Minimalism in Comacchio: an analog, 4x5" Portfolio

[Vieri]

Hello everyone,

I am currently in Comacchio (Italy) in the river Po's delta running a Workshop, and thought this would be the perfect time to release a Portfolio of analog, 4x5" photographs I created here last December. You can find the full Portfolio on my Blog, here: COMACCHIO & PO DELTA: AN ANALOG PORTFOLIO

Here some images out of the Portfolio for you to enjoy:

All photographs taken with my Arca-Swiss F-line custom camera, Ilford FP4+ rated 100 ISO and developed in Pyrocat-HD. Best regards,

Vieri

 

[AlanLichty]

I love the level of detail you get with a rig like this. Especially notable in the last image. It's always fun to speculate what used to sit on top of old pilings along rivers like the ones in the first two images.

 

[JimFox]

I love how you worked the light and fog in these. As you mentioned previously, film does so well with highlights and how it gradiates.

Those old pilings in the water are so neat, we don't see much of that over here in the US.

Are the people in your workshop using digital or analog?

 

[Vieri]

I love the level of detail you get with a rig like this. Especially notable in the last image. It's always fun to speculate what used to sit on top of old pilings along rivers like the ones in the first two images.

Hello Alan, indeed, 4x5" film - and those old lenses - are really good when it comes to details! About the pilings in the first shot, they used to hold a fisherman's hut; while the second shot is a fishing net.

I love how you worked the light and fog in these. As you mentioned previously, film does so well with highlights and how it gradiates.

Those old pilings in the water are so neat, we don't see much of that over here in the US.

Are the people in your workshop using digital or analog?

Hey Jim, thank you so much, glad you enjoyed them! Yes, I love how film renders highlights and the light in general - it has a softness and smoothness that digital - for all its amazing qualities! - lacks.

Those pilings are indeed pretty neat, the lagoons around Comacchio are full of these - there are many fishermen huts that are left in disuse, and eventually disintegrate leaving only the pilings behind. It's so strange to see how such a seemingly calm and placid weather could destroy those structures so relatively fast.

About the Workshop, everyone uses digital - we seldom have film users, we did have a gentleman in Tuscany last November though.

Best regards,

Vieri

 

[Jameel Hyder]

Nice work Vieri. The first image is my favorite, though I will be very happy with all three.

 

[Peter Michal]

Hi Vieri.
Technically/compositionally these pictures seem almost perfect. However, the thick fog prevents the beautiful and well-readable detail in the entire area of the pictures (the 4x5 format).
Forgive my curiosity.. what is that - what is it about in the first two pictures?
Perfect processing..

Thanks, Peter

 

[Vieri]

Nice work Vieri. The first image is my favorite, though I will be very happy with all three.

Hey Jameel, thank you very much, happy you enjoyed these!

Hi Vieri.
Technically/compositionally these pictures seem almost perfect. However, the thick fog prevents the beautiful and well-readable detail in the entire area of the pictures (the 4x5 format).
Forgive my curiosity.. what is that - what is it about in the first two pictures?
Perfect processing..

Thanks, Peter

Hello Peter, thank you for your comment. A forum post is a bit limiting to describe minimalism properly, so forgive me for the oversimplified and incomplete description that will follow. The idea of minimalism is to simplify the elements in the frame (either by reducing them in number or by other means) and organise them in such a way as to tell a story. Fog is a great tool to do so, in that it helps us hiding elements that would not add anything to the story - and so is snow, that can be used to blanket the landscape leaving just some elemnts standing (trees, fences, isolated buildings, and so on).

Hope this helps, and that it inspired to go and look up more in-depth definitions and descriptions of minimalism.

Best regards,

Vieri

 

[Peter Michal]

Hello Peter, thank you for your comment. A forum post is a bit limiting to describe minimalism properly, so forgive me for the oversimplified and incomplete description that will follow. The idea of minimalism is to simplify the elements in the frame (either by reducing them in number or by other means) and organise them in such a way as to tell a story. Fog is a great tool to do so, in that it helps us hiding elements that would not add anything to the story - and so is snow, that can be used to blanket the landscape leaving just some elemnts standing (trees, fences, isolated buildings, and so on).

Hope this helps, and that it inspired to go and look up more in-depth definitions and descriptions of minimalism.

Best regards,

Vieri
________
Hi Vieri. Thank you very much for your explanation about the images. I'm guessing that the poles sticking out of the water are the remains of some small buildings that served the fishermen when catching fish (that's what I meant in my question).
Years ago I noticed your blog from 2013 comparing the Sigma SD1 with the Nikon D800E (I had a Sigma SD1 for several years). At that time (from 2004) I used a Pentax 67II.
In 2024 I switched to a smaller digital medium format Fuji GFX 100 which is fine for my landscape photography.

I wish you all the best Vieri!

 

[Vieri]

Hello Peter, thank you for your comment. A forum post is a bit limiting to describe minimalism properly, so forgive me for the oversimplified and incomplete description that will follow. The idea of minimalism is to simplify the elements in the frame (either by reducing them in number or by other means) and organise them in such a way as to tell a story. Fog is a great tool to do so, in that it helps us hiding elements that would not add anything to the story - and so is snow, that can be used to blanket the landscape leaving just some elemnts standing (trees, fences, isolated buildings, and so on).

Hope this helps, and that it inspired to go and look up more in-depth definitions and descriptions of minimalism.

Best regards,

Vieri
________
Hi Vieri. Thank you very much for your explanation about the images. I'm guessing that the poles sticking out of the water are the remains of some small buildings that served the fishermen when catching fish (that's what I meant in my question).
Years ago I noticed your blog from 2013 comparing the Sigma SD1 with the Nikon D800E (I had a Sigma SD1 for several years). At that time (from 2004) I used a Pentax 67II.
In 2024 I switched to a smaller digital medium format Fuji GFX 100 which is fine for my landscape photography.

I wish you all the best Vieri!

Hello Peter,

you are very welcome, happy to help! Yes, these poles were holding a fisherman's hut which has since collapsed. Happy to hear that you found my blog interesting, the SD1 was a great idea - which could have been developed further and better, as was the Pentax 645Z. Enjoy the GFX100, an amazing camera, as are pretty much all MF digital beasts available to us today!

Best regards,

Vieri