All this talk about Kodachrome made me realize that I have some new Large Format work that I haven't shown yet. Here's one shot from Union Station and four from the Colorado Railroad Museum:
All shots taken with my Burke and James 4x5 camera and Schneider 150mm f5.6 Symmar Convertible. Film was Efke 25 developed in Rodinal at 1:100 for 16.25 minutes at 70ºF. Negatives were scanned and some minor adjustments (and a bit of antique flavoring in one shot) added in Photoshop Elements 6.0.
I'm still working on figuring out the whole large format thing, so comments and critiques are definately welcome!
-ChrisWest Chicago, ILChristopher May Fine Art Photography"In wisdom gathered over time I have found that every experience is a form of exploration." ~Ansel Adams
Chris: I love that first shot, it looks like something out of a 1930's or 1940's magazine, it really does. Great job!. I like the one with the switch stand and the sepia toning as well.
Very well done, as usual!
All of the pictures are great (can we expect anything else from Chris?), but the switchstand shot is art.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
tree68 wrote:All of the pictures are great (can we expect anything else from Chris?), but the switchstand shot is art.
Okay, I'll give you that, but after further examination, the Union Station plant is also art.
....Very nice Chris, as usual.
I continue to wonder where "art" and architectual designs started with RR's......? One can see beautiful structural designs from the smallest country depots to massive and beautiful cathedral type designs in the largest ones.....
It's even very much present in {RR}, passenger cars....from early wood ones to and thru the heavy weights. And then the fluted sided double decker designs such as AT&SF rolling equipment.
Quentin
Dibs on the CBQ! I really like that one!
She who has no signature! cinscocom-tmw
Fantastic photos, there is something about black and white that goes to the soul. You definitely have an eye for composition.
Thanks for sharing your work. Feel free to indulge us with more.
Jared
Chris,
I like them all but 1,3,4 Are the best..!
Thanks, everyone for the very nice comments!
Tim - The film I'm using -- Efke 25 -- is a slow speed, high silver content film very much like what was being used in the 1930s and 1940s. The Schneider lens I used -- 150mm f5.6 Symmar -- also traces it's lineage back into the 1920s, so everything kind of adds up to give it that nice feel. Thanks for the comment!
Larry - Thanks for the very kind comment. I think I may try to redo that one in the near future. The switchstand isn't quite as sharp as I would have liked. I was pretty much getting drenched when I was trying to compose the shot on the groundglass, though, so it was kind of tough to see where the plane of focus is. I really like the concept, though. I might also try a little different lens. I've got a VERY old brass Aplanat (basically a European version of the Rapid Rectilinears that were the rage on this side of the pond for awhile) that I think would add a nice bit of vintage "flavor" to the shot.
Trainfan - I've loved that pile of "stuff" for awhile. Unfortunately, I was never able to shoot it in 35mm or Digital the way I wanted to. Even stopped down to f22, I could never get the depth of field I wanted, and sharpness was kind of suffering due to the effects of diffraction. With the large format camera, I was able to tilt the lens and adjust the plane of focus to give me the depth of field I wanted for the shot. I think this shot is probably my favorite of the group, and it's just ridiculously sharp. I really should print this one at 20"x30".
Quentin - I very much agree with you. I've always thought that some of these old railroad subjects were some of the most beautiful to shoot. The designs are usually simple and functional, but they always seem to have that elegant beauty that I love so much. Thankfully, it hasn't completely been abandoned, either. The new Western Springs, IL station in Tim's corner of the world has much of the same simple elegance to it. I plan to shoot that one with the large format camera when I'm back home for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Mookie - I thought you might like that one! I was going to shoot your Dad's locomotive, too, but there was way too much mud the day I was there. I'll be back to shoot that one again sometime soon, though!
Jared - Thanks for the very kind words. B&W is something fairly new to me, but I'm having a blast with it. Shooting the large format film and developing it myself gives me a real feeling of connection to the past, too. I'm going about everything the same way that everyone from Ansel Adams to O. Winston Link did. Maybe I've been breathing too many B&W chemical fumes, but I can imagine those guys in their dark rooms doing the same thing I am. That's neat!
Danny - Thanks for the very kind comments and your input on your favorites!
Chuck - I'm definately a shifty swinger! It really is becoming kind of a learning experience for me. I've had to relearn how to compose a picture and develop a new way of seeing the world. And then I have to figure out how to get the shift and swing movements working for me instead of against me. I think I average out to about 20 minutes or so to take a single picture when I'm shooting LF. I know some experienced LF shooters that don't take much longer than they would with a 35mm camera, so I think I can improve. Still, when I take that long to set up a shot, I think I do a much better job of executing the shot as I see it in my mind, so maybe it's not such a bad thing. Thanks for the comment!
CopCarSS wrote:Chuck - I'm definately a shifty swinger! It really is becoming kind of a learning experience for me. I've had to relearn how to compose a picture and develop a new way of seeing the world. And then I have to figure out how to get the shift and swing movements working for me instead of against me. I think I average out to about 20 minutes or so to take a single picture when I'm shooting LF. I know some experienced LF shooters that don't take much longer than they would with a 35mm camera, so I think I can improve. Still, when I take that long to set up a shot, I think I do a much better job of executing the shot as I see it in my mind, so maybe it's not such a bad thing. Thanks for the comment!
And remember, you're doing that on an upside-down image with your head under a blanket! Makes you respect Adams, Weston and the other view camera mavens a lot more.
Back in my Orbit days which now seem to be only minutes later than wet collodion plates, I did enough to make some of the moves close to second nature, so I am guessing you are not far from that point. It's all in the translating your inner eye to the film plane, and I know your inner eye sees 20-20 or better already, so pretty soon you won't be consciously thinking out the setup, much like you already do with smaller formats. It still is nice to be able to take your time and get exactly what you want, or darned close to it.
Thanks again for sharing. It makes for a lot of vicarious fun on my (and probably a lot of other forum members') part.
The laws of physics concerning enlarging with regards to detail remain. These negatives should make great silver prints.
Seeing this makes me want to pull my 3&1/4 by 4&1/4 Anniversary Speed Graphic with its Kodak lens off the book case. Permatex gasket goop makes aged bellows light tight, but unfoldable. Cutting 4X5 sheet film to fit in total darkness with blade and template makes my fingers quiver.
Like shifting gears on a grade crossing, relying solely on manual control makes you think before you act.
Quality goes beyond simply sorting through quanity.
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