Poor planning had me testing my new (to me) 8×10 Calumet C-1 view camera as a cold front moved into Happy Valley bringing with it a drop in temperature (12F), wind, and snow. But only needing one exposure I figured it wouldn’t be so bad even though the view out the front of the van suggested otherwise. Working in large format photography requires practice and method and while I once possessed both ten years ago it’s not like riding a bicycle. The new camera immediately felt like a foreign object.
You might wonder what any of this has to do with riding the Vespa? I’ll get to that.
My Belgian Sheepdog Junior loves the cold weather and was content periodically chasing the tennis ball down the hill as I wrestled with the camera. Setting it up in a warm home is nothing like trying to do it when a biting wind is at you. I could do most of the setup with gloves save for mounting the camera to the tripod. By the time I turned the mounting screw into the base of the camera both hands were numb — not a good start to a test. I was reminded of how I had to develop a process for riding the Vespa scooter in the winter and how the same would be necessary for the big camera. I made a mistake just venturing out like I did.
The test destination was about 100 yards away — the tree in the distance on the far right of the photo. Lugging the camera, lens and tripod (35 pounds total) is a chore in itself that requires some practice. At least I could wear mittens.
Not sure how old the camera or lens is or even if the shutter is functioning properly. That’s one of the reasons I was doing a test though about at this point in time I was wondering why I wasn’t conducting it in my livingroom. At least the snow slowed a bit so I could spend some time composing a picture.
Junior is relentless and I try to imagine myself as such though my cold tolerance just can’t match his. Each time he lunged into the snow to retrieve the ball he turned just a little whiter.
Finally I had everything ready and made the exposure — 1/1o of a second at f32 on Ilford HP5 8×10 film. Later in the day I processed it in Kodak D76 developer at a 1:1 dilution with water in a new BTZS (Beyond the Zone System) processing tube.
I was able to get everything back into the van without becoming frostbitten but was aware some practice was in order in handling the camera from setup to tear down. Practice will make this much easier over time. It’s like learning to ride.
The darkroom was pretty much the same thing — some practice is in order to streamline the process. And the final result indicated the need for an adjustment in exposures and/or processing time — the negative was dense. But it was a good first step and here is the result:
The black and white contact print “feels” like what I saw — white and cold as snow blew through the air. Because the negative was so dense the image has lost detail in the highlights but I suspect I can retrieve them in the darkroom. This quick print was really to evaluate the sharpness of the lens and see if I could detect any processing inconsistencies. So far, so good.
So, what does this have to do with the Vespa? Well, my plan is to haul the camera on the scooter to work on a two-fold project. One part focuses on landscape — man-made, social, environmental, natural, whatever I see while riding. The other is a series of portraits of the Vespa in the riding landscape. I’ve worked out in my head how I’ll haul everything. The camera will be packed and hauled on the front rack. The film holders and light meter will ride in the topcase while the lens and dark cloth will call the under-seat space home.
One step at a time I’ll keep plodding along…
My cousin had outfitted a backpack to carry his setup with everything including the tripod lashed to the side. How many film holders do you have or is the plan to be able to reload them in the field? And do you have any other lenses?
Pretty nice set up! Looking forward to more images…
I have five film holders but seldom, if ever, shoot that much 8×10 film at once. I’ll probably take three holders with me. I only have one lens right now and am not sure this is the right camera. Wasn’t thinking ahead when I bought it and may need to get something that I can use with a short focal length lens.
So, the same kind of camera system you had over 20 some years ago, this new one has some new tech. built into it? I remember you toting that thing around at Gibbons.
Almost the same kind of camera — that was a 4×5 inch version. This one is 8×10 inch. We’re a long ways from Gibbons Street. Man, time flies…
What did you use to take the color shots? The contrast and depth on those is really nice?
I made the color shots with my Canon G15. It’s a nice, sturdy, full featured point and shoot camera that I use to make almost all my blog pictures. It has one of the fastest zoom lenses I have seen — F1.8 at wide angle and F2.8 at telephoto.
Large format photography. Even with something simple as a pinhole camera. Opens plenty of paths to screw up…
I wish I could find the adorable video of a British guy who scoots with a large format camera. I recall he had a photo book printed and his printer trashed his negatives after they finished the book…
I’d love to know more about that photographer. Always nice to have people who have blazed a trail that you can follow!
Thank you for being the bright light of innovation in the world of proper formats.
And obviously using good old traditional D76 to process the negative in a tube no less;
takes me back to the days of Cibiechrome. Tube processing and wonderful images
as a result. Contact prints to boot.
So when and how did you acquire the 8″x10″ and if you don’t mind me asking from where?
The photography of your hoodie over the camera on the tripod is perhaps the most evocative of any image including the snow covered Junior.
How you expose the actual image is perhaps as important or perhaps far more important
than the end result. Thinking the number of turns of the tube while doing the processing is as much an important part of the process done before
I bought the 8×10 Calumet C-1 camera last summer I think on eBay. I was putting my toe back in the large format water and didn’t want to spend a lot at the time though now I’m realizing that I should have just gotten what I wanted. It’s a heavy bugger. Not as bad as my last one but certainly something that calls attention to itself.
The BTZS tube is simple to use. Processing involves continuous agitation which means you’re spinning the tube in a tray of water the entire time. When I was working in 8×10 the last time I had a JOBO CPP2 processor and I ran the film in an Expert Drum. Nice but fussy. I’m more of a tray or tube processing guy.
For some strange reason, reading about your planned project reminded me of stories I’ve heard and read about photography in the wild west: often solitary travel by wagon with the aim to capture images of “savages” and rough frontier life.
I certainly hope you’ll be sharing images of your… Progress?… Discoveries?… (For a riding / photography project, “discoveries” seems more fitting.)
Yeah, I certainly hope you’ll be sharing your discoveries via your blog, or–taking a cue from one of RichardM’s recent comments on Fuzzy’s blog–is it a phlog?
(Yet then you might be causing all sorts of confusion when you invite folks to visit your online phlog, or your phlog site, because they could–understandably, of course–be hearing “flog”, and… Well, one can easily imagine the possible confusion.)
Hauling the big camera and related gear may indeed turn the Vespa into a sort of wagon train mode of transport. We’ll see.
I’ll likely document what I’m doing though not sure I’ll go to the video form of documentation. Fuzzy and Richard both are more advanced than I am. Even though I spent a decade as a producer/director making films I have not been interested in using that form here. Yet at least. Maybe someday.
For now I’ll try and keep things simple!
Gee Steve, that’s a lot of camera….I think it would fill up the sidecar on a URAL! 😉
It’s always good for a man to have hobbies….
That Calumet view camera would definitely fill the sidecar. It’s bigger than it looks and is cumbersome to use, at least until I’m more practiced.