On being a better photographer.

[Murph]

I have a question, a philosophical one. Does having View Camera experience make you a better digital photographer? A view camera makes you slow down, makes you take your time since you have very limited film, and you really look at each shot before you take it. Would View Camera experience be considered a plus to today's modern professionals? I find myself defaulting back to my View Camera experience more and more, and it relaxes me. A less frantic, hectic, rushed form of photography.

Plus I think View Camera style photographers tend to "see" and "look" somewhat more than those not trained, or used to that style of work. Comments?

[Flea77]

I think it has the potential to make you a better photographer, yes. It is one thing to know what tilt and shift is, another thing completely to make it work for you. Not to mention the fleeting moments where you just do not have the time to fire off 100 frames and pick the best, you have to capture that one split second.

Is it required to be an excellent photographer? No. But speaking from personal experience it has dramatically enhanced my photography in ways I could not have fathomed before I got one.

Allan

[venchka]

First, you have to know how to use the view camera properly. I'm working on that part.

[Flea77]

Originally Posted by venchka

First, you have to know how to use the view camera properly. I'm working on that part.

Wait a second, there is a CORRECT way to use one of these contraptions?!?!

Allan

[Tom]

Anything that can get you to think about what you are doing can be a huge benefit. Often we all get into the spray and pray mindset with digital.

[janikphoto]

I think variety never hurts... not just view camera experience, but any and all forms of photography will help you grow. I am not the best sports shooter around, but time spent shooting high school and college games for the paper over the years has helped me grow. I don't want to shoot another game, if I can help it, but I respect the skills I gained from them.

[TXFZ1]

Just turn your LCD upside down!!!

David

[toverman]

I don't think any particular tool can help make you better on its own, but practice and exercising that computer between our ears – no matter what physical camera we use – has that potential to make us better photographers. Like mentioned above, I don't think improper use of a view camera would make us better photographers.

[tropicpine]

Originally Posted by Murph

...

(A) Does having View Camera experience make you a better digital photographer?

(B) A view camera makes you slow down and(edit) look at each shot before you take it.

(C) My View Camera is(edit) a less frantic, hectic, rushed form of photography.
...
Comments?

(A) I'll let you know when I take up a serious digital camera.

(B) Since starting with a view camera I find myself looking at a subject for several minuts before taking out my tripod. I also find myself looking at a subject when I don't even have my camera equipmnet.

(C)This is what I enjoy most about view camera potograpgy.

[snidow]

I think in essence yes, but in the sense that it slows you down makes you think about what you are doing. How you want the photo to look, how the light is, what your depth of field is and composition. I know when I slow down, I end up with a better photo most of the time. Yes, I started with a 4x5 still have it in fact.

[jeffkohn]

I think any new tool that gets you excited/motivated about photography can be a good thing. People love to say equipment doesn't matter, but getting a new lens/camera whatever that you're excited to use can sometimes give you the motivation to get out and shoot and try new things, which is always good.

As for a view-camera forcing one to slow down and look/compose more carefully, I don't really buy that, at least not completely. Yes, your shot rate is much lower due to set up time, but I don't see how you can argue that fiddling with film-holders and dark slides will have any impact on the qualify of your photographs. In fact you could argue that the mechanics of view-camera operation are a distraction from the actual image creation (although some enjoy that aspect, which is just fine). Having said that, I do think there are some compelling advantages to view cameras, but IMHO they have less to do with "slowness", and more to do with other attributes that are unique to VC's.

One advantage is the ground-glass. I think when people say their composition has improved from using VC's, it has more to do with the ground glass than with 'slowness'. I've only had a chance to look at the back of a VC a few times, but it was immediately obvious to me that looking at a 4x5" or 8x10" ground glass is a completely different viewing experience than looking through a viewfinder/rangefinder, or even DSLR live-view. And the fact that the image is flipped also provides a level of abstraction that people often find useful to composing.

The other big advantage of VC's is movements. Having the full range or shift/rise/fall/tilt/swing/etc opens up possibilities that you just can't do with other camera types. Tilt/shift lenses can give you a taste of it, but are severely limited compared to a VC with the full range of movements.

If you feel your photography would benefit from slowing down, looking more closely, and choosing your shots more carefully, there's no reason you can't do that with your current camera. You can get a taste of "slowing down" by shooting tripod-only, manual exposure, with manual-focus primes and/or T/S lenses (I know you have th 24 PC-E). You can still look closely and compose carefully with a DSLR. Get to know your PC-E lens and understand how perspective works (shooting low with rise versus tilting the camera up, shooting with a tall tripod with fall versus just shooting from a lower position, etc).

[Tom]

One thing I do to slow it all down sometimes is put gaffers tape over the LCD. Makes me really think about what I am doing.

[shutterfire]

Originally Posted by Thomas Campbell

One thing I do to slow it all down sometimes is put gaffers tape over the LCD. Makes me really think about what I am doing.

I will have to try that one Thomas, great idea!

[sldi]

What, you mean "spray and pray" isn't "good enough"?