Thursday, March 28, 2013

Week of 3/25/2013: Medium Format Friday



Location: Near 9th and Green Sts.
Camera: Rolleiflex Automat K4
Exposure: f13.5 @250
Lens: Schneider Xenar 75mm f3.5
Film: Tri-X 120, rated at ISO 200
Develop: HC110B 1:49, 6.5 min at 68F
Scan from film: Epson V500
Printable size: 12” x 15”
Proof Epson 3880: Quadtone Rip/ Piezo K7 inks/ Canon Pixma Glossy

Winter makes me want to shoot with gear that is light and agile. As things warm up, somehow toting around the more ponderous medium format gear doesn’t feel like such a problem. The less I have to fight the weather, the more suited I feel towards spending more time outside and working even more slowly. 

Two weeks ago, there was a rather balmy Friday. Using 35mm these last few months, it was a real eye-opener to suddenly see the world unfold, looking down into the large, bright, ground glass of a twin-lens reflex camera. It seemed to take in so much! I knew from experience the larger format shots would run rings around the 35mm in terms of detail, sharpness, and tonality. Since there is no zoom, only a normal focal-length lens, I had to really rethink my strategy.

The trade off between achieving superb image qualities and the ability to catch life as it goes whizzing by, becomes very apparent using manual film instruments. Even the most modern and sophisticated digital cameras, though they do much to stack the deck in favor of combing both, still have not set the problem to rest. Perseverance, intuition, and a bit of luck seem to be what this dance begs.  

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