LARGE FORMAT PHOTOGRAPHY - BLUEBELLS in B&W + COLOUR

Рет қаралды 14,974

6 жыл бұрын

Following on from my last vlog where I was out photographing bluebells, I mentioned that I would be back to do some large format photography. Photographing bluebells in black and white seemed like a challenge so I have dug out my old 1950s 5x4 large format camera and loaded up with b&w and colour film.
I enjoyed the process but there were some hiccups along the way and this will all be explained in my next vlog.
Buy prints: www.craigprentis.com/buy
Gear used on this vlog:
MPP 5x4 large format camera (1950s)
Schneider Kreuznach 135mm f4.7 lens
Fomopan 100 b&w film
Fuji Pro 160NS colour neg film
Manfrotto bag amzn.to/2rPbQlu
Manfrotto 055 tripod amzn.to/2wPVC04
Manfrotto XPRO ball head amzn.to/2rU15xb
Lee filters 100mm foundation kit amzn.to/2rRyQ34
Lee filters soft grad ND set amzn.to/2wVcrXE
Lee filters circular polariser amzn.to/2GwLetN
Lee filters polariser ring amzn.to/2rS84qH
Lee filters Big Stopper amzn.to/2wRSq4i
rocket blower amzn.to/2GwWxlI
filmed on:
Panasonic GH5 amzn.to/2wSyrlN
Panasonic 12-35mm f2.8 amzn.to/2wNSsdk
Metabones EF-MFT speedbooster amzn.to/2rRGtWw
Rode Videomic Pro amzn.to/2GvTcDw
Zoom H1 recorder amzn.to/2KAjgQg
lav mic amzn.to/2KDJcuf
SLR Magic variable ND filter amzn.to/2rTAgt4
#largeformat #photography #bluebells
Find me on:
Website: www.craigprentis.com
Instagram: / craig_prentis
Facebook: / craigprentisphotography

Пікірлер: 62

@TristanColgate 4 ай бұрын

I recently ordered an MPP and went looking for videos on them and found Craig's videos, which are a real gold mine for LF. unfortunately Google has also informed me that Craig passed last year. If anyone who knew him comes across this post, please know that his videos still bring a great amount of knowledge and joy to this particular niche corner of the internet.

@charlesk323 3 жыл бұрын

A very genuine approach to 4x5 and the subject matter. No frills, just a wonderful workshop as it happens in the field. Another master class for those of us who are novices with 4x5. All the nuances and challenges...light, movement of the subject due to a light breeze, and so forth. This helps identify the essentials of how to do it right with a dose of humility that you don't find in these types of tutorials. Thanks for the reassurance.

@CraigPrentisPhoto 3 жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it

@paul1964jansen 5 жыл бұрын

Hello Mr. Prentis, Only today I found this channel and I have watched just a few of your videos on landscape photography shooting with the 4x5 camera. I appreciate how you calmly take us through the steps of the shooting process, your choices in composition, light, film, etc. up to the final and scanned result. Your professional level video camera work, sound, and editing is a pleasure to watch. Of course your lovely dog Barnie plays a nice non-speaking character! Thank god for not overlaying mind numbing boom-clap music like almost any other channel seems to think necessary. This silence, what a joy. For me your videos represent very much how I experience my photography and it is a comfort to recognise how you fight the same battles and enjoy the same little moments of photography bliss. I enjoy this very much and I hope you can keep up your wonderful work. Thanks! Paul Jansen, Nijmegen Netherlands

@CraigPrentisPhoto 5 жыл бұрын

Hi Paul, thanks for your message. This must be the politest comment I've ever received! I'm glad you found the channel and have been enjoying the videos I've been putting out. I have used some music tracks in the past but mostly, like you, I prefer the natural ambient sound of a woodland or whatever so I try to record this and put it in. I think it goes well with the slower nature of large format photography. Thanks for watching, Craig.

@SpencerPullenPhotography 6 жыл бұрын

As a fellow large format photographer, I really enjoyed watching you capture your photographs. Keep up the great work and keep the videos coming. Thanks!

@CraigPrentisPhoto 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching Spencer and I appreciate your comments. More to come soon I hope.

@Disco_Shrew 5 жыл бұрын

I'm totally binging your videos, haha! They're so relaxing...

@CraigPrentisPhoto 5 жыл бұрын

Ha ha, that's great. I'm glad you like them.

@thevalleywalker 6 жыл бұрын

There is something really engaging about watching a large format photographer working methodically through to producing an image - never done any myself as I have not the patient and understanding but enjoy the process. Very enjoyable Craig.

