Nudes With 4x5 Film
I’ve spent much more time this year working with large format 4x5 film than I have in years past. It’s been an interesting journey, and one that I plan on continuing with for a long while. As a photographer and an artist, it is good to give yourself challenges. It helps you grow and refine what you want your vision to be, especially on a technical level.
I can honestly say that a lot of my adventures with 4x5 film this past year have been failures, but that is part of the fun and a big reason why I should work with large format film more not less. This is especially true when working with figure studies and nudes. I’ve found that the subject and the medium are a bit at odds sometimes when working with this combination. I try to work quickly and efficiently when I have a nude woman in front of the camera lens. However, large format film tends to reward a slower working speed, taking your time, and really examining a scene from every angle before making an exposure.
My short term solution to these seemingly opposing forces has been to choose my working relationships carefully, and my locations with a good deal of planning. When I scheduled a session with Jessa Ray Muse we talked a bit before hand about working with with the slower medium of large format film. I made sure the weather was nice and toasty before making the ultimate decision to load up the 4x5 backs for the day and I picked a location were nudity outdoors isn’t exactly uncommon. In other words, I made sure I was in a situation where taking my time would work.
Even gifting myself with nearly perfect conditions, I would say half of the negatives I’ve exposed from this session turned out rather awful. Bad exposures. Bad compositions. A few where my focus point was way off. In the immortal words of Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., so it goes… At the end of the day, if I manage to make one successful image, that is a win. That can be a bit of a hard pill to swallow in this day and age of making “content” over art, but that is the healthy way to make visual work.
For these photographs I used an Intrepid 4x5 camera fitted with a Rodenstock 210mm lens. I’ve read some mixed reviews on the Intrepid large format cameras and I was a little hesitant to buy one. I can honestly say I’m really glad I did though as I quite love it. It folds up relatively compact and is as light weight as a press camera, but has a much wider range of movements and can take my preferred lenses (I love my Rodenstock lenses…).
I’ve used other 4x5 cameras that are built to incredibly high standards, but they tend to be heavy, large, and much more difficult to bring out into the field. The Intrepid is kind of like the Honda Civic of large format cameras, and I say that as a positive thing.
Camera: Intrepid 4x5 with Rodenstock 210mm f/5.6 lens.
Film: Fomapan 100 in 4x5 sheet film, developed in Rodinal at 1:50 and 20 degrees for seven minutes.
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