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Why do you use MF? or: I am in the MF crisis...

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
Nice post Carsten. I guess really to sum it up and we know I have been doing this a very long time but photography is really a lifetime expression of yourself. Folks you have to realize it takes years and years to grow into it and you have to have that patience but more important is you have to have fun , if it is not fun than it is hard to continue with anything in life . Photography is no different if it is not enjoyed like a fine wine than it is just a glass of grapes. To grow you need to have fun and also be persistent in the growth.

This is why I love teaching workshops to help people grow. It's not just the technical part but the seeing part that is more important.
 

carstenw

Active member
I would love to join you guys on one of your workshops, to learn more about the entire process, the fine-tuning, the software, the overall technique. Too bad it is so far away, and that my current situation doesn't really allow that amount of expense and separation from my family. Maybe one day...
 

pcunite

New member
Carsten,
Fantastic post, beautifully expressed thoughts. I know now that you are a true artist. The shot you posted is wonderful too. I hope to see your other series someday as graveyards are a little eerie to me!
 

carstenw

Active member
Thanks very much, I appreciate it. My next project will likely be on mechanical details. Hopefully that is not eerie, barring ghosts in the machine :)
 

Geoff

Well-known member
Carsten -

You don't get to the meaningful depth and beauty of that photograph without some heavy work beforehand. Your time thinking about this, and working it have proven worthwhile. Wonderful shot.
 

celina20

Member
Carsten...Thanks a lot for your post. I am still learning, reading, trying on all my gear ( 35mm,MFDB,MF and 4x5 ) waiting and looking for the "muse" ( i.e. your "cementery" ) Whish that the best is yet to come.
Luis
 

fotografz

Well-known member
Thought provoking piece of writing Carsten. :thumbup:

The whole subject of "purpose" is a fascinating one to ponder when applied to such a ubiquitous medium as photography.

While Graveyards have been done to death (pardon the pun), that in itself becomes the creative challenge. One that forces you to plumb the depths and add the personal insight that extracts one from any comparison as to what came before. You are a courageous man IMO.

After many decades of making up my own "purpose", I've been most happy to apply personal insight to crass endeavors for pay. I do weddings because it gives me access to my favorite subject ... "The Human Condition". Even more "done to death", the creative challenge is also a very difficult one ... to push beyond the obvious surface event and the masks people wear, and see into the real "human condition" being presented. Sort of a social anthropologist with a camera ;)

We all find our way ... if we just keep trying.

-Marc

"The Eavesdropper"
 

carstenw

Active member
Thanks Marc.

While it is possible that graveyards have been overdone (pun removed ;)), I don't care any more. At this point, I feel like this is my thing, I don't look at photos others have done, I just do it, and create my own aesthetic. If that ends up being the same as that of someone else, so be it. If it is new, great. Later in the cycle I might look closer at what has come before, but for now, I just want to establish my personal flow and approach to things.

Yes, keeping trying is the key here. Keep trying, and one day something right will come along.
 

fotografz

Well-known member
Thanks Marc.

While it is possible that graveyards have been overdone (pun removed ;)), I don't care any more. At this point, I feel like this is my thing, I don't look at photos others have done, I just do it, and create my own aesthetic. If that ends up being the same as that of someone else, so be it. If it is new, great. Later in the cycle I might look closer at what has come before, but for now, I just want to establish my personal flow and approach to things.

Yes, keeping trying is the key here. Keep trying, and one day something right will come along.
That's the secret isn't it? Not caring that it's been done ... even pretending that it's never been done ... and proceeding with an innocent eye.

Hmm, "Innocent Eye" ... I LIKE IT! I think I'll adopt that moniker into my teaching regimen. It sort of over-comes the latent fear that everything's been done ... that stops so many from moving forward.

-Marc
 

Ben Rubinstein

Active member
My feelings entirely Marc. I'm shooting in an enviroment that has been so shot to death that I hesitated before starting. However I don't look at other work, I will only study the work of those shooting different genres as I know that I will just copy however subconsciously. I have a friend shooting with the same end goal as myself, in the same streets, also B&W and the same subject matter. Most of my work looks very different to his. I'm trying to express what I have in my soul, he isn't. That is what counts.
 

