After dabbling in 35mm photography for the past decade, I was given the opportunity to step up (or is it back?) to a Large Format camera. To many people large format photography equates to big wooden tripods, cameras with bellows, and a dark cloth over someones head - you've run across them every once and a while - they're the people with the antique cameras. If you thought folks looked at you a little differently when you took out your Canon or Nikon with the long lens, wait until you pull out a view camera.
While there are many reasons for shooting large format, I decided to give it a go to expand my photography skill. It didn't take long for me to figure out, that despite my gray hair, I'm more of a "fast food" generation person than I cared to admit. I quickly lost patience during my first outing. I should note "quickly" is a relative term...I spent over an hour just trying to set up for one shot and I wasn't prepared for that kind of effort. 35mm was fast and easy compared to this 4x5 view camera. You ask yourself, how hard can it be to operate a something that's been around for over 150 years? Well, you have no idea!
By the end of my first attempt, I was ready to pack everything up in a box and send the camera back to where it came from (or dispose of it in some other self-gratifying way.) Despite my early frustration I'm sticking with it because it's given me a new appreciation for photography. Ansel Adams I'm not, but now I can say I've used a camera just like he did.
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