Lately I’ve been shooting more with vintage, large-format cameras. It’s interesting to see how the instrument affects the final image. The photograph above was taken with a 1955 Speed Graphic press camera and an Aero Ektar lens from WWII. This particular equipment combo was popularized by the great photojournalist David Burnett who use the set to photograph the 2004 presidential campaign. When used for a close-up portrait as seen here, the lens has a very shallow depth of field. This requires the subject to remain perfectly still while the camera is be being focused. This creates a stillness not seen with the rapid-fire digital SLR approach that has become my main-stay. I’ll have more to say about how the camera changes the photo in the days to come.
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