Formats
Thanks for posting the question -- and I'm happy to answer!
Quite honestly, we don't have the foggiest idea what camera is being used when we select work for publication. In fact, we never read the bios or any technical data in our selection process. We (rather radically, I guess) look only at the photographs -- and only rarely, when it is an important component of understanding the images, will we look at the artist's statement. Normally we just use our best judgement based on the body of work as it stands on its own. After all, that's pretty much what most of you are going to do -- see the images as they stand on their own. I would be willing to bet that most of our readers either don't read the bio/statement in the magazine or, at best, read it after they've flipped through the image pages. (Am I right?) The images had better stand on their own or they probably don't have much of a chance to capture your interest and motivate you to spend more time with them or read the contextual information.
So, the work that appears in LensWork is more than likely a mix of the tools that are being used out there -- every format under the sun, film, digital, lens-less (e.g. pinhole), and you-name-it. That's one of the fun things about being the editor -- seeing how creative people are using all the tools at their disposal to express themselves photographically.
Now, having said that, I will admit that statistically there are probably a disproportionate number of large and medium format portfolios in LensWork than 35mm ones, that can't be denied. I suspect that people who tend to take interest in the art-side of photography are more likely to gravitate to the more "serious" equipment of large or medium format cameras. Besides, they tend to produce more "photographic-like" images -- sharper, smoother tones, etc. as well as require a greater skill to use. A person can make good music on a Casio electronic keyboard, too, but one who buys a Steinway is likely to be a more dedicated pianist. (Feel free to insert the "those who buy a violin, own a violin" story here if you know it.) Nonetheless, we see (and publish) all kinds of work from all kinds of equipment. Essentially, there is no "filter" that keeps work from a certain camera/format or other out of our publications -- other than we only publish color work in LensWork EXTENDED.
Fundamentally, equipment sort of bores me -- on the creative level. (I love tinkering, shopping, fussing, and testing like a lot you do, I suspect, but just not when I'm trying to make photographs.) I read tech magazines, too, but we try to make the focus of LensWork the images, not the gear. As long as there is an audience for such an odd photography publication, we'll keep publishing. Thanks!
Brooks Jensen
Editor, LensWork Publishing
