Nifty gadget?

Using a large format camera is a real pleasure ... but there are times when it can be a pain in the rear! The whole process of taking a photograph with a viewcamera is like a carefully orchestrated ballet; okay maybe not a ballet but it does involve a number of planned moves and lord help you if you miss a stage out!

However, the main difference between photography with large format and (say) digital is the plethora of bits and pieces of gear that are needed to take the photograph! Photography should be simple .... yeah right! A DSLR and tripod might be simple enough but take a look in any LF photographers bag (usually a whopping Lowepro Trekker) and you'll see what I mean.

Once the camera/lens combination is set up on the tripod and the scene composed out come the gadgets! I'm talking dark cloth, light meter, filters, filter holders/adapters, lens hood, sheet film holders/double dark slides, roll film backs and rolls of 120 film, cable release, spirit level, lens cloth/brush, pen/notebook (to record exposure details), coffee maker, case of champagne, cuddly toy (aaahhh) and the list goes on.

Now being equipped with just one pair of hands I've always taken photographs by making sure that I've got the open backpack nearby the tripod so that all these "essentials" are close at hand;fine if you're on terra firma but what happens when you decide to venture into water? I'm only talking wading to knee-deep here but nevertheless this dictates that the said camera bag is likely to be some feet away or out of easy reach.

I can hear you ... use a photovest!

Now I've tried them ... and to be honest I always feel a bit of a nerd! Photovests are fine if you're a budding photojournalist in a war zone but they do (when I wear one) look ridiculous. Once I've filled the pockets with what I need I look like the "Michelin Man" and I've yet to find one that suits the LF user - the pockets are way too small for things like darkslides/Quickload holders.

I've always been on the lookout for something to carry my "bits" when the camera bag is not immediately to hand; I've tried smaller shoulder bags in the past and they can hold a bit of gear but they tend to be bulky and not ideal when ducking back and forth beneath a darkcloth; the same goes for the "bumbag-type" of bag, they don't move but don't hold much gear either!

I also tried the Silvestri Tripod Apron and this was almost the answer to my prayers - but too few pockets and those that it had were a bit too small - I'm fussy I know!

Enter... the "Chestvest" from a US-based company called "Newswear". At first glimpse it does look something akin to a military flak jacket but bear with me and I'll try and convince you otherwise! The idea behind the vest is that it incorporates a lightweight but heavy-duty harness with an "apron" of lightly-padded pouches designed to take large lenses for.....news teams? However, the pockets are perfect for my "bits"!
The two central pockets are bellowed and will comfortably accept three 5x7 double dark slides in each or I can get my Canham 6x17 motorised roll film back in one and the ground glass screen from the Titan XL in the other ... happy days!
The two central pockets are flanked by smaller pockets that will comfortably hold a light meter and Lee filters/filter holders. The flaps of these pouches are also pockets for smaller items like cable releases, spirit levels etc.
Most importantly for me the whole assembly is quite comfortable to wear - despite the harness not being padded. It means that I can "load up" and wade out without having to return to the bank/shore/backpack to take the photograph!

Ilford Delta 100 ... my film of choice.

As a committed black and white photographer I've narrowed my choice of film down over the years and have (finally) found my "holy grail" ... Ilford's Delta 100.
Many years ago my fave film was Agfa'a APX 25; an outstanding film, grainless and with a pleasing tonality and although I only used 120 roll film (in a 6x12 film back) it made lovely prints. It became discontinued a few years back, a victim of the impending arrival of digital and I've lamented my loss ever since!
When I moved to 5x4 I tried both Ilford FP4 Plus and Delta 100 and stuck firmly with the latter; developed in Paterson FX-39 - a lovely combination.
So for the last few years my film stock has been Delta 100 in 5x4 and also in 120 roll film (in a 6x17 Art Panorama back).
However, my move to 5x7 meant that trying to find Delta 100 in this format was nigh on impossible - plenty of FP4 Plus and Efke film stock but (despite showing as being manufactured by Ilford) the only Delta 100 to be found was across the pond.
I decided to stick with FP4 Plus but very soon noticed a few shortcomings when comparing images shot on both films in 120 format on the Canham 6x17 film back. The FP4 Plus was struggling to keep up with Delta 100 in the shadow department as well as being somewhat "grainier".
Having asked advice on the UKLF forum I decided to try shipping some Delta 100 (5x7) from the US; at about £85 (plus tax plus import duties) it would certainly not be cheap!
just before ordering a forum member suggested contacting Ilford as they were listing 5x7 on their UK website. This made sense as the film is made here in the UK!
A check on their website showed Delta 100 5x7 (box of 100 sheets) as a stock item! A hasty telephone call revealed that this format was in fact a special order and not normally a stock item? However, a check revealed that they did in fact hold this film in stock?? Great (I thought) and enquired as to the price. £175 plus VAT for a box of 100 sheets!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Not to worry, Jo C to the rescue! A quick phone call to one of her contacts at Ilford meant that I was able to get 2 boxes (200 sheets) for the princely sum of £200 all in!
The film arrived 2 days later - excellent service.
BUT I ask myself the question, "why is it so difficult to purchase film in the UK" especially one that's manufactured here?
For those who may be interested? I rate the film at 100 ASA and develop it in Ilford Perceptol (1:1). I tend to underdevelop my film as I find it scans better; allowing for the continuous agitation of the Orbital Processor and this further reduction I find that developing times run to about 13 minutes.

