The only way I was guaranteed to get into the Large Format Photography class at Southern Illinois University back in 1980 was to have my own camera. There were only a couple of 4 x 5 cameras available for students to use. I really wanted to take this class so I headed up to Calumet Photographic in Chicago to buy my own before the fall semester started. With a lens included, I made the purchase for around $400.
I got into the class and found out that I loved this camera format. It has been my favorite format ever since and I have been using the same camera to this day. I found myself using it again over the weekend to document some of the traditional craftsmen and artists at The Barberville Pioneer Settlement.
On a day when the temperatures hovered around 95 degrees, under a dark focusing cloth, I examined a composition on the ground glass of Steve, a woodworker, at the Settlement. As I made a few exposures, I talked to Steve and learned quite a bit about his philosophy on life and the art and craft of working with his hands to create beautiful objects from wood.
He and I favor the experience and the intricacies of working with traditional methods to create work.
I enjoy photographing traditional artists and craftsmen and documenting and preserving their techniques and skill. It's history. And, I continue to find the rewards of working with a large format film camera for the experience of photography and the darkroom.
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