Nude with 4x5 Kodak Portra

Believe it or not, but I really like working with color negative film. Even better is working with color negative film in a large format such as 4x5. It’s one of those things where the beauty of it never really truly translates perfectly into a digital viewing experience such as this website, but I’m still happy to post this image all the same.

Anyone who has ever worked with large format film knows it is a slow process. A lot of long moments of silence as the model holds a pose and you, the photographer, fiddles about with every possible camera control. Composing on a ground glass and using a loupe to get that critical focus. Looking at every single corner of the frame knowing that infinite detail will show up in the final image.

It’s an almost meditative process to say the least.

It is also quite the expensive process and therefore I have to reserve the medium for times when I am working with someone I really trust and know has the patience to work together to get the results we both want.

---

Figure Study by the Window

Sometimes I have to work very hard to get an image I am happy with. Sometimes I get lucky and don’t have to work hard at all. This image was absolutely a situation where the later was true.

I was working with a model who I have a great rapport with. I brought with me the exact right camera and lens (the Mamiya RZ67 with the 110mm f/2.8 if you must know), and the light coming through the window was just spot on perfect. Soft from a light overcast in the sky but still plenty bright.

I actually felt bad, maybe even a little unchallenged, when I was packing up my camera gear and getting ready to go home. I’m reminded of a quote that if memory serves was said by a decades old baseball player… “I’d rather be lucky than good.”

---

Theresa Manchester on Black and White Film

For my first post of 2020 I present an image I made with Theresa Manchester during a quick photo session on the north end of Portland. I’ve done a lot of work with Theresa over the years and I always value the time we spend being creative together. Our sessions always seem to be an even mixture of firing off frames with the camera and just chatting about every random topic a person can imagine; from camping on the coast, to road trips, to our favorite stores to go grocery shopping.

In other words, it’s like hanging out with your pal while also making lovely photographs.

This image was made with a Mamiya M645 1000s. I’m not using that particular camera much anymore because I tend to favor the Hasselblad a bit more. Still, I spent years working with Mamiya equipment and I highly recommend anyone who is thinking about getting into medium format to give Mamiya cameras a consideration. Mamiya lenses tend to have a nice sophisticated yet gritty quality when paired with Kodak Tri-X film.

The lighting situation for this frame was obviously a bit of a challenge. It was 100% lit from behind the model on a gray and overcast day. To keep as much detail as humanly possible in the shadow areas of the frame I developed this roll in Rodinal at 1:100 for 45 minutes. It came out exactly how I hoped!

---