portrait

ISABELINA Olive Oil

 Large Format

17/09/2013

Large Format and its application

INTRODUCTION

1.) No through-the-lens (TTL) metering. You have to compensate manually for anything, like filters, which might alter the light coming through the lens.

2.) No Matrix or Evaluative metering. You have to compensate for light or dark subjects manually.

3.) Mechanical shutters, not electronic. Mechanical shutters work like wind-up mechanical watches. They often vary from their marked speeds.

4.) Large format cameras use bigger film. They are working at larger magnifications for any given composition. They may need manual exposure correction at close distances.

1.) NO TTL METERING

Since you're not metering through the lens, you must compensate manually for any filters.

Use the manufacturer's suggestions for most coloured filters. Polarisers can vary a half stop from the specifications, so measure your own filter factors for best results.

This is easy. Make test shots at different exposures and keep notes. The correct filter factor is the factor which, added to the exposure when shooting through that filter, gives the same exposure as with no filter.

Make some shots at different exposures with the filter and one shot without. Use the factor correlating to the two shots that match. Easy!

2.) NO MATRIX METERING

Matrix metering has made exposure metering simple since the Nikon FA of the 1980s. Since we don't have matrix meters in large format, we use external meters and correct them if the subject is dark or light.

A regular meter reads to make whatever you point it at look medium gray. An even mix of light and dark, no problem. If the shot is mostly light or dark, use the zone system.

A meter gives you medium gray regardless of where you point it. You have to add exposure to get white to look white, or subtract to get darks to look dark. A spot meter is the most precise.

Example:

Medium grey or green Use reading as-is.

A shadow Subtract two stops.

White, or snow or sand    Add two stops.

Naked girl's light skin add one stop.

Dark gray or dark barn red Subtract a stop.

Black Subtract two stops.

Bright Yellow Add 2/3 stop

You can point a digital camera at the subject and copy the reading. See Using a Digital Camera as a Light Meter.

You can use an incident meter (one with a white dome held in the same light as the subject and pointed back at the light) and not worry about subject lightness.

3.) MECHANICAL SHUTTERS

Mechanical shutters often vary from their marked speeds.

4.) BELLOWS EXTENSION FACTORS

As you rack out a lens to focus closer, the light has to travel further from lens to film. F/stop is the focal length divided by the opening of the lens. The opening of a 150mm lens at f/16 is 9.4mm. (150 / 9.4 = f/16.) If you rack the lens out to focus more closely, the effective f/number becomes greater. If you rack it out 20mm more than infinity focus, you're shooting at f/18. (150 + 20) / 9.4 = 170 / 9.4 = 18.

This is almost never an issue with ordinary cameras, because their little lenses extend very little when focusing closely. Any bellows factor is corrected automatically because their meters read through the lens.

Large format cameras use longer lenses, and have to extend a much larger percentage of their focal lengths when focusing at closer distances.

For example, a 50mm lens focused at six feet on a digital SLR needs an insignificant 0.073 stop correction at this 1:40 magnification ratio. This is corrected automatically by the meter reading through the lens anyway.

A 4x5" camera needs a 300mm lens to get the same composition on its bigger film! At six feet from the lens the 300mm lens needs to be extended two extra inches to focus, for a magnification ratio of 1:5.7. This requires an extra half-stop exposure, which your hand-held meter won't see. You have to add this half stop, or have underexposed images.You can find the formulae in Ansel's Book "The Negative." You read from a different scale for each lens. 

5.) SWINGS AND TILTS.

Tilting the film spreads the light over more area. In theory you might want to add more exposure as the cosine of the angle of incidence.

Tilt:

Tilt	Compensation, Stops
0 degrees	0.000
5 degrees	0.006
10 degrees	0.020
20 degrees	0.090
30 degrees	0.210
35 degrees	0.290
40 degrees	0.380
45 degrees	0.500
60 degrees	1.000

Here's an example of calculating for 60 degrees:

·       Compensation stops = (Log [base 2] (Cosine of tilt angle))

·       Compensation stops = (Log [base 2] (Cosine of 60 degrees))

·       Compensation stops = (Log [base 2] (0.5))

·       Compensation, stops = -1

Note: If using swings and tilts together, calculate factors based on degrees and add the stops of compensation. For example, with 10 degrees tilt and 20 degrees swing, 0.02 + 0.09 = 0.11 stops, which is too small to worry about?

Note: Front movement matters less than rear movement if the lens is compensated for light falloff.

Note: logs to base 2 are calculated on a pocket calculator by hitting Log [10 or e] and dividing that result by Log [10 or e] of 2. Use the same base, 10 or e, each time.

SUMMARY:

This was critical to Ansel Adams. Ansel wrote ‘that bracketing was for wimps, and that what he's shooting doesn't always allow time for guessing’. His "Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico" had light changing so fast that he had only one chance. He didn't even have time for a meter reading! He used the sunny f/16 rule based on the brightness of the moon and made his exposure. (Actually Ansel worked in foot-candles and placed the disc of the moon on the zone he wanted, but it accomplishes the same thing today as the sunny f/16 rule. The luminance of the moon's disc is a constant.)

Application:

1.  Bigger Film Area
2.  Advertising imagery
3.  Landscape imagery
4.  Architectural imagery
5. Superior image quality

Large format cameras are those that use film with dimensions of 5x4 inches (125x100 mm) or greater. Often included in the category are the medium format panoramic cameras, since the long side of these images is often 17 cm. The area of the captured image from these cameras is already large, so fewer enlargements from the film are required to make a print, or inversely, bigger prints can be produced from the film.

