Process 013 ☼ Instax Film On A Large Format Camera
Giveaway: Alice Dempsey print
Dear friends,
This week’s letter is about a test shoot with an unusual set up: instant film on a large format camera. What makes this set up extra unusual is that nearly every part, from film to back to camera, is newly produced and available at a reasonable price.
For our giveaway this week: a gorgeous print by Alice Dempsey.
My Undying Love of Instant Film
If I could choose one film stock to shoot for the rest of my life, it might well be Fuji FP-100c. This legendary instant film was discontinued a few years ago and every time I shoot a pack I nearly weep.
Not only is it stunning, but it’s become prohibitively expensive and very hard to find. One pack of ten shots would have set you back about $10 in 2016, but in 2020 it’s now about $100. The global supply is waning and I reckon in 3 years none will be left.
There are other types of instant film, most notably Polaroid and Fuji Instax, but the associated cameras don’t offer enough control or versatility to be all that useful in a professional setting. Still a lot of fun, but tough to work into my work flow.
The team at Lomography saw an opportunity in that sweet spot right between affordable amateur instant film and expensive pro film. They created the LomoGraflok, which takes Fuji Instax Wide film and fits perfectly on an Intrepid 4x5 large format camera. I was sent a prototype of the LomoGraflok to play with and give feedback on, and that’s what we’re about to do! (LomoGraflok left, Intrepid on the right)
The Learning Curve
If you’ve never shot with a 4x5 camera before it might take some time to figure out your work flow. There are more steps involved than when you take a photo with an SLR, and more steps means more opportunities to make mistakes. How many steps?
First you frame your shot, using a special piece of plastic that comes with the LomoGraflok to indicate the size of the Instax Wide frame. Then you cock your shutter, open it, and pull focus while you cover your head under a piece of black cloth so you can see what’s going on (or in my case my winter jacket, see below on the right).
Then you use a lightmeter to figure out your settings, remove the framing device, put the LomoGraflok on the camera, all while trying to not move anything so your frame stays in focus. Then you close the shutter, set your shutter time and f-stop, remove the dark slide and then take the photo. After the click you put the dark slide back inside, take the Graflok back off, eject your Instax and wait until it has developed. That’s a lot of steps and if you’re not paying attention so much can go wrong.
To illustrate, here’s a classic “oopsy” sequence from my first day:
What went wrong with the first shot? I forgot to put the dark slide back after taking the shot so it’s completely over-exposed. D’oh! For the second shot that was not going to happen again! This time I was so focused on remembering to put the dark slide back inside, I forgot to take it out altogether so nothing was captured. Double d’oh! Third time was a charm and I successfully captured this moody view of the Vondelpark.
Getting In The Groove
Once I got into the flow of things the atmosphere changed from a frustrated “argh!” to a meditative “aaaaahhh”. I was able to move faster while still maintaining the calm and meditative pace you want to get from a large format shoot.
After a few faraway landscapes I shifted to close-up still lifes. This is when the Instax film and the 150mm Fujinon lens I was using started to really sing. Look at these gorgeous flowers and how lovely the drop-off in focus is. True large format feelings generated on modern Instax film. Dreamy!
Experimenting With Light
Once I felt in control of every step of the shooting process I decided to incorporate an element of unpredictability by experimenting with light.
First, I introduced intentional light leaks to create alternate versions of photos I shot earlier. The light leaks on the left (see below) were achieved by briefly opening the back of the LomoGraflok for a second and messing with the Instax cassette.
Another experiment involved intentionally underexposing shots to hide self-portraits and other mysterious elements inside of the composition. (See below.) I increased the shutter speed by about 1.5 stops and metered for the highlights to create this look.
I ended up running out of film but haven’t stopped thinking about other light experiments for future shoots, including in-studio portraiture. Once I saw the potential of this back on a 4x5 it sparked all kinds of creative ideas.
TAKE AWAYS
There’s a learning curve, but once you catch on and find your work flow, shooting with the LomoGraflok + Intrepid 4x5 combo is straight up fun and inspiring.
Because it’s easier, faster, and cheaper than shooting 4x5 on sheet film the LomoGraflok back can be a wonderful first foray into large format photography.
If you already do shoot 4x5 sheet film, the LomoGraflok back is a perfect companion to test your settings before committing to taking a sheet photo.
While it’s no FP 100c, Fuji Instax is a reliable film stock and the most affordable in the market. It’s better to be happy about what we can use than to be sad about what we soon can no longer use! (tear emoji tho)
Notice Book Update
To bring this letter full circle lets swing back to Fuji FP100c, which I praised at the start of this letter. I most recently shot this gorgeous stock in Vancouver while wrapping up the last week of daily Notice photo walks.
I revisited my favorite walking routes from the previous 123 days to re-create images from my upcoming book Notice. The ten best ones will accompany the special artist edition of the book. Since FP-100c images are one-of-one unique prints, there will only ever be one copy of these. More on that very soon!
That’s it for this week. Next week we’ll talk about one of your most requested topics: how to deal with creative block.
Joyously,
Wesley
PS Many thanks to Samuel Ilie for generously letting me borrow his Fujinon WS 150mm 6.3 lens, Julia van de Wetering for doing a great job scanning the resulting Instax images, and to Lomography and Intrepid for letting me test the prototype back and the camera.
Process Giveaway!
British Journal of Photography named my pal Alice Dempsey one of the Class of 2019 Best Photography Graduates. She has made available this most dreamy print in a custom mat, ready to be framed by you and displayed on your wall.
To enter email me at hello@wesley.co (please don’t reply to this note but send a separate email) before 11pm EST on November 11th and answer the following question:
What is your photography goal for 2021? (Goals can be tiny or huge!)
Two winners will be randomly drawn and notified via email. This giveaway is for Process subscribers only. Subscribe below by clicking this button:
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Hello! To enter the giveaway, does the e-mail end with ".co" or ".com" in hello@wesley.co. Just double checking.