Two years with large format film

[Vieri]

Hello everyone, it now has been two years since I started thinking about working with large format 4x5” film, and what an exciting, inspiring ride this has been! Working with large format proved to be everything I hoped for and more; after two years, I am fully convinced that this has been the right choice for me and that large format film is the medium that best helps me express myself through my photography.

Between our Workshops and my personal work, my wife and I do travel a lot; however, I was surprised to see that, grouping together all our travels, since I got my first 4x5” camera I had the opportunity to work with large format for a total of about 365 days in the field over two calendar years!

While the learning never stops, after these two years I now feel confident enough about sharing some thoughts about this photographic experience and all it entailed, hoping you’ll find them interesting and useful regardless of any eventual interest you may have in working with film.

The article is way too long to share here; if interested, you'll find on my blog, here: https://www.vieribottazzini.com/2026/05/two-years-with-large-format.html

Enjoy the read and let me know your thoughts! Best regards,

Vieri

 

[JimFox]

What an awesome blog you wrote Vieri. I really enjoyed it. And I highly recommend everyone here to read it as well.

It was fun to see your choices you have made.

 

[AlanLichty]

Very nice writeup on your experiences with large format. I wanted to follow a path like this back in the 1970's but couldn't afford the gear at the time. The one part that has carried over into my digital work is being much more deliberate in composing and taking my shots whenever possible but nothing that even comes close to what is needed when you duck beneath the hood and set up your work on the ground glass.

Keep it up - its nice to know someone is keeping the legacy alive.