A larger film area representing any one element of the scene also produces a smoother transition of tone for that element, since there are more “pieces of silver” to make up that element. So the bigger negative or transparency produces a better quality print, all other things being equal.

Although 5x4 inch film is considered large format (LF), other variants are presented as 5x7, 10x8, 11x14 and 10x20 inch.

Using a Large Format camera forces you to slow down and contemplate the scene more. By necessity, these cameras must be mounted on a tripod during use. There is no view finder as such, but a ground glass screen on which the image is focused and composed. To view the image on the screen, place your head under a dark cloth to assess scene. Once under the cloth, you are isolated from the scene – there are no peripheral distractions. The image you are looking at looking at is inverted and reversed, forcing you to deal with the graphic content of the image rather than the “emotional” content. The compositional elements of the scene should work, even when the picture is upside down: subject placement, juxtapositions, leading lines, colours and blank space all work in the same way when the image is inverted. The difference is that they can be assessed without reference to the scene outside the cloth, just as the viewer of the finished print has no reference to the scene

Greater Control over the Sharpness of the Image

Using a large film area means using longer lenses to get coverage of the scene. For instance, in 35 mm photography, a 28 mm lens is considered a wide angle lens. To match the coverage of a 28 mm lens on a 5”x 4” camera requires a lens of 90 mm focal length, or 180 mm on a 10”x 8” camera. A long lens is still a long lens, and these focal lengths present problems for depth of field, whether on 35 mm or 10 x 8 films (the laws of physics don’t change as easily as we can swap lenses). To work around the depth of field problem, Theodor Scheimpflug (1865-1911) devised a set of rules that allows the flexible geometry of the camera to alter the plane of the focus for the lens. This is achieved by bending the camera, making everything from directly below the camera to infinity and beyond sharply focused, (increasing the Depth of Field) even at wide apertures. Using a view camera (another name for these cameras) allows you to capture more (focused) detail from a scene on film.

Example of Tilt and Shift on converging verticals

www.whatdigitalcamera.com

Control over the Shape of the Subject (1a)

One feature of the design of LF cameras is the ability to alter the shape of the image captured by altering the geometry of the camera. The most commonly used example of this is the correction of converging vertical lines in a scene, (1a). Today, we see so many images with converging vertical lines that we don’t even think about it, but many architectural images require the walls of the building to be parallel. By keeping the plane of the film vertical and sliding the lens upwards (lift) to capture to top of the building, the walls won’t “fall in”.

Theodor Scheimpflug (1865-1911) www.luminous-landscape.com

Image (2a)

Another use of view camera properties is to emphasize parts of a scene by making them relatively larger. Tilting the film plane away from the scene (towards the photographer) makes the foreground of an image loom relatively larger than the rest of the scene, adding another tool to the image makers’ repertoire for graphic design on the film.

http://designyoutrust.com

Image (3a)

Remarkable effect

Research

American photographer Richard Avedon was best known for his work in the fashion world and for his minimalist portraits. He worked first as a photographer for the Merchant Marines, taking identification photos. He then moved to fashion, shooting for Harper's Bazaar and Vogue, demanding that his models convey emotion and movement, a departure from the norm of motionless fashion photography. 

1941, Saw Avedon enrol at the Columbia University to study philosophy and poetry. However, he dropped out after only one year to serve in the United States Merchant Marine during World War II. As a Photographer's Mate Second Class, his main duty was taking identification portraits of sailors. Avedon served in the Merchant Marine for two years, from 1942 to 1944. Avedon attended the New School for Social Research in New York City to study photography under Alexey Brodovitch, the acclaimed art director of Harper's Bazaar. Avedon and Brodovitch formed a close bond, and within one year Avedon was hired as a staff photographer for the magazine. After several years photographing daily life in New York City, Avedon was assigned to cover the spring and fall fashion collections in Paris. While legendary editor Carmel Snow covered the runway shows, Avedon's task was to stage photographs of models wearing the new fashions out in the city itself. Throughout the late 1940s and early 1950s he created elegant black-and-white photographs showcasing the latest fashions in real-life settings such as Paris's picturesque cafes, cabarets and streetcars. 

The Photograph ” Verushka (1966) , depicts a young women on a train, she is dressed in luxurious clothing and stares into the distance as if she is busy daydreaming. To pay tribute to Avedon I’ve used his photograph as inspiration for my own photo. I’ve remained true to the simplistic black and white style of Avedon’s work. I wanted to keep the lushious feel of Avedon’s photograph and did so by using a fur coat, similar to the one the model wore in the photograph. I focused on the face of the model and wanted to recreate the dreamer-like quality of the original photograph.

Homage to Munkacsi. Carmen. coat by Cardin. Place François-Premier. Paris. August 1957. © Richard Avedon

Already established as one of the most talented young fashion photographers in the business, in 1955 Avedon made fashion and photography history when he staged a photo shoot at a circus. The iconic photograph of that shoot, “Dovima with Elephants,” features the most famous model of the time in a black Dior evening gown with a long white silk sash. She is posed between two elephants, 

her back serenely arched as she holds on to the trunk of one elephant while reaching out fondly toward the other. The image remains one of the most strikingly original and iconic fashion photographs of all time. “He asked me to do extraordinary things,” Dovima said of Avedon. “But I always knew I was going to be part of a great picture.”

