It has been a long, long time since I used my 3D printed 8x10 camera. I can't remember the last time I used it, but it must have been in February. I remember going to a few locations in San Diego and having terrible difficulty. My photos from San Luis Rey Mission were so terrible I decided I needed a break. And I took it.
I've been wanting to return to using this camera, but I just couldn't find the time nor will to do so. The camera is very bulky to transport, even though it is relatively lightweight. It is bulky because it does not fold down, but that is also an advantage when it comes to setup time, because I do not want to spend a long time setting this up and extending the bellows as well as attaching the lens and making all sort of finicky adjustments. Also, a tradicional field camera cannot be handheld, my camera can. Not that I would do it very often, it is not a "street" camera, but I have hand-held it and obtained adequate exposures. So it is one tradeoff for another.
But, I am still weighed down because I have to carry film holders in my backpack and, mostly, because I have to carry a heavy tripod with me. That tripod is the main culprit for my fatigue, but it is necessary.
So, this was a Monday and I had no Zoom classes to teach today, so I got up and decided to go back to the Norco Power House. It was a bright, cloudless sky, and I thought I would be able to find more than enough light. I would have hoped for some clouds to add some variety to the sky, and they did come in, faintly at first, but then, they filled out as I was leaving. I got ready and drove out to the Hidden Valley Reserve at about 9:00 a.m., and must have arrived about half an hour later. There were a few trucks and horse transportation wagons, so I knew the equestrians would be out in force. I got all my equipment and made the trek to the building.
It was not hot at all. In a few months, that will change, and I am sure all we will be hearing about on the news is one raging fire after another all over California. The state is burning, and it is all because of climate change. But for now, it is relatively cool. The trees still have not filled out with leaves, so many still look barren, but that makes for good photos too.
Down at the building, I had it all to myself. The floor was littered with horse droppings and broken glass, as well as empty spray cans where the artists are continually renewing the building with new artwork. I took a few photos, and it was uncomfortable with the large format camera, because large format is large format, and it requires commitment and an attention to detail that is not present in throw-away digital photography. It is work, in other words, but it also gives one an enormous sense of satisfaction when one sees a good negative, and that is how I felt with this one.
Let's face it, the composition is not outstanding. It is somewhat common, and that wide angle 121mm lens just captures too much. I feel its angle of view will encircle me and catch sight of my back, as a matter of fact, although I am exaggerating, of course. But it is way too wide, and it forces me to get close to my subjects so I don't have so much empty space.
The camera works, though. It is all taped together because it fell off my tripod and cracked open,and I have to have a clamp affixed to it permanently to tie the pieces together, but it works. I was using Foma film, 200 ISO, with a red filter on the lens (but it still covered the corners and vignetted), f32, 1/30th of a second. It worked, although it could be a little denser. We'll have to keep trying. After four frames with the building, I walked back and took two frames of the landscape. I am anxious to see those, and will try to develop them in the next few days.
Tomorrow, a marathon for me. Three Zoom classes and a phone appointment with my doctor. I need to get through that day because it will be exhausting. It is 9:41 p.m. as I write this, so I want to be in bed by 10 p.m.
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