[Leica] Re: What do you do with your Images?

[Jim Brick <jim_brick@agilent.com>]

George, I commend you for your ingenuity of turning a 4x5 into a P&S. But
we each have our own way of doing things.

I personally think that P&S cameras do a mediocre job of photographing
subjects that need careful scrutinization of compositional elements. The M
camera is this way because of the optical viewfinder. Which is why they
made the Visoflex.

This must be a case where you actually try to make the image in the
darkroom. That is, crop crop crop until there is a photograph that looks
good. Since you are not looking at the ground glass, you don't know what is
behind the subject, what the out of focus area looks like, the
compositional placement of subjects and non-subjects, etc... those things
that a 2D ground glass is so good at revealing.

Over the past 50 years, I've shot a kazillion close-ups with 35mm, 6x6, 4x5
& 8x10. Once you find something that you want to photograph close-up and
set-up your camera and frame the subject, then begins the long process of
finding just the exact position so that the background does not detract
from the subject, move a smidgen this way, a smidgen that way, a smidgen
closer, a smidgen farther back, then finding the exact focus plane, stop
down slowly and watch the DOF so that just what you want in focus is in
focus... etc... sometimes for fifteen minutes for one photograph. But when
you are finished, you have an image that is exactly what you want and will
print without cropping and other gymnastics. And it won't end up in the
circular file.

IMHO,

Jim


At 08:55 AM 6/4/01 -0500, George Lottermoser wrote:
>
>No tricks, just working on that precision thing with a touch of
>KISS thrown in for good luck. 
>
>I've set up Infinity Stops, on the Tech IV, for 3 different
>bellows extensions:
>    2" subject : 4.75" on film
>    1.5" subject : 4.75" on film
>    1" subject : 4.75" on film
>
>I've made 3 metal wire frames, proportional to the 4x5, which
>attatch to the compendium lens shade mounting wire at scored
>marks. The bellows are critically pre-focused to these frames, at
>these marks. The frames define the view of the 4x5 negative. 
>
>So now I can simply walk up to a macro subject, put the subject
>in the frame, and fire. Bellows factor predetermined. Focus
>predetermined. 
>
>No more under the black cloth moving the camera in and out,
>focusing, repeat, repeat, repeat.
>
>Linhof actually made a device for doing this with closeup work,
>more like 8x10 subject to 4x5 on film. But the ultra macro has to
>be custom engineered.
>
>Now the real tricks come into play with lighting large format
>macro subjects, as the front standards of the cameras are inches
>away from the subject, blocking all the light from the subject.
>
>Serious Question - Can anyone recommend a "Strobe Guru" who could
>wire an old ring light flash tube (I have 2) to fire from my
>Quantum T2 or X head? 
>
>The plugs on these 2 ring lights are identical to the quantum
>tubes, but they don't fire. And I don't know which wire to put to
>which of the 4 prongs to make it work or conversely blow myself
>up.
>
>George