Interestingly, this image was recreated recently by Fashion Photographer 'Rankin' and was documented on the BBC 'Seven Photographs that changed Fashion' a hugely inspirational programme.

Avedon served as a staff photographer for Harper's Bazaar for 20 years, from 1945 to 1965. In addition to his fashion photography, he was also well known for his portraiture. His black-and-white portraits were remarkable for capturing the essential humanity and vulnerability.

Avedon, best known for his minimalist portraiture and fashion photography for some of the top fashion magazines such as Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. His iconic photo’s of entertainment royalty such as Marilyn Monroe and the Beatles cemented his name as one of the great photographers of our time.

"Laura Wilson in the American West: A Conversation with Richard
Avedon"

Internationally acclaimed for his portraits of powerful and accomplished people and women of great beauty, Richard Avedon is one of the twentieth century's greatest photographers -- but perhaps not the most obvious choice to create a portrait of ordinary people of the American West. Yet in 1979, the Amon Carter Museum of Fort Worth, Texas, daringly commissioned him to do just that.

The resulting 1985 exhibition and book, In the American West, was a milestone in American photography and Avedon's most important body of work. His unflinching portraits of oilfield and slaughterhouse workers, miners, waitresses, drifters, mental patients, teenagers, and others captured the unknown and often-ignored people who work at hard, uncelebrated jobs. Making no apologies for shattering stereotypes of the West and Westerners, Avedon said, "I'm looking for a new definition of a photographic portrait. I'm looking for people who are surprising -- heartbreaking -- or beautiful in a terrifying way. Beauty that might scare you to death until you acknowledge it as part of yourself." 

Copyright © 2003 by Laura Wilson Avedon at work Using a large plain white back drop to stand his subject against.

Ronald Fischer, beekeeper, Davis, California, 5/9/81
Copyright © 1981 by Richard Avedon

Ronald Fischer, beekeeper, Davis, California, 5/9/81
Copyright © 1981 by Richard Avedon

To quote the words of 'Rankin' A photographer I particularly admire. "Classic styling with energy and creative spirit. Daring, stylish and ambitious, his pictures reflected the optimism of 50s America and turned him into the first celebrity fashion photographer. (BBC : 2009 : The seven Photographs That Changed Fashion) 

Read more: http://www.ukessays.com/essays/photography/rankin-and-richard-avedon-comparison-photography-essay.php#ixzz2iBEypiRJ

Adams, Ansel
American, 1902-1984

Although my main objective was portraiture in Large of large format discussion can be complete without reference, to the late great Godfather ‘Ansel Adams’



throughout his long and prolific career, Ansel Adams created a body of work which has seen him become ‘Godfather’ tothe purist approach to the medium, but to many people the definitive pictorial statement on the American western landscape. He was also strongly associated with a visionary sense of the beauty of wilderness and the importance of its preservation. The prestige and popularity of his work has been enhanced by the extraordinary technical perfection of his photography and his insistence on absolute control of the photographic processes.

Born in San Francisco, Adams manifested an early interest in music and the piano, an interest that he initially hoped to develop into a professional career. In 1916 he took his first photographs of the Yosemite Valley, an experience of such intensity that he was to view it as a lifelong inspiration. He studied photography with a photofinisher, producing early work influenced by the then prevalent pictorials style. Each summer he returned to Yosemite where he developed an interest in conservation. 
These trips involved exploration, climbing and photography, and by 1920 he had formed an association with the Sierra Club. In 1927 his first portfolio was published, Parmelian Prints of the High Sierras. In 1928 he married Virginia Best and began to work as an official photographer for the Sierra Club.

His decision to devote his life to photography was influenced by his strong response to the straight photography of Paul Strand, whom he met in 1930. Adams's first important one-man show was held in 1931 at the M. H. de Young Memorial Museum, and in the same year his work was exhibited at the Smithsonian Institution. The following year Adams and several other California-based photographers, notably Edward Weston and Imogen Cunningham, founded Group f/64.

For Adams and Weston especially, the f/64 philosophy embodied an approach to perfect realization of photographic vision through technically flawless prints. Despite this, Adams never decried experimentation as such, and he himself used a variety of large-format and miniature cameras.

After meeting with Alfred Stieglitz in 1933, he began a gallery in San Francisco, the Ansel Adams Gallery. The first of his books dealing with the mastery of photographic technique, Making a Photograph, was published in1935. Meanwhile, Adams had impressed Stieglitz so much that an important one-man exhibition of his work was shown at An American Place in 1936.

During the following two years Adams moved into the Yosemite Valley and made trips throughout the Southwest with Weston, Georgia O'Keeffe, and David McAlpin. His photographs accompanied the 1938 publication of Sierra Nevada: The John Muir Trail. 

Having met Beaumont and Nancy Newhall in New York in 1939, the following year Adams, along with McAlpin, assisted in the foundation of the Department of Photography at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). With the arrival of World War II, Adams went to Washington, D.C., where he worked as a photo-muralist for the Department of the Interior. During this time he began to develop a codification of his approach to exposure, processing, and printing - the zone system. In effect, this system aimed at pre-visualization of the final print from a

given set of conditions. Work from a wartime photo essay on the plight of interned Japanese-Americans was exhibited at MOMA in 1944 under the title Born Free and Equal. During 1944-1945, Adams lectured and taught courses in photography at the museum. This teaching was followed by the establishment of one of the first departments of photography at the California School of Fine Arts (later the San Francisco Art Institute) in 1946.
Following his award of a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1948 to photograph national park locations and monuments, there were five productive years of important photographic 
work.

