lf-photo.org.uk

L comes before M :wink: It depends what you want to take pictures of. That probably sounds a bit strange but my interest in portraiture probably precludes some of the beautiful Ebony cameras because I like to shoot with long(ish) lenses and a field camera bellows probably wouldn't stretch to that. F...

I need to do some indoor shooting under some tungsten lighting. I have an 80C filter knocking around. It definitely won't neutralise the cast so I was wondering whether it's worth bothering to use it at all. Some of my images will have the light source in them, indeed one of the pictures will be of ...

Simples. The Schneider XXL lenses are absolutely breathtaking. The 550 is of particular interest to me because there are few wide angle choices for larger plate sizes. The only challenge with using these lenses is that they are relatively slow. The 1100 (portrait?) lens is down to f/22 when you sti...

Just as an update.
Greg has already made a 20x16 camera and is currently shooting onto Harman Direct Positive paper with it.
Check out the process and results on his blog:
http://gregwoodward.co.uk/blog/

It's really interesting stuff, Greg.

I usually use the Manfrotto hexagonal plate with my Sinars. You can cinch them tight to the plate with that lever if you mount them at the right angle. I also have a Manfrotto 400 head which is massive and very sturdy. The circular plate for this is the same diameter as the Manfrotto clamp mounts. I...

Depends which brand you found.
Personally, I like the Calumet Changing Room but last time I recommended it, the person didn't really like it.
There are also options like the Harrison Pup but they are more expensive.

I visited the Thomas Struth exhibition at the Whitechapel Gallery (London) at the end of last week. For the most part, it was a breathtaking and thought provoking experience. There was a really enlightening video interview with Struth where he explained many elements of his vision and ways of workin...

Shall we move to Crewdson, then? He is a great suggestion by John. That fellow doesn't even operate the camera himself, anymore. Is he a photographer? An artist? A charlatan? I think that he has moved to working with digital nowadays but much of his work until fairly recently was shot on 10x8 and he...

All a camera does is put an image on a light sensitive film at the back of a dark box. The label on the front may determine how *easy* it is to get the image you want, but you're the one who knows what the image you want *is* and how to achieve it. All the rest is technology. That's how I see it. I...

and if it requires me to spend a lifetime studying to try and work out what it is that he's trying to say, then that's his fault, not mine. He's not doing his job right. Jackson Pollock is the classic example: what on earth is a heap of paint-drippings actually saying? To me, it's saying, look, I c...

So are you saying that photography can't avoid being superficial? That would explain why many don't see it as art. Not really, I'm just pointing out that the camera only literally records the surface of things. Munch's, The Scream, by contrast, clearly depicts an internal turmoil. Take a look at so...

Thomas Struth's family portraits are a study of family dynamics, but you have to ask yourself, is he projecting his perceptions on to the photograph or is he actually capturing a natural interaction. In his family portrait of The Queen and Prince Phillip (shot on 10x8), I detect that they are at eas...

Like it or not, photography has had since its inception an image of 'poor man's art' - photographers are often seen as 'artists who can't paint'. Absolutely! That is actually one thing that is quite interesting about Thomas Struth. He studied painting under Gerhard Richter before switching to photo...

But it's not just the lack-lustre colours that irk. It's also the composition. I get the feeling - sadly, I don't have enough experience to amount to knowledge - that the fine artists are laid back. They capture the whole scene and let the viewer find the narrative. Which is then open to misinterpr...

My tongue in cheek nudge at Velvia was only a light hearted joke highlighting aesthetic differences. I have no desire to denigrate anybody's choices or make it a topic of this discussion (maybe another thread or a new forum :wink: ) I was hoping to stimulate an inclusive dialogue on Struth's work an...