Making Portraits with the Medium Format camera
The photography project I was a part of in 2007 inspired me to continue taking portraits of people. Although I have an excellent digital camera, I choose to continue using the vintage 4×5 medium format camera for my project, because I feel it is better suited to the theme.
Time is often the enemy of the photographer, so I have streamlined my technique for taking portraits and conducting interviews and now have it down to a time frame of four to five hours. This is how it goes.
On arrival at the person’s house, greetings are exchanged; I am shown around the property and we settle into general conversation. As we chat and without announcement, I reach for my tripod and begin to extend the legs to full size.
I remove the camera from its case, attach it to the tripod, open it, expand the bellows and while still chatting, place a lens onto the camera. It is usually at this point that the person stops talking and looks in amazement at what is unfolding before them. This was not the camera they were expecting to see. I use this opportunity to show them how the camera works and click the shutter several times, acquainting them with the sound. This is important because they will have to remain perfectly still once I have them in focus for the portrait. I then adjust the focus with the aid of a magnifying loop and invite them to have a look through the view finder, placing the black cape over their heads.“Lou, everything is upside down” is the usual comment, along with “wow” and “this is amazing”. I leave the camera standing, poised, ready for action and begin the interview.