The first of numerous portfolios,   In Memory of Alfred Stieglitz, was issued in 1948, and in the same year he began to publish technical volumes in the Basic Photo Series. 

Throughout 1950 he made trips to Hawaii, Alaska, and Maine, and in that year  Portfolio 2: The National Parks and Monuments issued.


In 1953 he collaborated with Dorothea Lange on a Life commission for a photo essay on the Mormons in Utah, and in 1955 he began a photography workshop in Yosemite. Yosemite Valley was published by the Sierra Club in 1960

.

Yosemite Special Edition series in 1958

In each of his images Adams aimed to control influence on the range of tones from rich black to whitest white in order to achieve perfect photographic clarity. He also developed a knowledge of the techniques of photographic reproduction to assure that the quality of any reproduced work might approach as closely as possible the standard of the original print.

In 1962 Adams moved to Carmel, California, where in 1967 he was instrumental in the foundation of the Friends of Photography, of which he became president. A retrospective show of his work, 1923-1963, was exhibited at the de Young Museum, and in 1966 he was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

In the late 1970s his prints sold to collectors for prices never equalled by a living American photographer. By that time Adams had given up active photography to devote himself to revising the Basic Photo Series, publishing books of his life's work, and preparing prints for a variety of exhibitions.

Getting Started With Image Control and Camera Movements:

Controlling Perspective and Parallel Lines

Challenge:  You want to photograph a building, or a stand of trees, yet keep all lines parallel even though you must angle the camera upwards to encompass the scene.

Solution: Rise. First, align the camera back parallel to the subject. Then, by using the rise movement, the lens' point of view is

moved above eye level, thereby keeping vertical lines parallel. Rise, fall and shift are all parallel movements that move the lens up, down and sideways relative to the centre of the camera back.

Increased Control of Perspective and Parallel Lines

Challenge: You need more control of perspective than you can achieve with front rise, fall and shift.

                

Solution: Drop Bed - Front and rear are tilted backward at the same degree and thereby kept parallel, giving the effect of increased Front Fall.

                

Incline Bed - Front and rear are tilted forward at the same degree and kept parallel, giving the effect of increased Front Rise.

                

Shift Bed - Front and rear are swung in the same direction to the same degree, giving the same effect as Shift, but with dramatically increased control.

Increasing Depth of Field

Challenge: You see a vast landscape with a field of flowers and distant mountains. You want to have both the flowers near the camera and the distant mountain in focus at the same time. Even if you used the smallest aperture on your lens, you might still need greater depth-of-field.

                

Solution: Front Tilt. Tilting the lens forward will extend the plane of focus far beyond the effect of using a small lens aperture and allow you to get near and far objects in focus at the same time. Front tilt is usually combined with using a small aperture such as f/16 or f/22. It does not replace using a small aperture, but rather enhances the effect over a greater subject plane.

Challenge: Imagine focusing on a white picket fence, running from near to far, diagonally through your composition. With ordinary cameras you can either focus on the beginning, middle, or end of the fence, use a small aperture, and hope to get most of it in focus.

                

Solution: Front Swing. With a field camera, you can swing your lens to position it roughly parallel to the fence. This will allow you to get the fence in sharp focus from beginning to end, even with a wide open aperture.

Selective Focus

Challenge: You want to focus on just one leaf or flower and leave everything else in the scene a soft blur. Or, you want to recreate an effect you may have seen in a fashion magazine where only the model's eyes are sharp, and all the clothes are softly blurred.

                

Solution: Front Tilt-Backward can be used to accomplish these selective focus effects with ease. Front swing can be used for a similar effect with objects to the left or right of your composition centre. Swinging in either direction will bring objects in or out of focus.

Correct or Distort the Shape or Size of an Object

Challenge: You want to emphasize a large rock, or other visual element in the foreground of a landscape.

                

Solution: Rear Tilt. By tilting the back away from the lens, you will notice that the size and shape of objects in the foreground become exaggerated. Similarly,

                

Rear Swing will pivot the back from side to side, manipulating the shape of objects to the right or left of the composition

The Lens

All Schneider Apo-Digitar lenses are characterized by the highest resolution, minimal distortion, and a minimized lateral chromatic aberration. They are optimally suited for current high-end digital camera backs, and have generous adjustment paths on the specialized camera. 

This 210mm F-5.6 APO lens offers a relatively longer focal length, suitable for portraits (as compared to a lens designed for a film view camera). It has a Copal #0 shutter, which offers extremely precise, vibration-free exposures. 

Lenses for large format digital cameras are slightly smaller in size, and shorter in focal length than lenses designed for 4x5" or 8x10" film. Digital sensor chips are usually smaller than their film format counterparts. Several 35mm Style Digital SLRs are an exception. The format conversion factor for a 4x5" lens for film to a 4x5" Digital Lens is 1.39.

                                                                   Schneider 210mm

                                                                     Schneider 210mm

                                                                     Schneider 90mm

Initial exercise

Image 1 (Positive)

To produce a daylight portrait outdoors using the Toyo 5x4 field camera and souring a black background. The image was to be produced on paper, creating a POSITIVE IMAGE.

My main objective was to familiarise myself with the workings of the camera, setting up, metering and focusing. Using the 90mm Schneider lens at its widest aperture of 5.6
with a 6 ISO paper, which is incredibly slow and suggested using a slow shutter speed. 

