Wow! I didn't expect to get so many replies so fast! I'll try to answer all of your questions one by one.
Jack Flesher,
thank you for mentioning this web site. I have already visited in the past however I haven't been there for a long time and forgot about it. There are so many hours of reading on this web site that I could probably spend at least a month trying to catch up on all the information.
Regarding the books, I already have Ansel Adam's books and have read them. I will go back to the chapters that you mentioned and reread them. I have also ordered the book you mentioned ( view camera technique) from Amazon and am expecting its rival.
Like you, I have a Sekonic 558 light meter that I use primarily for my studio work. It has a spot meter built-in and I intend on using it.
Regarding the loupe, I have one that I used to view my medium format slides. Is this the same thing? Do I need something else? The loop I use has a 6 x 7 viewing area.
Regarding the dark cloth, your idea of using a jacket is excellent. I assume it will work very well for me however I am sure that I will have a lot of experimenting to do.
With regards to the film holders and loading films on pretty sure that I'm going to go with the preloaded films at the beginning. I don't want to add more to what I already don't know. I'm pretty sure that if I tried to tackle all at once I'll get nothing done.
With regards to cameras and lenses I have been searching with Google and primarily eBay. I still don't have a clue as to what I need so not given by anything until I am better informed. As the lenses, I know what I use with my 35mm and medium format outfits so I assume that it won't be that different using large-format.
Anon E. Mouse,
As to my disability, I'm a quadriplegic. Several years ago I had an accident which left me confined to a wheelchair without much use of my hands. In the beginning it couldn't move them at all however with time things have gotten better and I have limited use of them. I cannot control fine movements such as finger movements however I have found ways to adapt my camera equipment so that I can use as with all of its functions. I only shoot using the tripod except when using my rangefinder camera which is light enough for me to handhold (contax G2). With my 35mm outfits and my medium format (Mamiya RB67) outfits I use a tripod that I connect directly to my wheelchair. It is quite steady and should easily hold up a large-format camera with out any vibrations.
Thank you for your suggestion about borrowing or renting a large-format camera. I haven't thought about that. The problem is that I don't know how to operate one so that borrowing or renting one at this stage wouldn't do me any good. I still have to educate myself beforehand.
Regarding the medium format rangefinder, I would love to be able to use one however they are too heavy for me to handhold and therefore they lose their advantage in my point of view with respect to my 35mm outfits or my medium format outfit.
Money isn't that big of a problem but like everyone else I don't want to spend my money on something that I either can't use and choose. In addition, like everyone else, I would like to spend my money wisely and affecting get something that'll do the job but costs less I would rather go that route.
I'm not familiar with the cameras that you mentioned and will Google them right now.
gwelland,
it's an interesting remark that you made about your Nikon digital outfit. When I think about it my 35mm outfit with the lenses I use ways more or less like my medium format outfit. I suppose this is because I use is in lenses with my 35mm and I used primes with my medium format.
I don't think weights can be that much of a problem for me because I don't intend to use his camera as a travel camera rather either at my studio four for landscapes. When I do landscapes I don't travel that much into the backcountry because it is quite difficult to do that with the wheelchair. I usually take my shots from nature reserve trails or from the side of the road. In both cases I can have my camera in my car most of the time when I intend to shoot.
The reason I want to get into large-format photography is twofold. One, the more I photograph the more I feel a need to have control over my vision. I began with an SLR on program mode, moved to fully manual SLR, to a fully manual medium format camera with a light meter on the side and now I believe the next logical step would be a large-format camera because I feel the need control my subject further. Two, I love the impact of large prints and I believe that I will get much better detailed if I use a large-format camera instead of my medium format. If I had the money I might buy a digital medium format however I am not that well endowed.
There actually is another reason, I believe it could be a lot of fun and a great learning experience.
Jack Flesher,
the movements are definitely something that I'm looking forward to experimenting with. I'm sure I can get excellent effects that would convey my vision.
pchaplo,
I haven't really thought about buying a digital camera yet. It's not that I don't think that a can give me the quality that I want rather, I don't think that I am ready for digital yet. I know myself well enough to know that I would probably cheat myself out of learning the way I want to learn photography. I know this sounds kind of weird but it's just the way things work with me. Believe me, I've heard enough about this idea from people that it got on my nerves. I also love projecting my 35mm slides. I'll probably move to digital once the digital projectors are as good as my slide projector. I think that the main use of my 35mm outfit is to get slides that I project. The main use is my medium format outfit is to do my visionary work whether it be landscaped, or studio.
I agree with you 100% that the pace of one's work is dependent solely upon his own little. The photographer should know himself better than what is expected of him with a certain piece of equipment. I know that I will always work in a slow pace. Not only because of my disability but also because I like to get a shot I want the right way. That is, I want to take a one-shot and know that I got what I wanted in my minds eye rather than take 20 shots and hope that I got what I wanted. For me, this takes a little more time and preparation.
Sfleming,
thanks for the suggestion of the forum. I will shortly check it out and register for myself. Is there are even half of the good people that I see here I'm sure they'll get my (none) money worth. It's great having forums to collaborate with people. I can't tell you how happy I am to get all this help.
I would like to take you up on your offer. I probably can't get to your place however, if you like to take two planes to Israel that we can get together and you could probably teach me more than my money's worth. I doubt that there will be anyone from Israel on this forum however it's worth a shot. You never know. I have a class at the local university that teaches large-format photography and I'll probably check it out.
BernardLanguillier,
thank you for the article. It's always great to have people contribute like you do to this community. I will definitely reread it and try to get as much as the as I can. I'll contact you if I have any questions.
Stephen Best,
that's exactly the reason I want to get into large-format photography. As I mentioned earlier I don't think that I can borrow/rent an outfit close to my home. I will probably end up buying a budget camera to start with. I've seen several Toyo and Calumet cameras that don't seem to cost an arm and a leg but as I mentioned before I have no clue what I need and will probably need to read for about a month until I end up buying anything. In addition, like I mentioned earlier, I'll probably start with the ready load films.
Everybody,
thank you for all your help. Keep the suggestions coming. I would definitely like to know what type of camera should I try in the beginning. On tend to not to go to the field camera solution even though it is lighter. I believe that I will have a lot more versatile to using the studio camera option.