Comments on: I Love Medium Format Film…

By: Tasha

Tasha — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 15:40:22 +0000

Hey! Thanks for the invaluable knowledge. I think I’m going to have to find someone to borrow from at this point if I want to play with large format… so expensive! I have so many other things to buy (it never ends does it?). I’ll just have to be satisfied with medium format, I guess (which really isn’t a sacrifice, since I do love it!). I’d be really interested to see what you do with film in a studio.

By: the_wolf_brigade

the_wolf_brigade — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 08:52:39 +0000

Hey! So by now I hear you have a Diana :)

Yeah I picked up my Horseman kit in a college silent auction, but I paid well below street value…A cheap entry is a Speed Graphic which runs about the $400AU mark, but sometimes you can get older field cameras for that price too. The Shen-Hao cameras are good for entry level I hear, and being made out of wood they’re lighter than my Horseman.

However it’s not over once you’ve got the camera. I’ve been doing my own b/w processing so that cuts down the cost, but it’s only last weekend when I shot 6 sheets that I feel confident saying I feel confident with the camera. And that’s only after shooting 75 sheets of film. I haven’t been game to put any colour through it yet for fear of messing it up, but I have a few boxes of E6 waiting for the next portrait shoot.

As for the shots above, fantastic! I love shooting with TLRs! I really like the second shot down, of the solitary guy. I love the colours. I can’t wait to start doing some studio stuff with film.

By: Tasha

Tasha — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 15:49:42 +0000

You could do it! It's not that different, you just have to be careful with metering. And a few of the landscape pictures are on my other Flickr :)

By: FG

FG — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 14:35:03 +0000

I wish I had you knowledge and talent to use this kind of camera properly. I really like this shooting ; the colours are really nice, indeed, but also the comp, the lighting, and the way subjects posed. Wouldn’t it be interesting if you posted the landscape and flower pictures too (You know I’m a nature lover) ? ;)

Have a nice day!

By: Brian Auer

Brian Auer — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 17:22:08 +0000

Hmm… I don’t know of any cheap large format setups, but I haven’t really looked either. A while back, “the_wolf_brigade” picked up a Horseman 45FA with a set of lenses from an auction. I don’t recall exactly what he paid for it, but it seemed quite reasonable (maybe around the $500 range?).

http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_wolf_brigade/3060148699/

He’s been cranking out some wicked portraits with it.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_wolf_brigade/tags/horseman/

By: Tasha

Tasha — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 15:31:42 +0000

Hey Brian! Medium format IS completely different from 35mm – 35mm is fun, but it just doesn’t have the same look. And you’re right, the bokeh is great on medium format, I should add that to my list. I would love to try large format – that’s one thing I haven’t experimented with. Any good recommendations on a lower-end large format camera?

I’ve been lusting after a Diana for a while. My birthday is coming up, that’s definitely going on the list :)

By: Brian Auer

Brian Auer — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 21:42:37 +0000

I LOVE MEDIUM FORMAT FILM TOO!!! It really is different than digital or even 35mm film. Not only the colors, but the sharpness and the awesome bokeh. The bokeh from shooting wide open on a good TLR is something I can immediately spot in a photo, but I can’t actually describe it. I’ve also noticed that large format has a more pronounced feel to it.

Great set of shots from this roll — you really should do it more often! And yeah, I think a Holga or Diana would be perfect for shooting certain types of bands.

Here’s one of my recent portraits on medium format that I’m pretty proud of:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/brianauer/3591718537/