Experience in large format photography

Photographers pay more attention to the process of photography, and the tedious operation of large format is a kind of enjoyment for them, and it is a way of leisure after work. Some of them have extraordinary skills soon after their debut. The following is my experience in large-format photography for everyone. Welcome to reading.

The main shooting content and application scope of 1 large-format camera are different from those of 35mm camera and 120 camera, but the wide use of large-format camera is far beyond our imagination. Is the large format camera really that suitable? We sometimes wonder if the picture in front of us comes from? Heavy and bulky? A big-format camera, but it's true. Many readers in China must be interested in Shana's works? Red chair? This series of photos is unforgettable. From the lake to the top of the mountain, from the landing pad to the fire station, the large-format camera shows a perfect image world. A creative world that includes motion and stillness. Nowadays, the popularity of large-format cameras in China is still quite low, which is closely related to the comprehensive strength level of economy, culture and photography in China. However, we firmly believe that what this camera brings to western photographers will also be brought to China, widely accepted by photographers in China and better applied.

So, what does the large-format function bring us? Famous European photographers Maurice Schobinger and Willie P Burkhardt gave the best answer. They once put the camera Shanna on the top of the Alps and took many excellent photos. They said:? Charming photos are our best reward. The advantages of the camera can be more than just get 8? The large negative area of 10 inch can more accurately depict the Shan Ye world in perspective. Just like shooting a building, the displacement function of this camera is the best way to show the relationship between peaks and valleys at different heights in a two-dimensional photo, thus conveying the photographer's real visual experience? I wonder if this understanding can inspire domestic landscape photographers?

In fact, today's large-format camera brings more than that, it brings a more professional operation mode, which is not easy for other types of cameras to do. For example, when using a large aperture, it can adjust the clarity from the foot to infinity; Can make the scene in the middle of the picture clear and blurred left and right; It can make the scenery in the middle clear and blurred up and down, and even ensure that a narrow slope is clear and the surrounding is in an illusory state. Its precise focusing function and deformation control ability can also ensure that the photographer can easily adjust the definition to the thickness of a piece of paper. These unique functions have been fully used in commercial photography, and these functions can also be applied to various types of photography projects. The pleasure that the large-format camera brings to people who love photography art will be a brand-new feeling and an extremely wonderful image miracle.

It is not difficult to realize this miracle, the key lies in the change of concept. People used to think that large-format cameras were created in the studio? Patents? Outdoor photography is inconvenient, so few people dare to use it. However, it seems that it is not so difficult to carry a large-format camera today, when the traffic conditions have obviously improved. Many photographers drive their own cars and shoot hiking trips, and they are fully capable of overcoming traffic difficulties. On the other hand, manufacturers of large-format cameras have also designed some practical portable large-format cameras, which are convenient for photographers to use when shooting outdoors. Portable large-format cameras such as Shana f 1 camera, forest, knight, constellation, etc. can be folded and put into a small camera bag. In recent years, many foreign photographers came to China not far from Wan Li to create works, all of which were shot with large-format cameras. Their agility is not much worse than those who use small cameras. On the contrary, as far as the quality and expressiveness of their works are concerned, they seem to be better. The use of large-format cameras sacrifices quantity and ensures quality; What you add is trouble, and what you get is excellent quality.

Photography has entered 2 1 century, and small cameras are electronic and fully automatic.

1. High-definition and high-quality images brought by large format.

The image taken by the large format camera is larger in size, clear in imaging, real in texture, delicate in tone and tone level, and more saturated and realistic in color. Four points. The area of 5-inch loose-leaf paper is 35mm 13 times, 5? The area of 7 loose-leaf film is 25 times that of 35mm film, and an 8? The area of 10 loose-leaf film is 50 times that of 35mm film. For a simple example, when you need an 8? 10 inch photo, 35mm negative (24? 36mm) to enlarge, must enlarge more than 50 times. If it's 4? 5 inch membrane (99.6? 125.4mm) only needs to be enlarged by 4 times. What if it is 8? 10 inch film (20 1.7? 252.5mm), only need 1: 1 to print the sample directly. The clarity, graininess, tone and texture of images brought by large format photography are incomparable to those of small and medium-sized cameras, and they have absolute advantages unless your purpose does not require such high-quality images.

