy to have photos so quickly.

Perry Way · Feb 8, 2012

LoganCAdams said:
I took my Crown Graphic to a couple of friends' weddings before its shutter broke. Shot on some Polaroids and gave them to the brides at the receptions. They were absolutely giddy to have photos so quickly.

That's a good idea. But no more Polaroid film! Does Fuji make one that can be used in the Polaroid holder I have? I have one that has an opening 3 1/8" x 4 1/4" in size. It is not the kind I remember that has a lever you flip to load the film and flip the other way to pull it out and have the rollers do their work. Inside mine, it says "Polaroid Land Camera Back" in English/French and some trademark information. Nothing else labeled on the holder except the swing-arm that shuts the device is labeled Polaroid.

markbarendt · Feb 9, 2012

Might want to recheck the measurement.

3.25x4.25

Dead Link Removed

It does seem weird that there are no rollers. It needs rollers.

bdial · Feb 9, 2012

Perry,
It sounds like you're describing the sheet film Polaroid holder, the arm engages the rollers when you pull the sheet for processing after exposing.
If so, you're right, no film is currently available. There is also a Polaroid pack film back, which takes the Fuji pack Mark linked to.
I think the pack film back requires a Graflock back, to allow you to remove the spring back and replace with the Polaroid back, but I'm not sure. I've never seen or used one.

Perry Way · Feb 9, 2012

markbarendt said:
Might want to recheck the measurement.

3.25x4.25

Dead Link Removed

It does seem weird that there are no rollers. It needs rollers.

I know that 3 1/4 x 4 1/4 is what people say a lot but I measured the opening and my measurement is accurate. It is not a full 3 1/4 inches!

And yes it has rollers. It doesn't have the lever that you switch back and forth that expands the rollers to allow you to slip a single sheet of film in. This is a film pack, obviously. It looks like the same size film could be used for this that I could use for my Polaroid film holder for my RB67.

I think that film pack you provided the link of may in fact work. In fact I know where I can buy some locally and I've got half a mind to do just that, real soon!

Perry Way · Feb 9, 2012

bdial said:
Perry,
It sounds like you're describing the sheet film Polaroid holder, the arm engages the rollers when you pull the sheet for processing after exposing.
If so, you're right, no film is currently available. There is also a Polaroid pack film back, which takes the Fuji pack Mark linked to.
I think the pack film back requires a Graflock back, to allow you to remove the spring back and replace with the Polaroid back, but I'm not sure. I've never seen or used one.

I have a Graflock back, so no worries. But it looks like you could slip this holder I have under a spring back as well because it has a lipped edge that the Graflock clamps will hold fast and yet it's skinny enough to fit under an expanded spring back!

Perry Way · Feb 9, 2012

I have another issue I have to get right. It has to do with flash. I've got a Minolta flash that is quite powerful and while it takes AA batteries instead of a huge powerpack I would like to use it and would just pack enough batteries to ensure I won't run out. I'm not seeing how I can do a flash with the Crown where the flash unit is above the lens (no horrible shadows on one side of everything) in both portrait and landscape mode, and also be able to use the sport finder to quickly frame the shots. The bracket will need a vertical arm to be quite long, which then places the flash maybe too high above the lens which might cause shadows under lips, noses, chins, etc...

I'm interested in getting more information and resources on this before spending the rest of my money on experiments. Any rubber meets the road advice would be helpful too. I think I've decided at this point not to spend the big bucks on expensive lighting because it would probably only be used once.

Brian C. Miller · Feb 9, 2012

Perry Way said:
I know that 3 1/4 x 4 1/4 is what people say a lot but I measured the opening and my measurement is accurate. It is not a full 3 1/4 inches!

Sound like you have a pack film back. This may take the small packs used by the Polaroid 450 back, which are the Fuji FP-100C and FP-3000B, currently in stock at B&H. These are extremely popular sizes. (The 4x5 size has been discontinued, but there's lots in the pipeline) Order a pack and find out, as it's only $7.50 for a pack.

Photographing a wedding

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