Technical information:

• 90mm lens
• F5.6
• Light meter
• 1/4 second exposure

Technique: 

• Choose the camera position, approximate orientation, focal length.
• Set up and level the sturdy tripod and camera.
• Attach the lens and open it to full aperture.
• Focus roughly using the focussing knob.
• Reflected light mere reading
• Determine the shutter speed.
• Set the aperture and shutter speed.
• Adjust precisely the composition while looking at the ground glass.
• Focus precisely with tilts/swings.
• Determine the optimal aperture.
• Re-adjust slightly the composition (optional but recommended).
• Close the lens, cock the shutter, rap and insert the film holder.
• Remove the dark slide.
• Look at the subject.
• Fire the shutter with a cable release.
• Put the dark slide back in.
• Remove the film-holder.
• Make a second identical exposure.

Develop the paper (C41 Process) Result above. Image 1 (Positive)

Development:


Conclusion: Although I initially trained on 35 mm film 20 years ago crossing over to my current work flow in digital over ten years ago, this method is terribly slow.
Although slow, it certainly invites the photographer to really think and construct the image in a way which has long been forgotten with the introduction of digital.
I DID HOWEVER DISCOVER that as I am short sighted in one eye and long sighted in the other, with the need for reading glasses. I found the focusing against the glass screen incredibly troublesome. Further thought and investigation is required.

However the excitement in the darkroom as the image develops, is something you have to experience. Even just processing a simple positive image. 

Second Task

Depth of Field exercise:

• Choose the camera position, approximate orientation, focal length.
• Set up and level the tripod and camera.
• Attach the lens and open it to desired aperture.
• Focus roughly using the focussing knob.
• Adjust precisely the composition while looking at the ground glass.
• place subject holding a white card depicting the F stop used
• Focus precisely with tilts/swings.
• Using a 2010 lens and placing the subject mid length in front of camera.
• Instruct the subject to slowly move backwards until the subject is out of focus. Stop and measure the depth of field.

This exercise was repeated using F stop F16 and F32 The depth of field measured 9 inch and 20 inches respectively.

My second and more serious experiment, included inviting a model to study, to create realism with a portrait with a firm narrative.

The outcome for this, was to make both a black and white image and  colour portrait study on the 5x4 Toyo Field camera, concentrating on shallow depth of field.

I concluded that a studio session would be an advantage to me, experiencing using strobe lighting with the Toyo 5x4 for the first time.
Using the same techniques as mentioned above I had the additional issue of lighting. I found this to be extremely exciting. For this exercise, I opted for the 210mm lens, a favoured portrait lens. A 35mm equivalent would be 63mm, that is close to the 80mm standard portrait lens for 35mm portrait studies. 

Approximate equivalents of lens focal length

35mm	4x5	8x10
20mm	65mm	120mm
24mm	75mm	155mm
28mm	90mm	200mm
35mm	115mm	240mm
45mm	150mm	300mm
52mm	180mm	360mm
63mm	210mm	420mm
90mm	300mm	600mm
105mm	360mm	720mm
135mm	480mm	900mm

5x4 sheet film processing

Film Clips

Deep tank set up


Technique:

• Practice loading used sheet film onto clips. First visually, second, with eyes closed and finally with the lights out. A tricky procedure.
• Deep Tank check, is there enough solution to cover the wrack's and temperature is 20%
• Developer Solution ID11
• Stop Bath
• Fixer
• Lay out film carrier and wrack's
• lock the door and check for light leaks
• Carefully open the film slide to remove the negative.
• Using touch only, clip the negative to the four wrack clips. Double check again by touch that the neg is evenly attached.
• Remove the lid from the developer, deep tank. Insert the wrack.
• Set clock or timer for 7 minutes
• Agitate gently for the first minute and for ten seconds every minute thereafter.
• Remove after seven minutes
• Insert into stop bath for a minute
• Remove and insert into the fixer for 5 minutes.

Replace lids and timer, remove the wrack to the wet area and rinse for 20 minutes. transfer to the dryer for 20 minutes.

Finally, bag the negatives to keep them clean and free from dust/finger prints, etc. now for the exciting part, THE PRINTING PROCESS.


Printing Process

Firstly: 

Safelights

Darkrooms don’t have to be dark! Well, not totally. Modern black and white photographic papers, like Ilford Multigrade, can be exposed to quite high levels of safelight without fogging them. Just follow the instructions as far as distance between black and white paper and safelights are concerned and all should be well.

Ilford Multigrade: Using variable contrast black and white paper because this provide such a powerful creative tool. Having different levels of contrast in parts of the same print seems to create images with an extra dimension compared to single grade papers.

Test Strips: To save time and materials, place one side or end of the strip in a dark area and the other in the highlights. From this I get an idea of times that these areas need, as well as for the main area of the image in between. Then 4 or 5 exposures are made, covering the strip with each successive exposure. Each step exposure is roughly half as much again compared to the previous one, e.g. 4, 6, 8 12, 18 sec. Then a time is selected that shows the correct densities for the main area in the print. To check this before committing to a full sized piece of paper, expose another strip for this best time and place it across the highlights and shadows.

In addition I include a filtration factor of 3.5 as this grade meets with my pre - determined intentions of an evenly toned outcome. My aim, just as with digital imagery is to create a good strong black and equally a pure white, my experience has proved that once you achieve this the mid tones will look after themselves. This further opens pathways for more creative printing, generating thought to dodging and burning.

Expanding further on this point: 

Printing style

Just as photographers develop a style of their own, so printers do the same. The darkroom (or the PC) is the second creative step in producing images, so use it well. It may be that you need to adapt your style depending on the type of shot you want to produce.

