First outing with 4x5": thoughts and a portfolio

Vieri

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Joined
Dec 29, 2024
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10
Hello everyone,

After months studying and preparing myself for the move back to analog photography, in early September 2024 my wife and I were ready to hit the road again. This time, after 15 years of doing professional landscape photography with digital cameras, from 35mm to digital backs with tech cameras, I didn’t have one with me. Instead, I was proudly carrying a 4x5” film camera with me, my Arca-Swiss F-line custom.

I wrote an article on my Blog about the experience, sharing my thoughts and a small Portfolio shot in Kent & Sussex, in the UK, which you can find here:

FIRST OUTING WITH 4X5” FILM: THOUGHTS AND A PORTFOLIO

A few photographs here for you to enjoy!

2024_09_08_Arca_FP200_0011.jpg


2024_09_08_Arca_FP200_0023.jpg


2024_09_08_Arca_FP200_0057.jpg


Best regards,

Vieri
 
Reculver, where they tested the bouncing bomb I think. That gun tower in the sea is a favourite place of mine too.
 
Very good. Now it's time to print some of these negs in a darkroom :)
 
Very good. Now it's time to print some of these negs in a darkroom :)
Thank you very much Nas! About darkroom printing, the last time I did that was decades ago... sadly, currently I don't have the time (nor probably the skills anymore!) to do that. I run a fully in-house hybrid workflow, analogue until the negative is developed, and after that I scan it and go digital from there on... I'd love to print some at some point, but I am not quite sure it'll ever happen.

Best regards,

Vieri
 
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Thank you Flack, glad you enjoyed them!

Hello John, thank you very much, happy you liked the shots. That is Reculver Towers, in Kent (UK).

Best regards,

Vieri
Thanks Vieri, we holidayed near there a few years ago. Unfortunately, we're at Hastings this year but will add to the list.
 
Thanks Vieri, we holidayed near there a few years ago. Unfortunately, we're at Hastings this year but will add to the list.
It's a very cool spot, with a very interesting history too, going back to the Romans. Hope you'll make it there soon!

Best regards,

Vieri
 
Just out of interest, for the first image, how did you shoot the first image, how is the back to front sharpness in real life?
 
This is a normal technique for LF cameras of tilting the front standard slightly forwards to place the plane of sharp focus from under the camera to the horizon. The depth of field then becomes a wedge starting on the hinge point and expanding as it proceeds forwards.
 
Just out of interest, for the first image, how did you shoot the first image, how is the back to front sharpness in real life?
Hello Mark, not sure I understand what you mean by "in real life" - technically, I shot this with a combination of tilt and swing, to get the handrail and the Grain Battery both sharp. I don't have the exact numbers though, at the beginning of the trip I used an app to keep track of shooting data; it then crashed, making me loose info for the first half of the trip. I have been using iPhone Notes since, never losing any data after that :)

Best regards,

Vieri
 
This is a normal technique for LF cameras of tilting the front standard slightly forwards to place the plane of sharp focus from under the camera to the horizon. The depth of field then becomes a wedge starting on the hinge point and expanding as it proceeds forwards.
Indeed. For this image, I had to combine tilt with swing too, since given the shape of the handrail tilt alone wasn't enough to keep the whole height of the handrail sharp.

Best regards,

Vieri
 
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