i need a large format camera!
i had the most irresistible urge to photograph today.
2 things stopped me:
1/ i work saturdays (a fact sad enough in and of itself, but made all the more sad because of said urge to be in the sunshine making pictures).
2/ i need a freakin' 4 x 5! i don't feel like shooting with my holga all that much right now. it may be the cold, it may be the fact that i can't shoot with it indoors due to its inability to deliver a halfway decent exposure without a crapload of light, but the more likely cause of my recent aversion is the over abundance of crappy toy camera pictures i keep seeing on flickr. they make my eyes spin enough to make me sick.
when i purchased my equipment this fall, i opted to buy a digital camera instead of a large format so that i could shoot weddings more easily. and while i can say that that was mostly a wise decision, i can't wait to get my hands on a large format camera. i want to use my light meter again! and film! and be able to scan negatives that have some real density instead of the frighteningly clear ones i sometimes get from my holga. i know that large format cameras are going the way of the dinosaur, but i want one anyway, in fact their impending scarcity only makes them more desirable to me.
i dream of the day when some bride says to alissa and me, "hey how about you try shooting our wedding portraits in large format, wouldn't that be beautiful?" because it would be damn it.
2 comments:
Carey, I miss the 4x5 sooooo much! I have stories that I've been telling my students about the 4x5, my trials and tribulations. Damn, did it teach me more about photography than I thought I could learn.
i know! i'm so greatful for learning photography with a large format and a darkroom. i'm not one of those people who rues the day digital photography was invented, but i am really blessed to have learned photography at such a momentous turning point.
i don't think there is a better way to learn photography than by using a 4x5. even if a student hates it. especially if they hate it.
it forces you to dramatically slow down the picture making process and begin to intuit exposure and composition. the process is the exact opposite of the digital process. and i'm glad i have both in my experiences to pull from.
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