Subject preference

[cliveh]

Is it just me, or do I get the impression that APUG is dominated by LF landscape, Ansel Adam lovers?

 

[Chris Lange]

I occasionally feel the same, but my own work could not be farther from that...

 

[Klainmeister]

Looking at the gallery, I don't necessarily get that feeling. Maybe we just make that connection to landscapes shot in BW because his were so prolific?

 

[Sirius Glass]

No I disagree, but I do not like shooting portraits myself.

 

[Maris]

It's not surprising that landscape features strongly in APUG in the form of large format photography.

Landscape as a genre offers a rich metaphoric space for visual commentary on virtually everything except perhaps the minutae of ever shifting personal relations. The messages of landscape are carried in its textures, tones, and spaces and these qualities are just what the slow but fine large format camera accesses better than anything else.

But it's not all one thing at APUG. I bet there are even some beguiled members of the Henri Cartier-Bresson fan club here, maybe a Minox enthusiast or two, and doubtless some digital lurkers. E pluribus unum and all that.

 

[keithwms]

Is it just me, or do I get the impression that APUG is dominated by LF landscape, Ansel Adam lovers?

The late, great Per Volquartz described this as an incestuous relationship, and I suppose that he's right. On the other hand, he shot some glorious landscapes in the same geography that attracted St. Ansel... and landscape is perhaps the most accessible subject matter.

 

[Ken Nadvornick]

...and landscape is perhaps the most accessible subject matter.

And one of the most patient.

Except maybe for graveyards. Those people are marvelously accessible and patient.

Ken

 

[Thomas Bertilsson]

It's not surprising that landscape features strongly in APUG in the form of large format photography.

Landscape as a genre offers a rich metaphoric space for visual commentary on virtually everything except perhaps the minutae of ever shifting personal relations. The messages of landscape are carried in its textures, tones, and spaces and these qualities are just what the slow but fine large format camera accesses better than anything else.

But it's not all one thing at APUG. I bet there are even some beguiled members of the Henri Cartier-Bresson fan club here, maybe a Minox enthusiast or two, and doubtless some digital lurkers. E pluribus unum and all that.

This makes a lot of sense to me, about the view camera and landscape. A lot of photographers, I believe, feel that there's a natural progression to 'graduate' to bigger formats, as if they are better or more impressive. And when they start shooting sheet film, I think they realize how much more time and patience is required to set up a frame, that they sort of progress toward the landscape, to paraphrase Keith's post above, because the subject matter patiently waits for them to be ready.
This was true for me when I went from 120 to 4x5, and I think it is in that transition that people either go 'woohoo, I found the perfect tool', or 'this isn't working for me'. Since so many people shoot landscape anyway, I just think that it's natural that so many folk shoot landscape with a view camera.

I cheer every time I see people breaking out of norms, shooting landscape with 35mm Tri-X or does street photography with a Hasselblad.

 

[hoffy]

Looking at the gallery, I don't necessarily get that feeling. Maybe we just make that connection to landscapes shot in BW because his were so prolific?

I think its unfair categorising the APUG community based on what you see in the Galleries. I have been meaning to start a thread about it, because I think the galleries are pretty much dead.

 

[Thomas Bertilsson]

I have been meaning to start a thread about it, because I think the galleries are pretty much dead.

Remedy: Contribute more pictures and feedback on other people's work. It's encouraging when others seem to care.

 

[zsas]

Is it just me, or do I get the impression that APUG is dominated by LF landscape, Ansel Adam lovers?

I don't agree, I just checked the gallery right now (I know one data point isnt fact or law), but 10 of 30 images had people in them...

And even if Apug were 99.999% landscape, what does it matter?

I (not a landscaper who mostly shoot 35) feel welcomed here....do you? Many of us love your work! Why the question?

I recently attended a APUG meetup (Photostock), I hung out with some nice folks while they did landscape, I shoot my RF of them and such in the field, we got along swimmingly...format is so not important....

