Question for pro photographers....

[MikeMc]

Just a couple of old Leicas and folding Retinas . All my medium format gear is long gone, although I still have the Toyo 4x5 and lenses, a few hot lights and too many memories!!!

[cruz]

Wow! And here I thought I was asking a dumb question...... I always did have an idea how important light is vs exposure vs settings on a camera etc. etc.... I think I will go with an 18% gray background, thank you for all your expertise guys, truly appreciated! Ain't this a talented bunch of glue sniffers in our great forum!!!! We have it all here....

[charlie8575]

I used a Mamiya RB67 Pro-S for all my work. (as opposed to the ubiquitos Hasselblad) I preferred the 2 1/4 X 2 3/4 format vs the square 2 1/4 because I could crop right in the camera. The rotating back made things a lot easier too.

But what I wanted to say was that I had a Polaroid back for the Mamiya so I could see how my lighting was working out imediately. That's how we had to do it in the "olden days".... LOL

Also...using the black paper was a technique known as "subtractive lighting." This was invented by a portrait photographer by the name of Leon Kennamer. He discovered the technique quite by accident and then he practised with it till he understood it and made it a standard lighting technique used mostly for portraits. It also works on inanimate objects too especially in a studio situation where it can be controlled easeir than outside. I took a seminar with Kennamer on that technique.

My dad does a lot of medium-format, especially 120 slides, which are beatiful in terms of color and appearance. He has a Mamiya 745 (I think,) and one of the older dual-lens reflex models, I can't remember what it's called, as well as a bunch of pre-war cameras. He still does a lot of black-and-white and does his own developing. The color stuff, unfortunately, as well as the slides, have to be done by outside sources, as developing color is a little too touchy for doing it by hand.

I do most of my shooting on 35mm, and will try to play with the 120 stuff once in awhile for a little extra practice, or if I want a large negative for some reason or another.

I like the flexibility and ease film gives me. I've found I have less and less success and luck with electronics as they become more advanced. I like things that are analog- like my brain.

My personal grails, camera-wise, are a Voigtlander Bessamatic and an Nikon F6. Two of the best cameras ever made, regardless of medium.

Charlie Larkin