Large Format Photography Australia

Melaleucas and Sedges, Afternoon.

Gelatin-silver photograph on Freestyle Private Reserve VC FB photographic paper, image size 16.3cm X 21.4cm, from a Kodak Tmax 400 4x5 negative exposed in a Tachihara 45GF double extension field view camera fitted with a Voigtlander 21cm f4.5 Heliar lens. Titled and signed recto, stamped verso.

nailed that print man.
strong impression of light. highlights aren't blown. shadows are full.
if i were this good at printing i wouldnt avoid difficult scenes like this.

RoganJosh wrote:nailed that print man.
strong impression of light. highlights aren't blown. shadows are full.
if i were this good at printing i wouldnt avoid difficult scenes like this.

Don't underestimate the negative that Maris has produced. You need a superbly exposed neg as well to get this quality!

Thanks RoganJosh and Lachlan717 for the good marks on this one.
Yes! The negative is nice and fully exposed but I must confess I had help. The Voigtlander Heliar 21cm f4.5 lens I used dates from 1948 and is uncoated. The tiny bit of extra optical flare from the uncoated lens lifted the shadows higher on the Zone scale than my spot-meter predicted. Setting the camera up in the shade of a tree trunk helped too. And the subject matter plays to the strengths of large format film; lots of micro-fine details with tiny sparkles and glints.

Sensational Maris.

Would love to catch up with you some time to see some of these in person. They must be marvelous in the flesh if they portray this well on a website.

alexn wrote:Sensational Maris.

Would love to catch up with you some time to see some of these in person. They must be marvelous in the flesh if they portray this well on a website.

There is a disparity between the image I see on my monitor (your monitor too?) and the actual gelatin-silver photograph that was scanned in grayscale on my A4 Medion (from ALDI) flat-bed scanner.
The monitor image is slightly bigger than the real thing. Monitor images are self-luminous so the impression of light is different unless the original paper-backed photograph is lit to a specific intensity. I use a double fluoro ceiling fixture above the inspection bench and the light level is 450 Lux. The photographic paper used, Freestyle Private Reserve VC FB, is slightly warm in tone while the monitor image neutral to cool.
I'm told that monitor images can be adjusted any-which-way using image processing programmes but I'd rather not go faffing about with stuff I don't really understand. Just making pictures out of light sensitive materials is challenging enough!
Come to Noosa when you can; that's an invitation...conviviality included. Bring pictures and anecdotes. Make a day of it.

Surely will mate.. I was up there not too long ago pointing my camera at Point Perry for sunrise..

I'll be in touch!