This image is from my antique lens 4×5 portrait series, but is definitely different from most of the others in the series so far. Instead of a dreamy soft focus look, I felt that for Lauren (a bass player in a Goth band) a grittier, tougher look would be a more honest portrayal, so in post processing of the negative scan that is what I emphasized.
Typically, photographs that are noted for texture tend to be sharp, with a lot of detail. The image in this post is from my brass lens portrait series: the combination of the old lens, long (4-5 second!) exposure ensure that these images will not be sharp. Also, the photo paper that I use for the negatives in this process tends to emphasize skin blemishes, so in post I need to further smooth things out a bit, further reducing detail.
However, I still like the texture in this image, particularly in the hair, and the way the light plays on it.
Another image from my Vintage lens portrait series, of model Memento Mori, shot on a 4×5 paper negative, an exposure of about 4 seconds or so. I only have 4 film holders for my 4×5 view camera; with each holder two taking sheets, that gives me 8 shots before reloading (in the darkroom!). I’m happy that with eight images, I got three, perhaps four keepers. I never get that ratio with digital.
I tweeted yesterday that large format photography is like playing the French horn or the oboe: both these instruments can produce beautiful music, but are absolutely unforgiving if you make a mistake. One difference in photography though is the tools available to rescue a photograph, and the image in this post is an example of what can be done to “fix it in post.” The original image (taken yesterday morning using by 4×5 view camera, antique brass lens and paper negative) was severely underexposed, and was not flattering in terms of skin texture, but through the use of scanning and image manipulation tools I was able to bring enough of the image back to create a portrait I quite like.
This picture is the second in my antique brass lens portrait series. The subjects are model Amy (who I’ve photographed before) and her boyfriend Jerrod. The exposure was about 5 seconds, so there is a bit of movement, which I like, especially in Amy’s eyes. The good news ends there though; I had issues with light leaks (probably my homemade lens board holding the old lens) and some chemical contamination on the paper negative. Even after a fair amount of Photoshopping out the damage, it’s still pretty rough. In this case though, I think it adds to the image. I certainly can’t rely on being lucky every time though!
With this image, I kick off a new project: portraits taken using a roughly 100 year Busch Rapid Symmetrical brass lens on my 4×5 view camera. I love the vintage look I get from this lens, especially the swirling of the out of focus areas in the corners.
Here is my first picture (a close up of a shell) from my Voigtlander Avus, a folding camera (9×12 cm plate) almost a century old. Something that really struck me was three sentences from the manual:
“Each camera is supplied with 3 three plate holders. When going on a day’s trip six holders may be required. On longer journeys twelve may be required.”
When you consider that each plate holder only holds one exposure, the importance of a thoughtful, selective approach to photography is really underscored. Imagine going out with a DSLR and only one memory card, with a capacity of six images.
An interesting exercise, to be sure.
Here is the second image I am posting that I created using my 4×5 Cambo SC view camera; it is a portrait of my older daughter Julia. What I enjoyed about creating this portrait was the low tech approach I used. The lens used was an old brass lens, a Busch “Rapid Symmetrical” that is at least a hundred years old. The lens board (used to attach the lens to the camera), was homemade, using two pieces of mat board, glued together. As for the exposure, since the lens has no shutter, I made the exposure (about 1.5 seconds, using a paper negative) by simply covering/uncovering the front of the lens with my hand. About as far from modern technology as one can get!
I’ll be off the grid for a week, but I did want to get one more post in. I recently purchased a used 4×5 view camera (a beat-up but functional Cambo SC), something I’ve wanted for a while. While I have had little to no time to use it due to family realities, I have so far had a chance to take the picture below. I used the paper negative technique; instead of conventional photographic film I use real photographic paper (darkroom, not inkjet). It is very slow speed (about E.I. 6) but since a view camera must be on a tripod, the fact that a 60 second exposure was required was no big deal. Once the negative is developed, I can either do a contact print to get a 4×5″ image, or just scan the negative and invert the image digitally. I am really looking forward to the challenge of learning to use my view camera, the ultimate in the totally manual photographic experience.
My Third Eye 