Personally, I try and get the best out a negative without using what can be termed ‘heavy printing’, that is making overly dark prints. I'm not sure it is the fashionable way to print at the moment but it suits my type of photography. It lets me make images that both represent what I saw when I took the shot and emphasise elements in the image using dodging and burning to increase the drama, atmosphere or emotion in any print: all of this without overpowering part of any image to the detriment of the whole.

Final Outcome

Objective: Produce three 5 x 4 Colour images, demonstrating depth of Field

• Shallow
• Mid
• Long

My first portrait was my dear friend 'Pete' Shot in the studio using only one light to demonstrate 'shallow depth of field''

Rational: As with Avedon's portraiture, my aim was to photograph someone who has overcome adversity. To challenge myself and to apply a light source in combination with Large Format. 

To begin, it was necessary to brief my subject of the outcome and to discuss the procedure as this medium is slow and requires a great deal more application than that of 35 mm film or 35 mm digital format, what I have grown accustomed to. So I now out of my comfort zone.

So to begin 

Technique: 

• Choose the camera position, approximate orientation, focal length.
• Set up and level the sturdy tripod and camera.
• Attach the lens and open it to full aperture.
• Focus roughly using the focussing knob.
• Reflected light mere reading
• Determine the shutter speed.
• Set the aperture and shutter speed.
• Adjust precisely the composition while looking at the ground glass.
• Focus precisely with tilts/swings.
• Determine the optimal aperture.
• Re-adjust slightly the composition (optional but recommended).
• Close the lens, cock the shutter, rap and insert the film holder.
• Remove the dark slide.
• Look at the subject.
• Fire the shutter with a cable release.
• Put the dark slide back in.
• Remove the film-holder.
• Make a second identical exposure.

Pete, the first shallow depth of field study shooting on the 5x4 Toyo Field Camera.

Exposure; 5.6

shutter 1/125th

ISO 400

Schneider 2010 mm 

Along with the Large Format, I shot some 35 mm digital test images. Examples below.

400 ISO 1/125th F5.6

400 ISO 1/125th F5.6

400 ISO 1/125th F5.6

To take this study further a Field trip to South Gare on Teesside was arranged.

Drawing on my inspiration from Avedon, the object of this exercise was to source and shoot a character study.

With 20 years as a professional photographer, twelve of which as a photojournalist. I felt at ease with this task, however the Large Format still remained a little uncertain to me.

On arrival at South Gare, the weather far from ideal, with heavy rain and mist and a noticeable lack of people. Teaming up with one of my younger peers we set about walking the site for familiarisation I had almost given up hope of finding what I was looking for. One more avenue remained to explore, the small area where the boats were beached. I noticed that a garage type structure had activity and a sign of life. 

On approach we were met with three boat workers of varying age with a look of 'get lost' however immediately I realised this was what we were looking for. The trick with this kind scenario is quickly observe and look for anything to keep the dialogue flowing, even after a firm no? which it what we received when asking, 'would any of you sit for a portrait'. Remaining confident and displaying empathy and continuing with my persistence, I noticed a tattoo on the shoulder of the prime suspect I wanted to shoot. It was a Parachute Regiment Tattoo. I  Immediately took full advantage of this and advised him that I had served in the Royal Air Force Regiment. He went on to talk about his time with 1 Para and served in both the Middle East and Northern Ireland in the height of the troubles. Colin completed 9 years service and returned home to become a boat repairer and crab fisherman. After several minutes of regimental chat, he agreed to allow us to photograph him. (Result)

So began the brief to my subject of the outcome and to discuss the procedure. Colin, as he was called, decided to pop down to his Fisherman's Hut to quickly change. This gave us a perfect opportunity and and perhaps a second strike at  portrait. These hut's are rather special, with a little further investigation Colin, had said that his hut had appeared in several periodicals and has been the subject of several photographers interest. So of course if the first round of shooting goes well, maybe we will receive an invite to to the hut.

While Colin was away getting changed, we began to set up the camera, limited due to bad weather, we managed to find shelter for the camera and still achieve the objective. Bearing in mind the garage was very dark, so careful placement of our now model was of great importance. The boat shed/garage and provided us with the long Depth of Field.

On his return, we began to shoot, during the shooting we discussed the hut and received an invite. Studying the hut and taking into account the amount of old fashioned fishing equipment hung around the ceiling, gave me another idea. In all my work, I feel it is a key mantra to include a 'Narrative' the fishing equipment was ideal. My only concern was it appeared to be very dear to him and had antique qualities. Immediately I showed an interest in it. This got him talking about it and my assumption was correct. The next question was can we include this in a portrait. A few uncertain mumbles later and one of the rods was being removed for the shoot. 

Deciding to place Colin in the door way of the hut to make best use of daylight achieve the mid depth of field portrait, I asked if he strip down the equipment further to create a narrative.

Leaving the Gare I felt pleased with initial outcome, now the wait for the negatives to be processed by a professional lab. On return the negatives appeared ok.

Time for the printing process.

The Colour Wheel

The last time I printed colour was 20 years ago, I didn't enjoy it then. So it begins. 

