→ Six photos. That’s Tom Salt’s output today. Six near-silent precision clicks of the shutter in this outlandish camera’s lens. Between each shot is a complex set of actions to lightproof the gigantic eight-by-10-inch negative, and swap its film holder for a fresh one. Every photo takes more than an hour of inch-fussy manoeuvring of car and camera, meticulous composition, focus and light metering. Every shadow and reflection has to be managed, any superfluous piece of litter and distraction has to be physically cleansed from the scene. No digital retouching is allowed.
There are electric SUVs that accelerate as fast as a Pagani Utopia. No fuss. But they don’t have the charisma of a 6.0-litre V12 or the involvement of a manual transmission. Analogue isn’t dead. Not yet, not ever. And just as streaming never quite replaced vinyl and the pdf never quite replaced calligraphy, digital photography hasn’t quite replaced film.
The reason should be obvious on these pages. Put in the hard yards and the results from a large-format film camera can be spectacular. Even with the muffing effect of magazine printing, they show mesmerising detail and a gorgeously luminous tonal quality. You could jump into these prints like a pool.
But that’s just the start. The optics of large-format cameras let the photographer control not the same. Besides, the tilt function of the lens means the photographer can twist the pane of focus, keeping sharpness through an object that diagonally recedes into the distance. It all bestows immense artistic freedom.