2. Have a wealth of interchangeable lenses.

Generally, there is an illusion that the lenses of large-format cameras are fixed-focus lenses, with few types and small selection range. In fact, in the large format camera, there are no lenses belonging to a certain brand camera, only some lens plates dedicated to different brands of cameras. In other words, all brands of lenses can be used in any brand of cameras as long as they are made for large-format cameras and installed on lens boards of different brands.

At present, several manufacturers mainly produce large-format lenses, such as the large-format NIKKOR series lenses produced by Nikon Company of Japan, with a focal length of 65- 1200mm, which are divided into five series and 26 models. The large format Fuji Dragon series lenses produced by Fuji Company in Japan have a focal length of 65-600mm, 7 series and 26 models. The large-format Schneider series lenses produced by Schneider Company in Germany have a focal length of 47-800mm and are divided into 6 series * * * 34 models. RODENSTOCK series lenses with large format produced by Rodenstock Company in Germany have a focal length of 45mm-800mm and are divided into 7 series ***37 models. In addition, there are SINARON series lenses produced by famous Swiss companies, with a focal length of 65-600mm and 4 series and 24 models.

3. It has the function of moving and adjusting the imaging perspective effect and focal plane.

Large format cameras, especially monorail cameras, have a very flexible function of shifting axes. Generally, the optical axis of the photographic lens of a small camera has a fixed vertical cross relationship with the center of the picture. But the optical axis of large format camera can be moved and the angle can be changed. Through such shifting and adjustment, the left, right and upper viewpoints of the camera can be changed within a certain range without moving the camera. For example, you can shoot a mirror object from the front without distorting the object or making the photographer and camera appear in the mirror of the picture. In the case of limited site conditions, some obstacles can be avoided. By adjusting the inclination and deflection of the front group and the back group, some shooting technical problems can be handled skillfully.

For example, one part of an object can be selectively focused to make it clear, while other parts are blurred and the main goal is emphasized. The geometric perspective effect of the subject is purposely reduced or exaggerated to achieve a special shooting effect. Because the front and rear panels of large-format cameras can move and tilt, they can shoot extremely clear pictures from the photographer's feet to infinity, which is why many landscape photographers at home and abroad who pursue perfect style mostly use large-format cameras.

4. The charm of single lens

Lens: Different from other interchangeable lens cameras, the lens of large format camera is installed on the fuselage through the lens plate, which has the advantage that any brand of lens can be used on different fuselage. As long as the physical dimensions and technical parameters are appropriate, they can be used universally, but some manufacturers produce lens plates with unique dimensions, which cannot be used universally. In addition, some manufacturers make adapters to facilitate the combination of different sizes, and a few manufacturers provide lens board adapters with different sizes in their own product series, which can be used to install some lenses of 120 camera on large-format cameras. Generally speaking, wide-angle lenses need a special lens plate, and some macro lenses need a lens plate protruding from the center to be installed on cameras with insufficient leather cavity length.

The main parameters of large-format lens include focal length, aperture, viewing angle, back working distance, image field diameter, shutter, etc. Generally, the image edge of a large-format lens will have dark corners and image quality degradation, but it is usually 4? 5 frames, therefore, people require the lens to have a larger viewing angle to obtain a larger image field diameter and ensure that the film is in an excellent imaging area, especially a wide-angle lens. So we will find that the same manufacturer often introduces multiple lenses with the same focal length and aperture, but other parameters are different, which is invisible on 135 and 120 cameras.

The shutter of a large-format camera is set on the lens. At present, the shutter has been unified into three standards, namely shutter number 0, shutter number 1 and shutter number 3. The maximum speed of most 0 and 1 shutters is 1/500 seconds, and the maximum speed of shutter No.3 is1125 seconds due to its large size. Shutters are mostly vane-type mechanical shutters, and some of them are electronic shutters, which are generally installed between lenses or near the nodes of lenses, and can realize the overall flash synchronization function.

At present, the main manufacturers of large-format camera lenses are Fuji, Nikon, Rodstock, Schneider and Senna. Most of the production has a long history and a prominent position. The product line covers a wide range, from ultra-wide-angle lenses to telescope lenses, from macro lenses to soft-focus lenses, and the latest large-format camera lenses suitable for digital photography, so I won't go into details here. Interested readers can browse relevant materials.