Glencoe ... in the snow!

Following a heavy dumping of snow over much of the north of Britain, a quick check on the Kingshouse Hotel webcam showed that Glencoe was heavily covered in the white stuff - time for a visit up north!
Having nursed a particularly severe case of "Man Flu" throughout the latter part of December the only time left for a visit was over the New Year period - thank goodness for an understanding wife ... or is she simply glad to see the back of me?
With a room booked at the Kingshouse Hotel from 31st December for a couple of days I made the long trek from South Wales to Glencoe in a shade under 10 hours. I arrived in total darkness but the degree of snow cover was obvious; almost knocked down a deer on the A82 across Rannoch Moor too - they are really big when viewed from close up!
New Year's Day was bright and crisp with light snow flurries and litle wind - but with heavily overcast skies calculating exposure would be interesting - as would composition - all the foreground was .... you guessed it ... snow covered!
Ventured up to Lochan Na' Achlaise and old favourite; been done to death but in these conditions offering me a new perspective from previous visits. I came here a few years ago and the temperatures meant that the water in the Lochs had frozen but this visit combined the same low temperatures with heavy coverings of snow too. Another problem quickly arose - where was slid ground and where was snow covering a multitiude of nasties; rocks, holes, water!
As usual the silence was rewarding until a group of photographers arrived to join me at this popular location ... and proceeded to walk across the frozen loch to get a closer viewpoint to the now-famous "tree on the island". Now I'm not sure how deep the water is but a foolish move perhaps? But they were using digital cameras so probably can be forgiven their stupidity!
For anyone who knows the area the beauty of Glencoe is that many superb locations are accessible from the road and at other times there are usually plenty of parking spaces on verges - but the heavy snowfall combined with the work of the ploughs had meant that the verges were now high embankments that did not allow easy parking!
I managed to expose 8 sheets of 5x7 (Ilford FP 4 Plus) along with 3 rolls of Ilford Delta 100 (in 120 roll film in the 6x17cms format) PLUS 2 rolls of colour negative film!! (a first for me).
The Walker performed admirably in these cold conditions; it seemed to thrive on snow and I had none of the problems associated and previously experienced with wooden cameras in such low temperatures. It makes a difference, to me anyway, not having to worry about expensive kit getting wet! On a number of occasions the camera ended up with a festive layer of snow covering whilst set up and waiting for "the" shot; the lens was protected with a Lee Wide Angle Hood so everyone was happy! The Canham 6x17 film back ran out of juice very quickly in such temperatures but a fresh battery and a gel hand warmer taped to the battery compartment solved the problem!
I use both the 120mm Nikon and the 210mm Schneider for the photographs I took and both performed flawlessly too.
I had a bit of a tragedy within the first hour or so of my trip with my Gossen Starlite meter - I inadvertantly stepped on it thinking I had put it safely in the pocket of my down jacket! I hadn't and a backwards step meant that it received the full force of my "full frame" whilst wearing a pair of plastic climbing boots too! Not a pretty sight ... the meter NOT me!
Thankfully the back-up had been brought along - a simple Sekonic Digilite L328; a meter that I rarely need to use and one which I always wondered as to its suitability for large format work; it has no memory or average function and it only measures ambient light in shutter-priority mode whereas I tend to favour aperture-priority metering. However it was fitted with a 5 degree spot metering attachment so it's versatility was improved.
Tragedy Number 2 ... whilst traipsing back to the car in (quickly) disappearing evening light across Rannoch Moor I was hastily following my previous footprints in virgin snow as my outward path had proved without hidden surprises! When a carefully placed foot disappeared through the snow and promptly continued to break the ice layer covering the stream that I had inadvertantly walked across and continued through until I was up to my groin in a combination of freezing peat/water/ice slush. Extracting myself was fun as I was carrying a fully laden Lowepro Super Trekker on my back and my Gitzo tripod in my hand!
Thankfully there were no witnesses to this event and 10 minutes later I was warming up back in the car!
I've processed some of the film and I'm really pleased!
The attached image is a view across Rannoch Moor as evening approaches (well approximately 4pm) taken on the Walker 5x7 on a sheet of Ilford FP4 Plus in 5x7 format. I composed the image with the 6x17cms back and planned to use Ilford Delta 100 but the image was too narrow; so the composition in-camera was a cropped 5x7 ... about 9x17cms! Lens used was the Nikon 120mm with a Lee Yellow/Orange (16) filter to try and put some depth to the sky. The exposure was 1/2 second at f32.

