Back in February and March I escaped the winter of Colorado and took a trip to New Zealand, rebooting an itinerary that had to be canceled back in March of 2020 for reasons we’re all too familiar with. My plan was to just visit the South Island as the mountains and glaciers were my biggest interest, so I booked a flight and a tiny one-person camper van for about 20 days. I also knew that I wanted to use 4x5 film as it's the system I’m most familiar with and the results always please me more than medium format film, though I will admit that the smaller roll film is much easier to travel with. This trip was an absolute blast with stunning scenery, wonderful people, and a very easy travel experience. For this article I want to talk a bit about how I got there with my large format film, and what it was like to wander around the island for a few weeks with the goal of getting as much photography time in as possible…
Read moreAlaska - A Summer of Large Format Photography
Now that some time has passed, and I’ve had the opportunity to work through most of my Alaska film, it’s time to write about the photography experience of the trip. Where the last post was all about the adventure, this one will focus more on the logistics and challenges of photographing up there - especially on large format film. I’m also going to use this article as a chance to share a significant number of images from the trip, all taken on large format film…
Read moreFocus Scales for Large Format Cameras
Have you ever wanted to be a little more precise with focus when using a view camera? Where exactly should we set the focus and what aperture should we use to ensure a full depth of field with everything sharp from near to far? Raise your hand if you’ve ever used the method “just focus on something and stop down to f32.” It’s ok, I’m guilty of taking that approach myself. It works more often than we’d like to admit. But wouldn’t it be nice to know with 100% certainty that you nailed the focus and used the correct aperture?…
Read moreUsing a Large Format Camera in the Dark
“Twilight Spire” - Velvia 50 4x5, 135mm lens - 3 minutes at f22, no filters
If you’ve browsed through my images, chances are you’ve noticed that I’m a big fan of twilight and early morning light; the soft warm glow on the landscape is just sublime. Shooting in twilight comes with its own set of challenges, but those are greatly increased when trying to use a large format view camera. I’m going to share some tips that can help you out when the light is fading fast, or when you arrived well before sunrise and don’t want to miss the morning glow because you can’t see anything…
Read moreBackpacking with a 4x5 Camera
My camera at a remote backcountry lake in the Never Summer Wilderness.
The backcountry is where it's at for landscapes! The feeling of waking up in a remote location that only a few people see in a year and capturing a sunrise that no one else witnessed is amazing. Many times when I get to my destination there isn't another person to be seen anywhere! It really lets us connect with our surroundings and create better landscape images. It has changed the way I photograph forever. After being in such remote locations and having a whole mountain valley to yourself, it's really hard to imagine...
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