A 'Homage' to Large Format Photography.

During my time in California, I was introduced to the classic style of shooting well known from the beginning of the century--well, the beginning of photography. These cameras are brand new, but present the exact same technology used back in the day. You wont find sensitive chips, transistors and such in these camera, just good old fashion mechanics. Capturing images on a 4x5inch transparency is allot of fun, but a very slow process. You can only capture one image at a time, then you have to 'change the film' and so forth, to continue your projects. The result this size negative yields in comparative megapixels (for those that think in pixels) we'd be looking at a scan in ranges of hundreds of megapixels and up depending on the quality scan and film size.

The below, left image was shot a few years back when I took a road-trip with a friend to Yosemite National Park. Right outside the park, you'll find this lake with salt-rock formations created over thousands of years. This spot has been photographed by all the greats in photography and thus in 'homage' I figured I would shoot using my large format camera in the style of the classics-- only below,  in color. The differences between my digital captures at this location and my film shots are like night and day... I truly love film!

left: Mono Lake, CA -- 6:00am, 2008

Horseman LE large format camera, 210mm Schneider lens

Fujifilm Velvia 100 sheet film, f/32 @ 25sec. 

right: Santa Barbara, CA -- 2:30am, 2008

Horseman LE large format camera, 210mm Schneider lens

Fujifilm Velvia 100 sheet film, f/11 @ 2.5 hrs

Big Sur, California -- One Amazing Place To Be!

I've posted some older photographs taken at Big Sur in the past. Here is one that I found in my archives, and never released. Lately, lots of time has been spent scanning older work and re-visiting material with a fresh eye. Sometimes what one passes up as a mediocre shot can turn out to be a decent one when viewed a day, week or even years later. In this case, it may not be a gallery worthy snap but it is worth showing you. Enjoy :-)

left: Mamiya RZ67, 3200 ISO Ilford Delta, 120 film, f/11 @ 1sec.

right: Mamiya RZ67, 100 ISO Acros, 120 film, f/11 @ 30sec.

(Both negatives scanned with Epson V600, processed
in Lightroom 2 and cleaned in Photoshop CS5)

'Individuals' USA

I had already had the privilege of spending a few amazing years in Santa Barbara, California. I originally ventured out to this spot because I felt in need for a more inspiring environment to study photography. After a few years of practicing and learning under some of the great local teachers at Brooks Institute of Photography, I returned to Delaware to plan and pursue my future goals…

The summer of 2011 marked a convenient occasion that would allow myself to attempt a short but well-planned cross-country trip. My decision to make this venture laid in the simple yet inescapable fact that I wanted to travel and take pictures… After about thirty days on the road, 35 interviews and leaving 24,000 km behind me, I realized how much this country had to offer in terms of sights and sounds. Either way, I knew this would mark the perfect opportunity to develop a well structured set of projects.

As a photographer, I highly enjoy meeting new individuals. With this in mind, I wanted to do a project that went in the photo-story direction. A photograph or portrait accompanied with a short paragraph or article seemed like a solid human-interest piece that yielded value on many levels.

Naturally, the final project would be a more straightforward style of what one would expect from travel photography– a little photo-journalism, night time long exposures, fall colors, street signs, out-of-car shots and panoramic. There is allot to photograph out there, so I both hope you will show an interest in this little production and follow it as the project continues overseas. 

To finish, I would like to explain a few things about the style of the portraits captured. Some time back, when I was interning for a very talented photographer in Santa Barbara, I had the opportunity to witness the creation of a very interesting project. Eliot Crowley, my mentor at the time, would travel this road north and meet interesting people along the way. He would talk to them, get to know them a bit and ask if they wouldn’t mind being photographed for his project. I found inspiration in these ideas and the way they were captured. A few year later and with the upcoming travel opportunities, I decided to attempt a similar but not precisely the same style project. I opted to use a few similar shooting techniques with a couple personal adjustments. In my vision, the lighting would be about 45 degrees of camera axis and should be a harsh light source– allowing for a pool of light to bring the viewer’s attention to that individual. Also, I wanted to include some words on these people and the area we were currently in. With these modifications, I hoped to create something a little different yet more fitting to my capture styles.

If you would like to read up on this project and get to know the people involved, 

please visit the standalone blog here: https://acrosstheusa2011.wordpress.com

'Individuals' Europe (cont.)

I have had the opportunity to meet some really cool people along my travels. Here is a small sample from my ongoing campaign to take portraits of the people I meet along the way. We usually get to spend some time hanging out talking. This is so, once the images are published to my webpage, you can find out a little about them too. These make for some fun conversations as not everyone speaks the same language. Luckily, within most places my native German and English have been well enough understood.

This project, an extension of last years US cross-country drive (http://www.kroghstudios.com/index2.php#!/FEATURED) has been one amazing ongoing meet & greet with personalities and characters truly unique. Not all the images are perfectly executed, however each experience is something new and special and combined with the photograph becomes timeless in itself.

I hope you will enjoy the below preview and continue to check back while the project rolls on and I find more time to write the articles and post the images to my page (www.kroghstudios.com)