- Joined
- Nov 27, 2017
- Messages
- 13
A few years back I was able to acquire via a well known on-line auction website my first (and so far only) Large Format camera in the guise of a Calumet CC-400 monorail.
I bought the camera from a guy called Terry McGrory in Liverpool, who had imported it from Iris Point Cameras a dealer in in Clifton, Montana with similar intentions of getting into Large Format photography. But for whatever reason he quickly lost interest and I picked up a bargain.
“Bargain” though is a relative word as I was soon to find out. If you're an indoor photographer a heavy Monorail camera like the CC400 is fine, but if like me you're an outdoor or location photographer, lumping the heavy camera around quickly becomes quite a chore.
The camera came without a lens. But this is where I first discovered the generosity of the Large Format movement, something which is absent in mainstream photography. I came across a local guy who had used Large Format cameras for commercially. He had a lens sitting in a cupboard which he lent me. He also came and dropped off the lens and gave me some tips on how to use the camera.
It's a strange lens/shutter combination. I'll post an image over on the technical sub forum as I need some help with it.
Due to a house move I only got out with the camera a couple of times before relocating. I managed to process the film using a Paterson tank together with a MOD54 film holder insert. Both of the later were lost by the removal (moving) firm! So I've not really done much since the move.
But by happy coincidence I came across a memory stick this week. Rather fortuitously on the memory stick were the two high res scans of the two 5x4 exposures I'd managed to shoot.
Image one shows a local lady who is an amateur racing driver, stood beside her car. I photographed her outside the storage unit on a local farm she uses as a garage. Looking at the raw scan I scan see the negative hasn't sat flush to the scanner at the corners. So I've cropped it.
(click Thumnail for larger image)
The second image is a local sculptor in his garden using drystone walling techniques to create a layered stone globe. About 5 seconds after I made the exposure, the partially complete sculpture collapsed as he hadn't supported each successive layer as it came further out.
Far from perfect, but not bad for a first effort with a strange camera. I just thought I'd post them here as not many people are posting large format location portrait work. Regards Chris
I bought the camera from a guy called Terry McGrory in Liverpool, who had imported it from Iris Point Cameras a dealer in in Clifton, Montana with similar intentions of getting into Large Format photography. But for whatever reason he quickly lost interest and I picked up a bargain.
“Bargain” though is a relative word as I was soon to find out. If you're an indoor photographer a heavy Monorail camera like the CC400 is fine, but if like me you're an outdoor or location photographer, lumping the heavy camera around quickly becomes quite a chore.
The camera came without a lens. But this is where I first discovered the generosity of the Large Format movement, something which is absent in mainstream photography. I came across a local guy who had used Large Format cameras for commercially. He had a lens sitting in a cupboard which he lent me. He also came and dropped off the lens and gave me some tips on how to use the camera.
It's a strange lens/shutter combination. I'll post an image over on the technical sub forum as I need some help with it.
Due to a house move I only got out with the camera a couple of times before relocating. I managed to process the film using a Paterson tank together with a MOD54 film holder insert. Both of the later were lost by the removal (moving) firm! So I've not really done much since the move.
But by happy coincidence I came across a memory stick this week. Rather fortuitously on the memory stick were the two high res scans of the two 5x4 exposures I'd managed to shoot.
Image one shows a local lady who is an amateur racing driver, stood beside her car. I photographed her outside the storage unit on a local farm she uses as a garage. Looking at the raw scan I scan see the negative hasn't sat flush to the scanner at the corners. So I've cropped it.
(click Thumnail for larger image)
The second image is a local sculptor in his garden using drystone walling techniques to create a layered stone globe. About 5 seconds after I made the exposure, the partially complete sculpture collapsed as he hadn't supported each successive layer as it came further out.
Far from perfect, but not bad for a first effort with a strange camera. I just thought I'd post them here as not many people are posting large format location portrait work. Regards Chris