Equipment changes!

As I'm getting more and more "into" the 5x7 format I've made a few "minor" changes to the kit I use. Gone is the Nikon 75mm and the Schneider 150mm to be replaced by a (lovely) Nikon 120mm f8 and a Schneider 210mm Apo Symmar; both these lenses are far more suited to the larger format!
I'm also trying out the 13x18cms format (the European equivalent of 5x7) as I bought some of this film (cheap!) and managed to buy some equally cheap film holders for it too! These film holders are the same size as 5x7 holders but with a different sized internal design for the slightly larger 13x18 film.
Finding film is not a real issue - as long as black and white is your bag! But having the option of either 13x18 or 5x7 is a bonus!

First Print - Epson 3800

First "print" from the Epson 3800.
Shot on 6x17 film (Ilford Delta 100). Location: Iceland (Dyrholaey).
The quality of prints from the 3800 is outstanding!

Kicking and screaming into the digital age!

Well. I've finally gone and done it ... got myself a "proper" printer - an Epson 3800!

I've procrastinated for the last year or so since getting an Epson V700 scanner but I've finally bitten the bullet.

If I'm honest the reason for the delay was a in-built, deep-rooted fear of technology! I was 100% sure I wouldn't be able to get it started and if I did then I had nightmares about what I could achieve from a printer. Having judged camera club competitions from 2001 I had seen some "suspect" inkjet printing and was sure that I would follow suit.

I cut my teeth on traditional printmaking and was happy with the level of expertise I had reached - even managing to sell a number of my monochrome landscapes over the years too! However, a forced house move meant that I lost space for a new darkroom so I entered my "wilderness" years.

Two years or so ago I sent a few of my 5x4 negatives to my good friend Joanna Carter - she has alone convinced me that inkjet printing is far superior to traditional wet printing! She produced scans and prints from my negs that were way better than those I produced in the darkroom and I'm no slouch in the dark!! I used a wall-mounted, fan-cooled enlarger with top quality Schneider lenses so certainly not lacking in the equipment department either!

About a year ago I purchased an Epson V700 scanner and tried to master it! I'm still trying!
I can get "okayish" scans from it from my LF negs but not seeing prints "in the flesh" was always a bit of a disappointment - but I was too worried about splashing out on a printer as I was convinced that my technophobia would ensure I produced "rubbish".

I had narrowed the choice down to an Epson 2400 - then Epson discontinued it! It's replacement; the 2880 seemed an improvement but the general concensus was that the ink cartridges were too small/expensive. The answer seemed to lie in the 3800 - an A2 sized printer offering bigger/cheaper ink cartridges and the option of printing to A2 in size! But these were expensive - nearly a grand! I felt I couldn't justify this sort of outlay so delayed purchase.

Then I found a company offering the 3800 for a shade under £750 - with a full set of ink. I ordered one along with a Spyder 3 monitor calibration device - another piece of technology to fret over!

It was delivered next day - massive box!

I then spent a very fraught couple of hours - more like 4! Setting it up.
Calibrated my monitor - dead easy!!
Unpacked the printer - huge!
Re-arranged desk to house it along with scanner, keyboard, monitor etc.
Note to self - buy cordless keyboard/mouse.
Set printer up - no mean feat as the manual is a pdf download and I'm a visual learner so need the instructions to hand!
Eventually, after much trial and error produced my first print ... amazing!!!!!!!!!

The detail on the print is incredible. I was able to compare it alongside a print I made a few years ago in the darkroom with one that Joanna made on her Epson.

The difference is mind-blowing!

What's more, I had the same feeling of nervous excitement/anticipation watching the print chugg out of the Epson as I did watching the image materialise in a tray of developer.

I am converted!

Iceland 2010 ... cancelled

Unfortunately the proposed workshop in Iceland has been cancelled.
The blame lies with the current economic climate which has meant that as more people dropped out the prices kept rising ... dramatically.
The problem with Iceland is that it's always been an expensive place to visit - although my trip in April this year was the cheapest and this was only due to the fact that I managed to find a good deal on vehicle rental.
Vehicle rental is extortionate in Iceland. As an example, to rent a standard 4x4 for 10 days is well in excess of £2500! Add on collision damage waiver, gravel damage waiver and the costs increase even more ... then there's fuel costs too.
Oh well ... looks like Iceland will have to wait a while.