The Power of the 8X10 { 10X8 } Camera

M.A.Longmore · Jul 29, 2012

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The Power of the 8X10 Camera

http://6thfloor.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/27/the-power-of-the-8-by-10-film-camera/?smid=fb-share

Ron
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CGW · Jul 29, 2012

Thanks for this one. Always find superb photo items tucked away in the NYT and The New Yorker.

Dan Quan · Jul 29, 2012

CGW said:
Thanks for this one. Always find superb photo items tucked away in the NYT and The New Yorker.

yep, good post. as for the nyt, even a blind dog can find a bone once in a while.

M.A.Longmore · Jul 29, 2012

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Makes me want to dash out and buy the new Gaslight Anthem Album / CD next week !

Ron
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CGW · Jul 29, 2012

Dan Quan said:
yep, good post. as for the nyt, even a blind dog can find a bone once in a while.

Sour grapes--or what?

artonpaper · Jul 29, 2012

Great article. Those damn, expensive-to-use, great big, heavy, pain in-the-ass cameras. I love them.

And I'm still pissed at the times for lying about Iraq, but I digress.

Steve Smith · Jul 29, 2012

Thanks for the 10x8 translation. Without it, we wouldn't have understood what the article was about!

Steve.

ic-racer · Jul 29, 2012

Steve Smith said:
Thanks for the 10x8 translation. Without it, we wouldn't have understood what the article was about!

Steve.

I'll also translate that Alec Soth shoots with colour film.

Steve Smith · Jul 29, 2012

ic-racer said:
I'll also translate that Alec Soth shoots with colour film.

Now it all makes sense!

There are a couple of interesting videos on that page too.

Steve.

Dan Quan · Jul 29, 2012

CGW said:
Sour grapes--or what?

fermented, actually...

Brian C. Miller · Jul 29, 2012

Oh, come on, people! Lighten up! I thought the video about George Tice was really good.

Mainecoonmaniac · Jul 29, 2012

Great video! I'm learning how to control my 8x10 beast. I wondered how George Tice looks like now. Saw photos of him in his younger years. Always admired his work. I starred at his White Castle photo for a half hour in a gallery once. Definitely a master.

Ken Nadvornick · Jul 30, 2012

Brian C. Miller said:
I thought the video about George Tice was really good.

"A lot of people these days who have a fancy digital camera, rip off a thousand photos and just hope they get something that works. So, I appreciate that somebody does it like this. You actually see somebody framing shots and setting up lighting and having a vision for something before they actually take the shot..."

—Gaslight Anthem, during their photo session with George Tice and his 8x10 Deardorff

Thanks, Brian.

Ken

Mainecoonmaniac · Jul 30, 2012

Ken Nadvornick said:
"A lot of people these days who have a fancy digital camera, rip off a thousand photos and just hope they get something that works. "

A lot of photographers are under a lot of pressure to get the shot. The art director took a chance and went against convention by hiring Mr. Tice. I'll bet the AD was nervous since there's no more Polaroid to proof the shot. But again, they're working with a master with decades of experience. I'm not diminishing the work of photographers that do their work digitally, but I think this is the case of quality vs quantity. 8x10 will slow you down and think more. I'll bet the photo editor is happy because he or she doesn't have to swim through thousands of shots to find right one.

CGW · Jul 30, 2012

I'll bet the photo editor is happy because he or she doesn't have to swim through thousands of shots to find right one.

No one will wade through that amount of spew, much less accept it, from anyone dumb enough to try. Just doesn't work that way.

PKM-25 · Jul 30, 2012

Nice piece, thanks for pointing it out!

I am finding that more and more art directors and editors are willing not only more often to consider the look and feel of film on a campaign or article, they are willing to cover the relative marginal cost of it as well, not all the time, but often enough. So it is casting a sense of relief over both the artist and the art buyer, that the riptide of technology has not swept away the notion of intrepid, individualistic thinking on either side...and that is liberating for both parties.

As for using 8x10, I would if I could enlarge it, so I am limited to 4x5 for at least the next few years until my wife and I buy a home. But even 4x5 imparts the same sense of curiosity and non-threatening intrigue from would be subjects as they almost subconsciously relax knowing that you simply can not upload it to Facebook or Twitter right away. They know that not only are you more considerate and contemplative in your approach to how you take the photo, you are in how you use it as well.

It's a win+win=WIN equation...

The Power of the 8X10 { 10X8 } Camera

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