@CraigPrentisPhoto 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks Alan, it’s a nice way of working, reasonably straight forward, but you do have to be very methodical in your approach. Distractions can be costly as I’ll show in my next vlog.

@AustenGoldsmithPhotography 2 жыл бұрын

I've been gorging on large format vids as I prepare to go down the rabbit hole , enjoying your films I did chuckle as I thought about the reason perhaps so many shoot woodlands , perhaps it's the best place to climb into a dark cloth and not look like a nutter to passers by

@CraigPrentisPhoto 2 жыл бұрын

Yes, talking to camera is hard enough at the best of times. Doing it in the woods helps.

@Prashant.Khapane 6 жыл бұрын

Nice video Craig. Love the sounds of bird chirping and spring is in the air atmosphere

@CraigPrentisPhoto 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching, I'm glad you liked it.

@DiegoMcCartney 6 жыл бұрын

After watching your video here Craig kept asking myself why I felt so at ease and relaxed. Then I realized throughout the video you didn’t use background music and just the sounds of the birds and the your movements. Really neat. It was lovely to hear the whole process and see it of course. Can’t begin to wrap my head around film or large format. Some lovely images there. Going to go ahead and watch another one.

@CraigPrentisPhoto 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks Diego, yes I've decided to use the ambient sounds of birdsong etc for these woodland shoots. Personally I like it and others have mentioned that it works well so that's quite encouraging. I'm glad you took time to watch it and enjoyed the process of me working with this old camera. I'm probably going to do a quick one just looking at the negatives and pointing out all my mistakes(!), so please come back for more.

@calvinf9218 3 жыл бұрын

What an amazingly well-done video. Audio quality is absolutely stunning, and the location is just beautiful. And the photos are excellent.

@CraigPrentisPhoto 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you very much

@barryfisher1783 4 жыл бұрын

In the closing scenes, there is a formation of trees, over the OP's left shoulder, that looks like a building. Very informative and simple video though.

@kosfactor 6 жыл бұрын

always nice to see large format out there.

@CraigPrentisPhoto 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching Kos

@ceritat625 5 жыл бұрын

Your large format videos are so inspiring, they make me what to get into large format :). Beautiful photos, in a beautiful English woodland and with bluebells and chirping birds. Ah it is so lovely!

@CraigPrentisPhoto 5 жыл бұрын

thank you Filmnut Girl, I'm really pleased you liked it! I try to include as much ambient sound from the woods as there's always so much lovely birdsong. If you get the chance, give LF a go - I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Thanks for your comments ;-)

@michaelofmelrose 5 жыл бұрын

great shots and you were magical on the last blubell, thanks

@CraigPrentisPhoto 5 жыл бұрын

Thank you Michael

@MrGraeme1961 6 жыл бұрын

I really enjoyed watching your vlog, a nice relaxed style. I would love to try large format Photography. Looking forward to more

@CraigPrentisPhoto 6 жыл бұрын

It’s worth giving it a go if you have the chance to try it out with someone, Graeme. Thanks for watching.

@winterborneimagery62 4 жыл бұрын

fujins pro 4x5 is... pretty alright, foma is nice, i recommend trying some portra and ektar this upcoming season, make the light and colours very vibrant

@jiml989 6 жыл бұрын

Enjoyed the video very much. I look forward to the follow up video and hope you continue to use your 4x5.

@CraigPrentisPhoto 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks Jim x, hopefully more to come soon

@markprice470 6 жыл бұрын

Really good video. I enjoyed it. I love the pace of the video and all the woodlands sounds (as opposed to music). You've nudged me a little closer to trying out large format at some point.

@CraigPrentisPhoto 6 жыл бұрын

Great, that's just what I like to hear. Give it a go if you get the opportunity. Thanks for watching Mark.

@RobDevery 4 жыл бұрын

Fantastic Video Craig. Love the relaxed style of video, it’s quite like how I approach my photography. Loved the fact you wouldn’t destroy the bluebells just to get a shot. Not many people think like that anymore I’m afraid.

@CraigPrentisPhoto 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed it.

@JeffCreates 6 жыл бұрын

You're just such a top quality filmmaker Craig. Really enjoyed that. Only thing i could have done with is an explanation of what's going on with the camera as i'm not familiar with it.

@CraigPrentisPhoto 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks Jeff, much appreciated. It’s tricky to know how to pitch this stuff. I’m no large format expert but I can see that it may need explaining in simpler terms. So I will keep that in mind and maybe look to do a simplified breakdown of how it all works and how I go about it from start to finish. I do have a couple of large format vlogs to come so I’ll see if I can elaborate a bit more. Cheers!