Basic colour theory

Colour film instead of having one layer of emulsion has three, all of which are basically black and white film emulsion with one key difference. Each of these layers are made sensitive to different wavelengths of light by the introduction of carbo-cyanine dyes in the formulation of the emulsion; different dyes deliver different spectral absorption characteristics  The first layer is the blue sensitive layer. This layer is first because all film is inherently sensitive to blue light, and the blue emulsion requires the least amount of filtration. On top of the blue layer is an Ultra-violet filter. Next we find the green sensitive layer, this layer has a yellow filter layer above it and lastly we have the red sensitive layer under a red filter. Unlike black and white film, which has the silver in the emulsion reduced to metallic silver in the development process, colour film actually has the silver halides that were exposed to light replaced with colour dyes that correspond to the colour layer. For example, when the film is processed the red layer has all of it's silver halides that were exposed to red light replaced with red dyes. The intensity of the dyes introduced are directly proportional to the amount of exposure the layer received. Once the film is processed the varying intensities in the three layers sandwiched on top of one another give all the different hues present in the original scene. Once developed the film is then placed in a bleaching bath which removes ALL of the silver in the film. leaving only the dyes.
There are two basic colour systems in use today, these are the additive and the subtractive colour systems. In the additive colour system we work with Red Green and Blue. In the subtractive system we work with the colours Yellow Magenta and Cyan. the two systems derive their names by the manner in which they combine the colours  The additive system can be described as the combination of the three basic colours to achieve any colour required. If for instance we add Red and Blue together in equal amounts we will get Magenta a sort of purple colour  By varying the amounts of red and blue we get all the colours that reside in the spectrum between red and blue. The same is true with regards to the combination of blue and green and green and red. The interesting thing about the additive system is that if we combine all three colours we get white. This is because white is the presence of all colours.

The subtractive system on the other hand works by the act of cancellation of different light (or subtraction if you Will). If we place three lights, each with a different filter in front of them, one with a magenta filter one with a cyan filter and one with a yellow filter, so they can shine on a wall in a manner in which all three lights will intersect with each other we will see the following. In the area where yellow and magenta combine we will see red at the intersection, likewise we will see green at the point where cyan and yellow combine and finally we will see blue at the point where cyan and magenta combine. Just as there was a unique quality in the additive process there is an even more bizarre quality in the subtractive. If we combine all of the colours of the subtractive process together we will achieve black at the point where all the colours intersect. This is due to the fact that the three colours cancel each other out, as it were, and yield the absence of all colour, or black.

 This brings up the point of complimentary colours  Complimentary colours refers to the manner in which the two systems interact with one another. For example if I were to print a negative and I found that the whites in the print are too red I can "cancel out" this effect by adding cyan. If you look at the above diagram you will see that Cyan is directly opposite of red and that the two colours point of commonality is black. This is how the cyan is able to cancel out the red. Consequently Yellow and blue are complimentary as are magenta and green.

Enlarger

.

To print the film place it in the negative carrier and then put it in the enlarger. On your colour paper data sheet there will be a basic filter pack setting. For example for Ilford Multigrade III paper it is recommended that you start with a filter pack of 0C 40M and 40Y. Dial in these settings and make a test exposure. The best way to make a test exposure is to place a piece of card over all but a small section of the paper. Set the enlarger timer to 3 seconds and make an exposure. Now move the card a couple of inches over to reveal more paper and make a second three second exposure. Repeat this process until the entire paper has been exposed. By doing this you will make a series of exposures from 3 seconds progressing by three second intervals. In other words 3 seconds 6 seconds 9 seconds etc. This will help you to determine the best exposure time  wise for the final print.

Run the test strip through the automated processing system and view in the daylight booth to give you an accurate reflection of the colour and tonality. I found difficulty at first to distinguish the difference between colours  especially between red and magenta, between cyan and blue or between yellow and green. Coloured viewing filters are filters sold in kits with one filter for each of the primary additive and subtractive colours  Each filter has three windows, each with a different strength of that hue. When printing colour negatives, always hold the white side of the filter card toward you to view the print. Looking at a print (especially white areas of a photograph or a corrected print) through coloured viewing filters will help you to see what each colour looks like as a cast.

Colour viewing filters

Hold one window of a viewing filter three or four inches from your eyes and about eight inches away from the print. Begin by looking through the lightest strength filter window. Move the filter card in and out of your line of sight. If the filter does not correct the cast, try a higher strength of the same filter or try a different coloured filter.

Alternately, if you cannot identify the hue of a cast through visual assessment, experiment by looking through different filters until one (or more) corrects the cast. Once a filter corrects the imbalance, you can identify the cast as the complement of that filter. For example, if the magenta filter corrected the cast, you would know that you have a green cast.

DETERMINE THE STRENGTH OF THE CAST

Once you have identified the cast as, say, green, figure out its strength in points. The coloured viewing filters are marked with the filter point system that corresponds to the filter points on your enlarger colour head. Spend some time looking through each of the filter’s three windows, beginning with the lightest and ending with the darkest. Once you have determined which strength corrects the cast, look at the bottom of that filter window for the number of filtration points necessary that must be changed. For example, if the middle window of the magenta filter corrected your green cast, the card reads Subtract 10M (i.e., subtract 10 points of magenta filtration). The first window, (subtract 5M) would be too little of a correction and the last window (subtract 20M) would be too much. Often, the amount of filtration needed will fall between windows. For example, you may only need to subtract 8M.

ENLARGER COLOUR FILTRATION

Once you know the colour and strength of the cast, you can adjust the filtration in the enlarger to correct the imbalance. While it is possible to print colour on a black and white enlarger by placing individual CP or CC filters, enlargers with a diachronic head for colour printing are more common. Diachronic heads contain three filters: cyan, magenta, and yellow. Each can be adjusted separately. 