Film box: also known as the back, a general film box can hold a piece of film on both sides, put it in a dark bag in advance, and then insert it into the fuselage when shooting. Generally speaking, as long as the back meets international standards, it can be used on different bodies, but it should be noted that some knights' backs can only be used on their bodies, while Shanna has a Rollfilm Holder Zoom 2 multifunctional universal back, which can replace different shooting frames on the same back, but it is cumbersome and expensive. 120 camera can be applied to all 4? Five cameras, and now four? The camera rear group is usually manufactured according to the Graf standard. If it is a plug-in 120 return, it is suitable for all 4? Five machines. In addition, if you don't want to take too many film boxes when you go out, it is very convenient for Fuji Quicikchange or QuickLoad to load the film boxes quickly. You can put eight films at a time, which is only about the size of an ordinary video tape. In addition, the latest digital camera back can instantly turn your large format camera into a top digital camera, although it is expensive.

Exposure meter: Unlike 135/ 120 camera, large format camera has no built-in exposure meter. In order to control the exposure accurately, it is necessary to use an independent exposure meter to determine the exposure. Independent exposure meter has three metering methods; The metering methods of incident light metering, reflected light metering and TTL focal plane metering should be selected according to the actual shooting needs. Common independent exposure meter brands mainly include Gosen, Minolta and Shiguang.

Crown cloth: Crown cloth is a cover cloth used to keep out the sun when shooting. Covering the head with black cloth has become the iconic image of a large-format camera. It seems inconvenient to cover the head with black cloth, but because the black cloth separates the photographer from the outside world, only the photographer and the camera exist, so that the photographer can express his photography intention more intently, and can directly focus the frosted screen with a magnifying glass, and also improve the framing brightness of the frosted screen, so that the shooting process can be leisurely and perfect. The crown cloth can be self-made, and the color is preferably black and light. The cloth can be made of cotton cloth or thicker nylon, but the most important thing is good drape, otherwise it will affect the shading effect.

Cable release: Using cable release can reduce camera vibration and maintain image quality. Choose those products whose coats are soft, hard to harden in winter and have certain rigidity. The length should not be too long, about 50cm is more suitable, because if it is too long, it will be easily affected by the wind in the wild, which will make the lens vibrate.

Viewfinder magnifier: In order to focus accurately, viewfinder magnifier is essential because of its high frequency of use. Long tube, aspheric surface, far eye point and small size are ideal choices. It is better to choose the magnification of the viewfinder magnifying glass at about 6 times, because it is easy to make the particles of ground glass too obvious and affect the focusing process. It is best to choose the length above 10cm, because in some dim conditions, you can focus directly with a magnifying glass without a crown cloth.

Leather hood: the hood can improve the quality of taking pictures. This advanced hood can adjust the length and angle to match the lenses with different focal lengths and different axis shifts, thus protecting the image from external light. In addition, the built-in independent filter bracket can install and use various effect filters.

Brightening screen: it can make the viewfinder brighter, focus more conveniently and accurately, and look much more comfortable. Some large-format cameras are equipped with brightness enhancement screens when they leave the factory, but they usually need to be purchased separately.

Just like a viewfinder: an accessory that can make framing, composition and focusing more convenient and comfortable. Like a viewfinder, there are single and double tubes.

In addition to the above accessories, the accessory system of large format camera also includes rich products such as dark bag, level meter, extended guide rail and bracket, exposure compensation slide rule and so on. In addition, a comfortable photographic backpack or safe and reliable equipment aluminum box and a large and stable tripod are also necessary.

Photography technology originated from a large format, with unique charm and irreplaceable influence. With the application of digital technology and computer technology, the commercial advantages of film photography and large-format film photography are gradually weakening, but they are respected by a few enthusiasts and professionals in the field of artistic photography, becoming a biblical admiration.

Photography was invented in Europe 300 years ago. /kloc-in the 0/7th century, European painters invented a black box drawing tool. Under the effect of pinhole imaging principle, the scene is presented in the form of reflection on the back plate of the black box, and the painter creates paintings according to the projected images. This is the original prototype of a large-format camera.