 

[Yamaotoko]

This makes a lot of sense to me, about the view camera and landscape. A lot of photographers, I believe, feel that there's a natural progression to 'graduate' to bigger formats, as if they are better or more impressive. And when they start shooting sheet film, I think they realize how much more time and patience is required to set up a frame, that they sort of progress toward the landscape, to paraphrase Keith's post above, because the subject matter patiently waits for them to be ready.
This was true for me when I went from 120 to 4x5, and I think it is in that transition that people either go 'woohoo, I found the perfect tool', or 'this isn't working for me'. Since so many people shoot landscape anyway, I just think that it's natural that so many folk shoot landscape with a view camera.

I cheer every time I see people breaking out of norms, shooting landscape with 35mm Tri-X or does street photography with a Hasselblad.

I'm really glad you posted this, I always had that same thought pattern about the 'natural progression', probably from my Dad raving about 'professional' medium format cameras when I was a kid. I got (and still get) very frustrated with myself for not being able to produce great work in every field with my 'ultimate' camera... and stepping down a format is admitting failure (or so my over-thinking brain has told me). Even though I do use all my formats as tools to produce a great product, the past few months in particular have been a real revelation that it's okay to use whatever YOU ( I!) feel is the best tool for the job. Your post has helped cement that in my mind. Damn growing up in an artistic community full of 'Jones's!

 

[removed account4]

sometimes things aren't really what they seem.
i knew someone once who seemed like a real jerk ..
and once i took the time to get to know him i realized
he wasn't really a jerk at all but something else.

 

[cliveh]

I don't agree, I just checked the gallery right now (I know one data point isnt fact or law), but 10 of 30 images had people in them...

And even if Apug were 99.999% landscape, what does it matter?

I (not a landscaper who mostly shoot 35) feel welcomed here....do you? Many of us love your work! Why the question?

I recently attended a APUG meetup (Photostock), I hung out with some nice folks while they did landscape, I shoot my RF of them and such in the field, we got along swimmingly...format is so not important....

Zsas/Andy, don't get me wrong as I did not wish to offend anyone and yes I do feel welcomed here and also appreciate the feedback I get from the gallery. I probably worded my op badly, because as Thomas has pointed out the change of format to LF probably leads as a natural progression for landscape as a subject.

 

[removed account4]

it is strange that people think the natural progression of lf is landscape work.
i always thought the natural progression to largeformat was to do architectural and portrait work.
i guess it all depends on what one's interests are ... i'd rather do something else with a large camera ...
and while i have done LF things for a long time, i never do the "slow down and contemplate" routine people often
suggest happens when one goes up in format either ... not sure what the point is ... if it took me 20mins or 1hour to expose
a sheet of film, i think i would do something else instead ..

 

[Thomas Bertilsson]

John, that's how I appreciate large format too. Portraiture or architecture.
Just out of curiosity, how do you keep your camera focused when you're shooting quickly? I have seen a lot of your work here, and not sure that absolute critical focus is something you care all that much about, but in lieu of shooting something like a Graflex SLR, how do you keep things in focus? That's been my main challenge with using large format, unless it's a stationary object.

 

[Dali]

I cheer every time I see people breaking out of norms, shooting landscape with 35mm Tri-X or does street photography with a Hasselblad.

As long as the tool serves a purpose, I agree.

 

[blansky]

I think the format and subject matter are intertwined in a different way.

In my experience here a lot of members are either primarily artistic, or primarily engineers. Obviously a tremendous crossover though.

The whole right side/left side brain thing.

The artistic types are often more people types and use systems that allow them to shoot people easily.

The engineering types like the process, tinkering and working with larger formats and often hate photographing people.

So we get engineering types shooting quietly with a large format camera pointed at subjects that don't talk and move, and we get the artsy fartsy people persons shooting easily moveable cameras at subject that do move and talk.

And both types are here on APUG, which is very cool.