Filtration set to Y-60, M-50 and C-0

Neutral density is why one of the three subtractive filters must always be set to 0. Setting cyan to 0 is the industry standard and instructions on the coloured viewing filters are based on this. They will direct you to “Add 5M” or “Subtract 10Y and 10M”, rather than adjusting the cyan. Only change the cyan if you subtract so much magenta or yellow that either the Magenta or Yellow reaches 0 (this sometimes occurs when printing cross-processed film). At that point, you can switch to the notes in parentheses at the bottom of the filter cards (which give adjustments for the Cyan). 

CHANGE THE ENLARGER COLOUR FILTRATION

Once you have figured out your trial print’s colour cast (for example, green) and the adjustment that will neutralize that cast (in our case, subtract 8M -- 8 magenta), make the adjustment to the filtration in your enlarger. In our case, the trial print was made at 60Y, 50M, 0C, and the corrected print will be made at 60Y, 43M, 0C. Rarely is a print corrected with one adjustment. You will need to re-evaluate the print, make another change to the filtration, and so on.

It is often easier to make large adjustments (20 or more points). Even if you over-correct the print and create a cast in the opposite hue, you will have a sense of the boundaries of the correction and can then work your way back with smaller adjustments. After processing, washing and drying each print, note its filtration in pencil on the back (ex: 60Y, 43M); this will allow you to jump back to any stage. If you begin to have trouble “seeing the colour”, give your eyes a break or find someone else who can offer a fresh perspective.

RE-EVALUATE IMAGE DENSITY

Increasing filtration blocks light; decreasing filtration allows light to pass more easily to the print. As a result, as you change the filtration, the image density may change. As a general rule, for every 10 points of filtration you add, add one second of time to the total exposure. For every 10 points of filtration you subtract, subtract one second from the exposure. This guide varies according to the colour; for example, adjusting the yellow affects exposure less than changing the magenta.

MAKE FINAL CHANGES TO THE PRINT

Add or subtract local exposure by dodging or burning. Spot the print if there are dust spots or scratches.

REPRINTS

Take notes about the enlarger height, exposure, aperture size, colour filtration and dodging and burning instructions in case you stop printing midway through a correction or if you plan to make additional prints in the future. Remember that the enlarger lamp and processing chemistry may change from one day to the next, so don’t expect to make your notes to produce a perfect print if there is significant lag time between editions. You will probably need to make some changes to filtration and exposure. Likewise, if you open up a new box of colour printing paper, produced by a different manufacturer or in a different batch, expect that the colour balance will shift.

Final Images 

After many hours of darkroom toil, my final images were produced.

The Pete image

Processing information:

Lens 150mm
Time 20 seconds
Burn 20 seconds
F32
Cyan 0
Magenta 67
Yellow 73


Colin


Lens 150mm
Time 47 seconds
Burn 40 seconds
F32
Cyan 0
Magenta 45
Yellow 61



Colin the Boatman (long Depth)

 Pete (Shallow Depth)

 Colin the boatman (Mid depth)

Conclusion

Although excited and apprehensive about  shooting with large format, the equipment is heavy and somewhat cumbersome. Loading holders in the field is time consuming and impossible without a changing bag. Windy conditions could make photography impossible because of the frequent need to use exposure times of several seconds. Focusing the camera can be tricky. Calculating the exposure, accounting for bellow extension, filter factors, and so on. However I have become used to this way of working and it bothered me less and the assignment progressed. on this point, the difficulty of focusing ones eyes beyond the the accepted 40cm afforded to reading glasses is very tricky. taking this problem to my optician proved to be a very interesting exercise. My optician had not encountered such requests before. upon reflecting around the issue and discussing the limitations, we decided to try three eye test diopters. One strength eight, ten and twelve with a focussing distance from 8cm to 4cm. the latter relating to strength 12. this was the one that worked best for me.

I have a life long philosophy, 'their is no such thing as a problem, only an opportunity' How true!

another very obvious drawback was having to shelter in dirty weather, unlike DSLR 35mm which supports a wether proof body. 

However, the exquisite timeless beauty and expert craftsmanship of these exceptional camera's far outweighs the negatives. Using the camera for a live shoot, certainly raised a few eyebrows from my subjects. This was soon replaced with a detailed curiosity and admiration for the art and respect. 

Will include a large format 5x4 within my arsenal of photographic equipment, the answer is definitely a re-sounding YES! 



Large Format 

Quiet the Mind

Work more slowly. See more deeply.

Tonality

Tonality is to a photograph, what flavour is to food.

Novelty Fades

Beauty is eternal.

The Secret of Beautiful Photographs

Beautiful subjects.

Bibliography:

http://designyoutrust.com

rockwell,ken: Retreived 17/09/2013 from http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/exposure-large-format.htm

Housatonic Museum of Art Retrieved 17/09/2013 from http://www.hcc.commnet.edu/artmuseum/anseladams/details/moonrise.html

Tilt and Shift Miniature’s http://designyoutrust.com [Accessed 13/10/2013

http://www.jafaphotography.com/schneider_210digitar.html [Accessed 30/09/2013 ]

www.whatdigitalcamera.com

Accessed 30/09/2013 http://www.jafaphotography.com/schneider_210digitar.html

http://www.biography.com/people/richard-avedon-9193034

http://asparrowonmywrist.wordpress.com

http://www.hrc.utexas.edu

Ansel Adams/http://www.biography.com