Why I Still Shoot Large Format in a Digital Age

The Journey Back to Film

There are still plenty of reasons to shoot using a Large Format film camera in the age of digital cameras. Before we get into the technical reasons lets start with some history. Photography for me was a way to escape from the static digital world that I lived in for my career. I would head out with my 35mm camera loaded with Velvia and immerse myself in the chaotic world of nature. It was a way to recharge and get as far away from a computer as possible. That time out in nature is what I truly enjoyed, being an observer of the show.

The Digital Temptation

Once I was hooked on photography as an escape along came digital cameras and it changed everything. While the resolution of these early DSLR's was not great the ability to see the results immediately was an incredible advantage. Add to that the fact that pixels are free so you could shoot as much as you wanted and just delete what didn't work. For a time I did fall for the new high MegaPixel DSLR's on the market. They are awfully tempting after all so I had sold off a couple of lenses in order to purchase a Nikon D800 when it was released. If I could get this high of quality with the ease of digital what more could I ask for?

Over the next couple of years I set my large format camera aside and went out with only my digital camera and did capture some shots I was happy with but there was just something missing. Even though I was taking a lot more shots with the digital camera I didn't end up with any more good images. The biggest problem, however, came when I got the images back home. Once there I had to import the hundreds of images and cull them down to the few good ones and start to process them in Photoshop. I started spending hours upon hours in PhotoShop editing the photos to make them look the way I remember seeing the actual scene. This was the exact thing I was trying to get away from when I started photography, I was spending more time in front of a computer than ever before.

Rediscovering the Magic

Around this time I fell into a photography rut, the joy was gone. To try to snap myself out of this rut I decided to take my 4x5 along on my next photo trip. During that trip, I hardly even touched the digital camera and fell back in love with the process of photography. Since that trip, my primary camera has been a 4x5 once again.

The Technical Advantages

Now for the technical reasons for shooting large format. First and foremost is the size of the film itself. Below is an image showing the actual size difference between a sheet of 4x5 film and both full and cropped DSLR sensor sizes. The 4x5 sheet film dwarfs medium format 6x4.5 film which in turn is much larger than the Full Frame 35mm and ASP-C sensor sizes. The amount of detail that can be captured on a sheet of film this size is amazing and shows even when printed extremely large.

Another Major Benefit

Beyond the superior image quality, large format photography forces you to slow down and be more deliberate with each shot. Every exposure costs money and takes time to set up, which naturally leads to more thoughtful composition and better understanding of light. The large ground glass allows you to see exactly what will be captured, and the camera movements provide unparalleled control over perspective and depth of field.

In our fast-paced digital world, the contemplative process of large format photography offers something that no digital camera can replicate: a genuine connection to the craft and a more mindful approach to creating images. It's not about being anti-digital, but rather about choosing the right tool for the artistic vision you want to achieve.