@lars-goranabrahamsson9337 6 жыл бұрын

Really nice video. Best regards Lars-Göran from Sweden.

@CraigPrentisPhoto 6 жыл бұрын

Hi Lars-Göran, thanks for watching over there in Sweden ;-)

@gerardodalchielelueiro6818 6 жыл бұрын

good work vongratulations Best regards from ARGENTINA

@CraigPrentisPhoto 6 жыл бұрын

Thank you Gerardo, much appreciated

@LudwigDesmet 5 жыл бұрын

just subscribed to your channel, nice camera work on your vlogs, and nice pace too, in concordance with large format photography Unfortunately things didn't all work out well as I found out in your next video. I am shooting medium format black and white film only at this moment, but would love to try large format. There's a lot of bluebells in Belgium too, and a lot of people trampling them :( ...

@CraigPrentisPhoto 5 жыл бұрын

Hi Ludwig, I’m glad you enjoyed the vlog. Yes, I’m hoping to minimise the costly mistakes with large format as I go on. Thanks for the sub and for your comments. I’ll check out your channel later.

@smdphotogphotography7726 5 жыл бұрын

Great photography! Unfortunately I've never shot large format, only medium, 35mm and of course digital, I might look to rent one for a while! Subscribed and added on Instagram!

@CraigPrentisPhoto 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks, go for it. There's nothing like seeing that first big piece of film on a lightbox!

@fotolookconde 5 жыл бұрын

That's a nice bit of a forest!!! Norfolk? You mentioned that you were going to move the back of the camera to give you more depth of field. Does MPPs allow back tilts?

@CraigPrentisPhoto 5 жыл бұрын

No this is in Kent. The MPP allows back tilts and swings with the four rods that come out from the corners. These can all be independently moved in and out and tightened.

@fotolookconde 5 жыл бұрын

@@CraigPrentisPhoto cool! Kent the garden of England! I am in Norfolk. MPP seems a good camera to have...Do you know in terms of compatibility with other brands? I mean to use other brands backs (rotating back from Horseman) or other like Linhof accessories?

@AFR0MAMBA 5 жыл бұрын

14:52 a photographer with ethics. we got a big problem with instagramers trampling on the “super bloom” flowers here in California

@CraigPrentisPhoto 5 жыл бұрын

Yes, it’s all a bit sad, isn’t it?

@SD_Alias 4 жыл бұрын

Nice video! Yes Instagram spoils photography. It enhances the egocentric behaviour of a lot of people. But it is just a mirror of society. More and more seem to shout " Me! Me! Me!"...

@stevebennettphotography 6 жыл бұрын

You do know you can get digital cameras these days, right? ;-). That was so compelling to watch Craig

@CraigPrentisPhoto 6 жыл бұрын

Ah yes Steve, I have heard of those new-fangled digital cameras but I don’t think they’ll catch on ;-)

@dflf 3 жыл бұрын

The color shots were definitely better. The blue bells just seem to get lost in the B&W pictures

@tomloweshow 4 жыл бұрын

Could’ve sworn the thumbnail said blue balls

@tomaszkulik7434 4 жыл бұрын

Potrzebuję lupę , szkło powiększające do łatwiejszego ustawiania ostrości. Proszę o pomoc, informację gdzie i jakie można kupić ... cena 100$ około :-) Chcę używać w kominku Pentacon six tl. Dziękuję za informację i pomoc. :)

@AdamWelch 4 жыл бұрын

So...the elephant in the room....who's the bit of a twat who gave this fine production a thumbs down???

@CraigPrentisPhoto 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks, you can't please everyone ;-)

@leminhtri7869 3 жыл бұрын

Sorry, can you name large format ? Thank you

@CraigPrentisPhoto 3 жыл бұрын

It’s an MPP. There should be some info in the notes.

@alejandrarosales7836 5 жыл бұрын

One: how do you make the decision of whether or not to use a long lens two: has anyone ever told you you look like Collin Firth

@CraigPrentisPhoto 5 жыл бұрын

Ha ha, Colin Firth - I like that! With this particular 4x5 camera, I only have two lenses, a wide angle (90mm) and a standard lens (the 135mm). So I didn't have the luxury of shooting the scene on a longer lens. Most of my favourite shots of bluebells this year were shot on my digital camera with a long lens (70-200) as I like the compressed perspective you get when shooting at longer focal lengths. Thanks for watching.