Large Format Black & White

For years I have used a large format 4x5 camera and have slowly assembled a portfolio of prints - maybe 40-50 or so, that have been printed, mounted and matted... and stored in an archival box in my basement. Just a decade or so ago, there were very limited opportunities for "non professional" photographers to have their work viewed; maybe a sidewalk art show, maybe sending a portfolio to the many available juried contests, or maybe a small show in some small shop.

All has changed with the Internet. Some of the portfolios on the Web are just awesome - showing there's a lot of people with both a passion and a great eye for photography. The Internet certainly has opened the floodgates so the substantial talents of so many can easily be seen.

I bought my first camera - a Nikon F-2 Photomic back in the 70's. This camera traveled with me everywhere, from many backpacking trips in the Adirondacks or Smoky Mountains, to sports events or family get-togethers.

The problem was, the film was dropped off at the lab and would come back in various stages of quality - some too contrasty, some right on, some overexposed. The lack of control - to do much of anything with color - was not very satisfying. I wanted to make sure for myself that the print correctly showed the information that was captured on the negative. Color was just too difficult to control, both with negative development and the print making and and the limitations of 35mm film quickly became evident.

Working with 4x5 B&W has been rewarding. It is simple in respect to not having to look at many small 35mm negatives to see if everything was perfect, sharp and correctly exposed. Simple in respect to equipment, an extremely basic mono-rail camera, 90 % of all picture using a Schnedier 210 lens, a develpment process that seldom varied from HC110, Dektol, and Oriental Seagul paper. And simple of course because of an in-home darkrooom.

It all came down to being able to make an 8x10 print from a 4x5 negative that would hold up to techncial scrutiny of a majority of viewers. Whether they liked the image or not - that was a matter of personal preference. I just didn't want grain, dust spots, incorrect expopsure or development affecting a person's opinion of an image.

It's been a long layoff from the 4x5 days, raising a family and everything else, but my Daughter's photo course in the Fall of '07 got me back in the darkroom. Now having images to have viewed on the Web - rather than stored in boxes in the workroom, has me once again packing my Pentax Spotmeter, the film holders and the 4x5 camera in my car.

I have boxes of outdated paper and need to research which products have so far survived the Digital phenomenon. But all the hardware - the camera, the lenses, the enlarger & meters, will produce the same levels of quality they did for the past 75-100 years. Despite drastic changes in photography, simple 4x5 B&W has not been surpassed. I'm excited to get back in the field - and in the darkroom, looking for the perfect image at the perfect time with the perfect light.