Been thinking of late of shooting the 5x7 more this trip, and 120 and 35mm less. I think my favourite, most difficult to view and challenging neg from the Rosebud show is the one made of dad 2 days before he passed. I printed this photograph last after I had already thought I had finished work for the show. Sometimes the extra effort you make pays off, hard work is usually a good thing. By working a bit harder at the end I think I was able to show the best photo in this dual exhibition. If I had been lazy and not done the work, the photo would not be a strong part of the exhibition in Rosebud right now.
This photograph was made with the 5x7 Linhof and 120mm Nikon f8 (wide angle) lens. I feel doing portraits using this wider than normal lens could be very effective. Many photographers will not use wider lens for portraits but I think they can be a very important tool. The distortion and shape changing that goes on can effectively tell a story in a more unique, visually persuasive way. Taking portraits is not about making your subjects look beautiful, portraits should about telling an important human truth.
I am also quite excited about the possibilities Jack's donated 5x7 enlarger give me. Now that I have a top end condenser 5x7 machine, I want to use it for all it is worth. The added sharpness (my perception only?), the added contrast, the fact I can make larger prints is all very tantalizing.
I want to shoot more 5x7 this coming trip, maybe instead of 400 sheets I could take and shoot 500 or even 600. I have such a hard time putting down my 35s thou, love those cameras and the grain you get from them when shooting Tri-x. Now I also have the Rolleis that I want to try as well. Damn!! Too many ways of seeing, too many photos I want to make. 7 weeks is not enough time to get everything done I want to get done.
My problem is I have an insatiable curiosity to try new things and make photos in new ways. I want to do everything all the time. Photography has so many different cameras, different looks, different techniques. I want to do them all, now, tomorrow and the next day. I am constantly switching off to something new, often times not completing what I started before. The way I see is always changing, always adapting, blurring and then refocusing.
Maybe If I concentrated more on one or 2 types, styles, whatever you want to call it. My work would improve, the power of the message becoming more enhanced and effective. Maybe by shooting more 5x7 this coming trip, I can tell the stories of the "Families of the Dump" and "Forgotten Laughter" more powerfully.
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| Dad, Linhof 5x7 120mm lens, printed on durst condenser enlarger at high contrast |
I am also quite excited about the possibilities Jack's donated 5x7 enlarger give me. Now that I have a top end condenser 5x7 machine, I want to use it for all it is worth. The added sharpness (my perception only?), the added contrast, the fact I can make larger prints is all very tantalizing.
I want to shoot more 5x7 this coming trip, maybe instead of 400 sheets I could take and shoot 500 or even 600. I have such a hard time putting down my 35s thou, love those cameras and the grain you get from them when shooting Tri-x. Now I also have the Rolleis that I want to try as well. Damn!! Too many ways of seeing, too many photos I want to make. 7 weeks is not enough time to get everything done I want to get done.
My problem is I have an insatiable curiosity to try new things and make photos in new ways. I want to do everything all the time. Photography has so many different cameras, different looks, different techniques. I want to do them all, now, tomorrow and the next day. I am constantly switching off to something new, often times not completing what I started before. The way I see is always changing, always adapting, blurring and then refocusing.
Maybe If I concentrated more on one or 2 types, styles, whatever you want to call it. My work would improve, the power of the message becoming more enhanced and effective. Maybe by shooting more 5x7 this coming trip, I can tell the stories of the "Families of the Dump" and "Forgotten Laughter" more powerfully.