/kloc-At the beginning of the 8th century, the French inventor Nieps obtained the first photograph of Zhang Yongjiu with a coated pewter plate. 1839, Daguerre invented the silver plate photography, which promoted the photography technology to a new height. In 1930s and 1940s, due to the limitation and influence of precision camera manufacturing technology and manufacturing cost, large format photography was given a huge development space, and the large format photography technology gradually matured. It can meet the basic creative needs of photographers, and the artistic attributes and positioning of photography are stable. At the same time, photography, as an art or activity, has gradually become an important means to record people's lives and important events. At this time, large format photography has also become the mainstream form of photographic equipment and photography technology.

Large format camera has obvious advantages in image quality. Generally, large-format cameras are considered as traditional cameras, and the frame size is more than 4X5 inches. Higher film specifications are 5x7, 4X 10, 8X 10, 10X20, 12X20, and the maximum size even reaches 20X24 inches. Due to the large film size, the large format camera is in the later stage. The magnification of photos with the same specification is much smaller than that of negatives with specifications less than 6X6CM. On the contrary, the photos taken with large format film have finer grains, richer layers and more feminine pictures, which brings great visual shock. This function and feature can't be replaced by a small negative camera.

In addition, due to the structural characteristics of large format cameras, the ultimate elements and technologies of photography technology, such as lens, camera box, optical axis, aperture, shutter and Sham's law, are presented in front of photography. According to the structural characteristics of the camera, the large format camera can easily shift the axis, specify the virtual focus and find the focal plane, and can realize a relatively three-dimensional clear space with the principle of lens depth of field, highlighting the sense of picture and scene of the large format camera.

It is worth noting that in today's digital age, where digital imaging technology is advancing by leaps and bounds and recording pixels are multiplying, large format cameras have not been completely replaced, but have become the top crowd in by going up one flight of stairs, and their status is more stable. Some photographers who pursue extreme images and worship traditional photography and presentation effects are addicted to the visual shock and image quality feeling brought by large-format negatives, while fast-food digital photography lacks a sense of ceremony.

With the improvement of digital technology and the reduction of photography cost, photographers gradually reduced their rigorous thinking on photography creation until they were missing. With the popularization of photography, photography is becoming more and more popular, random and low-end, and works begin to lack connotation. I have to admit that photography, a new art form, is not as valuable as painting in this era. So stick to large format or film.

Indeed, the process of large-format photography can not only make the photographer's whole photography activity rigorous, purposeful and objective, but also make the photographer's personality more calm and rigorous, so that photography can truly become a creative act. In the process of photography, we can experience a sense of solemnity and ceremony from the procedures of camera installation, lens installation, composition, photometry, film installation and exposure.

Because of the complicated operation, high technical requirements and high cost in the process of large-format creation, photographers can spend more time thinking about the depth and conception of the work and make the picture more visually impactful, how to create works full of humanistic feelings, and how to find and convey the intersection of society and aesthetics that the audience can feel.

In use, the large format camera also has the characteristics of convenient replacement of different kinds of negatives, which can develop each scene and film according to the expected effect, expand and compress the film in the darkroom, and realize perfect negative development. At the same time, the large-format camera can easily change the positive and negative color negative and black and white negative in a single frame, giving photographers more creative freedom.

Therefore, large-format photography brings photographers different artistic experiences and life gains.

In the mid-1990s, I had my first autofocus SLR camera with a lens of 28-70 mm and 80-200mm, about 30,000. At that time, it felt professional to go from manual to automatic. One day a year later, I tried a large-format photography at the instigation of my friends. Since then, my concept of photography has been completely overthrown. I used to think that photography is a record, a record of people, a record of events and a record of nature. Instantly recorded by a small silver salt film, the camera is such a recording tool. But from that day on, photography for me is no longer a simple composition and pressing the shutter. Through the shooting process of large format camera, I realized that it is an excellent tool to create more perfect works of art.

