Getting Wet

Mike fights a nice rainbow from his float tube near Talkeetna.

I love float tube fly fishing, it is as close to being apart of the fish’s world we can get and still use a rod
and reel. The quiet of Alaska’s many small lakes can be a godsend of relaxation and contemplating the
world as it should be, just me and the trout. This summer I decided to take my underwater photography
to this world and hopefully bring an understanding of what this to the outside world. Through a friend I was introduced to Mike Malone, a world class fisherman and really interesting chap to boot. He graciously volunteered to go fishing at his favorite lakes so that I could watch him catch fish. Like I said he is great guy, not everyone would give up their free time to go fishing.

Mike Malone prepares to release another nice fish.

Gear:
Camera: Canon 5D
Lens: Canon 17-40 F4 L
Housing: Ikelite with 8” Dome port
Wetsuit: O’neil 7mm

We found it works best if I stay in my safety boat (14ft Aire Super Lynx piloted by my wife) until he gets a fish on, then I slide over the side and start shooting. Once the fish has been safely released, I get back in the boat and repeat as necessary. This is where the super lynx is great, self bailing floors, and the stability for me to get in and out in deep water without risk of tipping over. It is a ballet in green water, between maintaining my orientation to the fisherman, where the fish is at, and where the light is coming from while not sucking in water or stirring up the bottom. Much like fishing it is about the challenge of proper execution that we seek, not necessarily the resulting catch or image. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing more frustrating than spending the day in a cold lake only to find out your images are out of focus or ill exposed. But, it motivates me to get back out there and make it happen and improve every time I go out. In the words of Joel Grimes, “Am I better than I was yesterday?” if the answer is yes, then it was a success.

Holly in the safety kayak

Anatomy of a Large Format Portrait Session

Large format photography knows no bounds; it is only limited by your bank account and patience. Want to shoot life size Polaroid’s? It has been done, and 20”x24” negatives are more common than you would think. Don’t bother asking Costco about them, they aren’t that common. I dabble in the lower end of this spectrum with 4”x5” Graflex Camera’s and an 8”x10” pinhole (we’ll save that for another day). People who get into large format photography are passionate about their art and very open to helping others get involved. I guess the more of us there are the more likely film will keep getting produced and labs processing it. Ultimately, I find large format to be an exercise in patience and attention to detail. Like any other camera or format it is only a tool, and is up to the user to make the tool work properly. I can equate this to my other hobby of wood working, power tools are nice and can cut down production time and decrease the learning curve (just like digital cameras) but do they add to the experience of producing the final product? If your only goal is the final image and you wish to do as little work as possible to produce it, then large format is not for you. It is a painstaking process that only offers challenges and few rewards that the masses will never understand. You have to do this for yourself and your need to create, and no other reason. Here is my process for every image I make with the Speed Graflex equipped with the 172mm f2.5 Aero Ektar lens.

Kara the owner of Dos Manos Gallery in Anchorage, Ak

Anatomy of a Session
Unload film cartridge in dark bag
Place exposed negative in dark box
REMEMBER TO CLOSE THE BOX BEFORE PULLING OUT YOUR HANDS
Clean all cartridges of dust
Reload each cartridge with film correctly and only one sheet at time. Without looking or itching your nose during the process (see above).
Did you remember to place all your negs right side up, and your dark slides right side out?
This has to be done by touch only and if you get a finger print on the negative you just ruined it.
Load the gear, cartridges, focusing loupe, light meter, filters, lenses, camera, tripod, dark cloth (focusing), light, bounce.
Want to shoot more than the cartridges you have, now bring your dark bag, and boxes of film.
Did you remember to write down what is in each cartridge (BW vs. Chrome vs. C41) and the ISO of each?
If not, start over.
Load your hulking tripod, gear bag and hot light (flash doesn’t work with my rig).
Get to your subject
Set up your gear on location; just remember it isn’t easy to move a large format camera
Take light readings, place your subject (ignore the strange looks), check your framing.
Answer questions about the camera and why you do this, as this never fails to be the topic.
NOW FOCUS, upside down and backwards on ground glass through a 12x loupe.
If it is bright outside, do this under a stifling black cloth.
Convince your subject to look good, and not move at all. Get them to relax at the same time, easy.
Grab an unexposed film cartridge nearby, as you didn’t forget your film across the room.
Watch your subject not move and load the cartridge. If they moved, start over.
Don’t move the camera as you slide in the cartridge.
Cock the shutter and set the shutter speed to your predetermined light reading.
NOBODY MOVE
Now pull the dark slide from the film (you didn’t grab an exposed one did you?)
Subject sill hasn’t moved and you haven’t bumped the camera
TRIP THE SHUTTER
Replace the Dark Slide
If you pulled the cartridge before replacing the slide while in a hurry,
START OVER.
Either way, check your focus again.
Engaged your subject
Check your focus
Rinse, Wash, Repeat……..

Sound like fun? It is to me, and I look forward to every session someone agrees to sit for. Why? When
I could just take the digi SLR out and a small strobe on location and shoot 200 frames and Photoshop
them to perfection? It is the process of making art that interests me just as much as the final product.
It forces me to focus all my energy into creating and image and break down the process step by step to ensure a final image that is worth printing. It took me over a year to figure out the above steps and
remember to them in order most of the time. My first tries were disastrous; I have a box of expensive film that is never going to see the light of day. It is ultimately the challenge of using the tool that the artist must enjoy. Why do some carpenters use only hand tools…..because it is the challenge that they seek, not just the final product.

Tintype, film, digital, it doesn’t matter, what matters is the process you go through to produce art. Do you engage yourself and your subject, if not it will show. Large format ultimately helps me immerse myself in creating an image, and requires my subject to engage as well. It demands patience, and practice, and lots of film and in the end only you will decide if it is worth it.

Want to learn more? Get started here
Graflex Custom Parts and Guru
The man who drove me to this

Good Health and Travels,
David

Razor Sharp

Ray Thibault owns Northern Knives of Anchorage, AK with his son Ryan. Shot with the "Burnett Combo" Graflex Speed Graphic with 172mm F2.5 Aero Ektar Lens on 100 ISO Kodak TMax.

Many years ago I fell in love with large format photography, well I fell in love with the idea and results of large format photography. David Burnett's work on Huricane Katrina was published in National Geographic and it was like nothing I had ever seen. I began an earnest search into who this man was and how he achieved these landmark images. After viewing his portfolio it was clear that he exists on another plane of imagery from us mere mortals. But, I also found out that he uses a very unique camera rig; a vintage 4"x5" Graflex Speed Graphic with a Kodak Aero Ektar lens. After researching these items it was apparent that more people than just me had taken a liking to this set up. A Dutch machinists had created lens boards, lens shades, and filter holders for this set up in addition to a slew of technical information and usage tips. It took me two years to find the right camera and lens and put it all together and about that long to pay for it. The whole rig cost me the same as a good Canon L series lens, even though it was about my fathers age. Now I had the mighty setup, but now the hard part......learning how to use it. A good friend sold me his sturdiest tripod and head (a mere 25lbs of metal) that he was unwilling to carry in the field anymore and now I had all the pieces of the puzzle. Except how to really use it. This would take another year and the equivalent of another L series lens.

Large format photography (4"x5" in this case) is not only about results but about the process and dedication it takes to make it happen. Could I use digital and some fancy photoshop actions, maybe. But that doesn't get at the heart of what big film is all about, patience.

I'll pick this up next week.
David