To try and keep myself accountable and actively scanning some of my film stuff (and encourage me to get out with my film cameras for new work), I’m going to start a new series: Film Friday. This is something I’ve done off and on over the years across my various social media presences like Flickr, Facebook and Instagram, so it should be a good fit for here, too.
Burke and James 4×5 Grover, Schneider Kreuznach 90mm f8 Super Angulon, Efke 25
I’ll kick it off with a fresh scan of a 4×5 negative from somewhere around 2004 or so (I was dreadful about taking notes for my film stuff back in the day). This is one of the earlier shots taken with my first monorail camera. My very first 4×5 was an old Graflex Crown Graphic. While I appreciate what that camera is now, at the time I was frustrated by the lack of movements for it. So I got rid of it and picked up an old Burke and James 4×5 Grover and added a couple of aging but capable Schneider Kreuznach lenses (a 150mm f5.6 Convertible Symmar and a 90mm f8 Super Angulon).
As you can see here, I was kind of “anti-Scheimpflug” at the time and used the movements to minimize depth of field instead of maximizing it. This is one of the rare instances where I think I like the effect. I feel like this kind of use of movements on view cameras is the large format equivalent of HDR. Everybody tries it as they’re learning their new camera. They almost always make some horrid shots with it. But every so often, they can occasionally find a scene where the effect works. That usually comes with a whole lot of practice and understanding, though. In this case, though, I’m going to say that it was a case of a blind squirrel stumbling across an acorn.
One of the interesting (though slightly sad) parts of this photo is just how impossible it is today. While Denver Union Station still stands, EVERYTHING has changed down here. For starters, there’s a new building where I’m standing, so this view isn’t even possible. The station got its major makeover between 2012 and 2014. The whole of LoDo (lower downtown) has absolutely exploded with growth. On the one hand, it’s nice to see all the new life and activity centered around the old station. On the other hand, when I took this picture, this scene still hearkened back to another era of Denver and another era of railroading. All the dark negative space in this photo somehow reinforces that feeling for me. It makes me really glad that I took this picture when I did.