Corporate Headquarters, Chattanooga, Tennessee
Cambo 4x5 view camera, 150mm Rodenstock lens, Fujichrome film
I always hated using a 4x5 view camera.
Well, maybe not exactly hated it, but it was by no means my preferred photographic tool. I believe there is such a thing as a large format temperament and I’m quite sure I don’t have it.
Like most commercial photographers who began their
careers in the 1960s and '70s, I learned to use 4x5 because many clients
demanded it. View cameras have a number of advantages for studio and architectural work, but I always found them cumbersome and slow.
The principal advantage of a view camera is that the
front standard, which holds the lens, and the rear standard, which holds the
film, can be moved independently of each other. Either one can be raised,
lowered, tilted in either direction, or swung to the right or left. These
movements give the photographer almost infinite possibilities for controlling
the perspective and depth-of-field of a photograph. One of the features most
commonly used by architectural photographers is raising the front (lens)
standard to give proper perspective to photos of tall buildings so they don't
look like they're falling over backwards. Another advantage is the 4x5-inch
film size, which made it possible to make enlargements of greater size while
retaining apparent sharpness and clarity. (To be clear, view cameras also came
in other sizes beside 4x5, including 5x7 and 8x10.)
As a small-market commercial generalist, I photographed whatever came along – advertising, audio-visual, public relations, corporate, editorial, some still-life and product work – the whole gamut. Even an occasional wedding. Inevitably, an architectural gig would pop up from time to time.
I enjoyed photographing architecture and felt I had a
good eye for it, but not the part about using a 4x5 view camera. I always preferred smaller formats and used them
whenever possible. So I did the
assignments that came in and feel I did them fairly well, but never actively
solicited architectural work. To be continued.
Living Room of a Private Home
Photographed from the second floor without perspective controls.
(Photographed for the home owner.)
4x5 Cambo view camera, 90mm Schneider lens, Fujichrome film.
Photograph and text copyright 2021, David B.Jenkins.
I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday each week unless life gets in the way.
Soli Gloria Deo
For the glory of God alone
Tags: architectural photography, commercial photography, 4x5 view camera,
Cambo cameras, Rodenstock lenses, Schneider lenses, Fujichrome film, Dave
Jenkins
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