Right when film was just starting to take the back seat for the commercial photography industry I was enrolled at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh being taught large format photography. Let me first tell you, there’s not quite any other photo experience like this camera that has bellow extensions, turns your composition left when you wanted it to shift it right, and requires a manual hand written math formula to receive the correct exposure settings.
It’s my firm belief that this camera was designed to either break or build the confidence of its operator. Everything from the table top setting in front of you to the camera’s internal settings and even getting the 4x5 inch positive transparencies into their slide cartridges correctly in the dark had to be on your mind.
I’m happy with the digital age, but learning large format gave me a backbone for sure. It made you pay attention to everything and forced you to get it right the first time. No exceptions. If it didn’t cost so much for transparencies I’d be all over it still.
Here's a couple transparencies I recently photographed that were lit from a tiny light box, because I do not have a flat bed scanner for 4x5s:
Above: Toy shoot.
Note: I main lit Han solo from the rear, because he was running up the platform of the Millennium Falcon, of course. ...For continuity's sake hahah.
Above: Empty cocktail drink
I had to showcase nature’s design of the egg with a dominant themed appeal from what I remember about the project. The lighting set up was more difficult than it appears haha.