 

[removed account4]

John, that's how I appreciate large format too. Portraiture or architecture.
Just out of curiosity, how do you keep your camera focused when you're shooting quickly? I have seen a lot of your work here, and not sure that absolute critical focus is something you care all that much about, but in lieu of shooting something like a Graflex SLR, how do you keep things in focus? That's been my main challenge with using large format, unless it's a stationary object.

hi thomas
do you mean if i am moving or my subject is moving how do i focus ?
or in general when i am using a large format camera how do i focus quickly ?

sorry for being confused by your question ...

john

 

[Bob Carnie]

I just wish we could all agree and ban Dinesh.

I think the format and subject matter are intertwined in a different way.

In my experience here a lot of members are either primarily artistic, or primarily engineers. Obviously a tremendous crossover though.

The whole right side/left side brain thing.

The artistic types are often more people types and use systems that allow them to shoot people easily.

The engineering types like the process, tinkering and working with larger formats and often hate photographing people.

So we get engineering types shooting quietly with a large format camera pointed at subjects that don't talk and move, and we get the artsy fartsy people persons shooting easily moveable cameras at subject that do move and talk.

And both types are here on APUG, which is very cool.

 

[Thomas Bertilsson]

hi thomas
do you mean if i am moving or my subject is moving how do i focus ?
or in general when i am using a large format camera how do i focus quickly ?

sorry for being confused by your question ...

john

Either way, I guess. Sorry if I was unclear. Whether you're moving or the subject is moving - how do you keep things in focus, after you insert the filmholder?

 

[removed-user-1]

I haven't posted a lot in the Gallery, but I'm using a Cambo for street scenes as well as closeups of flowers, plants, and miniatures. I found that I wasn't getting the detail I wanted from 35mm, and figured if I was going to carry around an RB67 kit I might was well go on up to 4x5 and have camera movements.

My influences are more like Atget and Edward Weston, as opposed to Ansel Adams.

 

[removed account4]

Either way, I guess. Sorry if I was unclear. Whether you're moving or the subject is moving - how do you keep things in focus, after you insert the filmholder?

it really doesn't matter the format, 110 or 8x10, i usually have something in the distance and something in the foreground that i use as zones, and i have a general idea what the DOF of my lens &c is.
nothing really changed for me as i went up in film size, just more stuff to remember to do, ( close lens, make sure dark slide is removed/replaced &c ).

what is it you are having trouble with, locking the focus, the inverted/backwards image ? or just finding something to focus on as an anchor/marker ?


john

 

[Thomas Bertilsson]

it really doesn't matter the format, 110 or 8x10, i usually have something in the distance and something in the foreground that i use as zones, and i have a general idea what the DOF of my lens &c is.
nothing really changed for me as i went up in film size, just more stuff to remember to do, ( close lens, make sure dark slide is removed/replaced &c ).

what is it you are having trouble with, locking the focus, the inverted/backwards image ? or just finding something to focus on as an anchor/marker ?


john

I like shooting portraits with a 25mm aperture. That's f2 on a 50mm lens, f/4 on a 100mm lens, and for a 210mm lens, that's f/8 - for similar depth of field across formats. As soon as I focus a portrait and have it perfectly, by the time I put the film holder in, reset the lens, remove the darkslide, nine times out of ten the picture isn't in focus anymore, something changed in the frame, or the light is different.

If I'm shooting something where people or items move in the frame, I can't see where they are in the frame, ten seconds later when I'm ready to expose film.

Those are the parts that made sheet film completely useless for me, and nothing but a waste of time. Besides, I get almost comparable quality from 120 compared to 4x5 that I really don't see the point. Just a bunch of frustration in setting it up, and time lost - and for what? A lot more money spent per picture, and a very small advantage in image quality...

 

[removed account4]

hi thomas

are you able to "lock" your focus ?
that is why nothing stays in focus in the first situation
and partly the second. you have to anticipate movement sometimes

sometimes there is a knob to turn that locks focus
othertimes, like with a speed graphic, there is a little lever ... once you focus+lock it
the focus shouldn't move at all

since "stuff" is moving it won't be the same anyways ( you , the subject &c )
that is why i use focus references /zones as i mentioned above.

i'd look into figuring out how to lock your focus before you give up completely
but then again, if you would rather use a MF camera or a 35mm, don't bother with the 4x5
its just a light and money trap

john