KurtKamka

Subscriber Member
Fascinating thread.

I have only been over here, on the MF side of the getDPI digital divide, once or twice since I sold my medium format gear about 6 months ago.

After reading this thread, however, I realize how much I miss the group of internet friends I've made over the years (especially over here on getdpi). We've all made a variety of gear and format choices as we continue to try to express our vision of the world.

I too struggled with if and why I should continue with MF last summer. In the end, I chose to sell my system as I came to the realization that even though I adored the file quality I was getting with the P45+ back I had, it just didn't completely fit with the way I like to shoot at this point in my life.

I work in a field that is labeled as experiential marketing. It's a field where I try to help clients understand how they can use kinesiology (or learning through doing) to provide messaging to their customers in interesting and unexpected ways through movement. To help me understand my style of shooting better, I tried to first understand how I like to shoot. When I think about when I am most happy pursuing photography, it is when I am moving or just doing ... lost in my art.

For some, that zen-like zone occurs when they are waiting for just the right ray of sunlight with gear at the ready on an outcrop overlooking the ocean at sunrise. Others, more readily find that zone while exploring--trying to find composition, humor or understanding in new and unexpected places often in a fraction of a second ... before they realize what they are shooting.

I know now that I am firmly in that second camp even though I do relish and pursue rural and urban landscapes whenever possible. I also know that I am a better photographer for having spent time time in the MF camp as it has helped me understand how to get to my own experiential zone.

I miss the big, juicy detail-filled files ... but I feel freer as I search for new photographic experiences with a smaller, more intuitive and fluid kit on hand.

Kurt
 

Jan Brittenson

Senior Subscriber Member
It's a Rodenstock with aspherical glass. Yes, it's quite expensive (€260,- or so). I spent hours comparing... I don't know... 10? ... loupes and finally it was the Rodenstock due to the brightness, clearness, the magnification factor and the handling.
Which one? I have one that's gray with little tabs where the strap attaches. I love it. It was also hideously expensive, but it's one of those things that only hurt once and then you never even consider replacing it. It's not like there's a better model every year. :) I can't seem to find any reference to the one i have online though...
 

thomas

New member
I can't seem to find any reference to the one i have online though...
I think it's the one on the left side of the image in this pdf: http://www.rodenstock-photo.com/mediabase/original/e_Rodenstock_Magnifiers_74-75__8229.pdf
I agree: actually you are using those "little" tools for ever (unless they break).
Basically, say, €50,- is way too much for crap. Whilst something like €250,- for good quality is okay if you count it for 20 years or even longer...
 

Jan Brittenson

Senior Subscriber Member
(Much expression of frustration)
It takes time to develop an eye, visual aesthetic, sense of narrative, and all that. My overall advice would be to try to enjoy the journey.

The other thing is that good photographs can't be reduced to technically excellent captures of inherently interesting subjects. Good photographs, like good writing, is about communication; creating something in the eye of the viewer. This is not easy.

One very good exercise is to just pick something near you. It could be a car wheel, a piece of pavement, a house, a telephone pole - anything. Doesn't matter what. Go just stare at it and think of how you can portray it photographically. What does is inspire? What are its main visual attributes? Tactiles/texture (rough, sharp, woody, soft, wet, dry, etc)? Think through what it is you're actually looking at - not its purpose - but purely its form. Then think through what a photograph that communicates this might look like. Get photography books and see how others have communicated similar attributes in the past. Shoot it, print and post photographs on your wall - then look at them every day. Do they hold your interest, or do they get old (appear trivial)? Then RETURN TO THE SAME SUBJECT to pursue new ideas as you develop them. Find out why it works, or why not - you learn just as much from both. Repeat over and over again. (The last part is why picking something eminently accessible is important, you don't want it to take even five minutes to get there.)
 
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