Shooting 4x5 is REALLY FREAKIN DIFFICULT.

[Open Window Photography]

Thanks for the detailed explanations You guys rock!

[henrysamson]

Originally Posted by venchka

Bellows exposure compensation the easy way.

The easy way is to just mark your cloth seamstress tape measure with the required factors for each lens. I use a different color 'sharpie' marker for each lens.

Who wants to do math while trying to enjoy photography?!

[monique_evette]

Awww I miss shooting with a 4X5! I loved it because it made me slow down and really really think about my shot. I loved getting lost in my thoughts about what and how I wanted to photograph. And then losing myself even more when it came time to going through all the motions of what I needed to do before I released the shutter. I could spend several minutes setting up and framing what I wanted to shoot and then realize that maybe it really wasn't worth exposing my very few sheets of film I had brought with me. So I would pack up and go look for something better. It would take me all day to just expose 8 sheets, but always worth it. And I think it makes you appreciate the photographs even more.

Your so lucky! I truly envy you! Can't wait to see some pictures posted!

[venchka]

Monique,

You can approach a photograph the same way with any camera.

[monique_evette]

Wayne, perhaps (if we are talking a digital camera vs. a film camera), but for me it just feels different when I use film and when I use digital. It is probably just a me thing. So, to me, digital feels very disposable and therefore giving you more room for error. It makes me lazy. Yeah, I will think about what I am shooting but I am not going to sit there and only take one shot of something at one angle... it's digital. I will take a few and decide later which one worked the best.

Where as film is not so disposable, especially when you work with sheet film and depending on how many negative holders you brought and how hard you want to work in the darkroom afterwords can really change your outlook on what you photograph.

[venchka]

Originally Posted by monique_evette

Wayne, ... to me, digital feels very disposable

I didn't say it folks.

I agree that smaller & more portable formats are conducive to what I said recently: "Shoot many, show one." I do that with my small cameras.