Advantages of a Large Format Camera

Series Summary

Photography is the practice of making images by exposing film or another medium to a timed flash of light. The basic equipment used for photography has changed dramatically in the last decades, many people finding digital photography an inexpensive and creative hobby. We use photography as a means of communication worldwide: to sell things, to tell stories, capture memories, evoke passions, fight for causes, make new meanings, and inspire the imagination. Mastering the art of photography is a technical and challenging experience. Even with an automatic, digital camera, one has to learn how to frame a shot, choose a background, interact with the subject, use natural light, and select the right supplies and tools. Large format cameras use film negatives or digital sensors that are 4" by 5" or larger, providing excellent image quality. This type of camera continues to be very popular with artists. Famous photographers who have used this camera include Ansel Adams, William Eggleston and Edward Weston. In this free photography lesson, a professional photographer will discuss types of film for these cameras and then demonstrate how to use the viewfinder and other features of the large format camera.

Video Transcript

"My name is Anthony Maddaloni, I'm a professional photographer from Austin, Texas and I've had people ask me, "Why do you use a large format film camera as opposed to a modern day digital camera?" And I think that is a pretty good question to ask of a photographer. So, the first thing I'm going to show is what four by five negative, how big it is. That's a very large negative. I forget what the ratio of mega pixels is to how big this negative is. There is tons of information on this negative that still even the most expensive digital camera really isn't going to come close to. Now that's not to say I don't love digital photography which I do, but I also love film photography. So this negative is huge and I'm going to get an extremely crisp, sharp image from this negative. I can also make an extremely large print that is still going to retain absolute sharpness and tonal range that another type of format would not. So that is one reason why I use a large format camera."