"This should be simple." Those were the famous last words from Thomas Heaton as he set off with his large format camera to shoot with it for the first time. This great video showcases the joys and challenges of tackling the medium.
If you've ever shot medium format before, you know it's essentially like shooting with a full-frame SLR or mirrorless camera, except bigger and clunkier. Large format, however, is an entirely different beast that requires a fundamentally different approach and workflow. You have to slow down significantly, carefully monitor technical parameters, and truly consider each shot, as you'll feel your wallet get a (a lot) lighter each time you do it. So much is that consideration that Thomas Heaton actually chose not to shoot at all the first day when the elements didn't align for him. The next day, however, he takes eight sheets of film (just eight) and gets a shot. I found the entire video compelling because you can really see how he rediscovers some of the joy of photography and the immense satisfaction that comes from shooting large format. I'm going to break out my 4x5 and head out into the woods myself this weekend.
I enjoyed that. Thanks Alex. :-)
It reminds me of the first time I shot Velvia slides on my Nikon F5 and got them back from the lab. I was amazed at how lively they looked on a lightbox.
hmm, expected a holy bokeh of the large format :(
I would get utterly and completely frustrated.
The battery is dead.