I think the charm of large format photography is that it is the basis of photography. Once you use a large format camera, you need to abandon most of the shooting habits that you used to develop with 35mm or 120 film. You need to make a more detailed composition, even draw a ruler on the focusing screen, measure and expose the light more strictly, ensure the color and details of each negative, and have a more standardized and rigorous operation process to ensure that there are no human errors and regrets. All this comes at a price. You have to spend more time and energy, and you have to sacrifice the flexibility of small and medium-sized cameras. You must plan, compose, focus, measure light, observe the change of light in advance, and even consider the influence of natural environment, including wind, rain or the vibration of the earth. Mount the camera, then adjust the aperture and exposure speed of the lens, set up the cable and film box, and finally wait for the best light to grasp the exposure opportunity. But it's all worth it. When you travel long distances with heavy equipment, when you get in touch with nature at zero distance, when you pay for expensive film and development, when you take all this home, you will lie on your back on the sofa, drink light green tea in a glass, spit out faint smoke, watch a stack of films just retrieved from a development shop, and savor the bitterness and joy in the shooting process. Every photo here is soaked with your hard work and sweat, and there may be some imperfect photos. The color saturation here is not enough, and there is a slight jitter caused by the wind, but these nuances can't hide the extremely rich detail expression and delicate particles brought by the large-format negative. Magnificent pictures will make you feel shocked and fascinated from the bottom of your heart. You can't dial it yourself.

These are all reasons for you to give up small and medium format cameras and choose large format cameras, but some people will ask, can this large format leather cavity camera continue to exist today with the vigorous development of digital technology? The answer is yes, large format cameras will not be eliminated, and it can be expected that they will continue to develop for a long time to come. Because the large-format camera is a simple and complicated photography system, simplicity is because its imaging principle is simple and impeccable, and the lens leather cavity, focusing screen and film constitute all of it. The simple mechanism is the safest and there will be no technical problems in the use process. Simple imaging principle also causes complexity. It is precisely because the large-format camera saves complicated mechanisms such as prisms and mirrors of small and medium-sized cameras that it has more room for expansion when shooting. You can freely control the camera in your hand and adjust the required image effect through the soft leather cavity. It is easy to control the deformation or depth of field on a large format machine, which is its greatest charm. And now digital photos are too easy to get, but they will not be cherished. The more rare, the more precious. This is the unchangeable truth. The ultimate goal of large format photography is to obtain wonderful images through complex operations. Moreover, when using digital cameras, no one can get the photos they want through simple operation, which certainly adds endless fun to people's colorful lives, but photography has also entered the homes of ordinary people from the original high-flying art palace, and cameras have become ordinary recording tools. If you want to use a large format camera to take pictures skillfully, it is not enough to be familiar with the operation process. You also need to master the necessary photography knowledge, including the skills of photometry, the use of filters, the characteristics of film, and the color reproduction of lenses. It is these complicated processes that bring endless fun to people who have infinite love for photography. In the exploration of large-format photography, they have accumulated knowledge and enriched their connotation and self-cultivation, so that some people say that large-format photography has changed his life and personality.

At present, large-format photography in China is just emerging. Compared with the population of more than one billion in China, it is almost like a growing child, so domestic photographers still have a long way to go and many meaningful things to do. Nowadays, the domestic photography market is flooded with civil digital products, the consumption of high-end SLR digital cameras is hot, and the medium-sized cameras are enduring. 5' 8? High-end products with 10 inch or even larger film specifications have sprung up everywhere. Large format cameras are expanding from the previous professional commercial advertising field to other fields. At present, the largest consumer groups in China are mainly divided into the following three categories:

1. From 135, 120, the digital camera was upgraded to a large-format camera.

This kind of enthusiasts mainly consider replacing large-format cameras because they can't meet the imaging quality of existing small and medium-sized film cameras, civil and SLR digital cameras.

2. Senior enthusiasts and photographers

Boss-level enthusiasts have strong economic strength, but also have different life experiences, values and worldviews from professional photographers. They pay more attention to the process of photography. The tedious large-format operation is a kind of enjoyment for them, and it is a leisure way after work. Some of them have extraordinary skills soon after they debut.

3. Professional advertising industry

With the commercialization of the market and the intensification of competition, customers have higher and higher requirements for pictures. For example, in the past, real estate developers were satisfied with the pictures of 135 and 120, but now some high-end developers require not only the use of large negatives, but also the brands of cameras and lenses and the creativity of photographers, which puts higher demands on the equipment of commercial photographers.