The last time I had a phone conversation with Michael, he told me that he and his wife, Ellen were into the area of 'large format' photography and in fact he had purchased one of those monsters. I was directed to a web site of the manufacturer of the new instrument and was shocked to see that large format meant 8"x10" negatives. When Michael told me it was the area that Ansel Adams worked in, I remembered thinking that it was a hell of a hassle to bring the equipment into the field as opposed to doing the work indoors.

A few weeks later I received the following e-mail message from Michael and I just had to share it. It reminds me of the cliché, "are we having fun yet?"

"Howdy Ed... I've really been getting into the large format stuff. The other day I was down in the everglades and had a family of 4 river otters swimming around my legs as I was trying to shoot a swamp scene.

Large format 8X10 takes a while to get used to, its all MANUEL and very easy to screw everything up! (Typical Scene) I wade out into swamp waist deep to a good spot. I set up tripod. I adjust tripod. I wade back and get camera. Set camera on tripod. Level camera. Camera is to far from subject. Move camera and tripod. Re-level camera. Wade back, get dark cloth and focusing loupe. Spend 1/2 hour trying to focus. Get focused. Wade back with cloth and loupe. Get film plate and meter. Remember I forgot # 12 filter. Put down film and meter run back to car for filter. Wade back out. Install filter behind lens. Installing filter screws up focusing. Go back for dark cloth and loupe. Refocusing this time only takes ten minutes. Wade back with loupe and cloth and re-pick up film and meter. Meter the area and do mental calculations figuring what zones fall where, what EV you want to put in shadows and highlights making a mental note to adjust development to N-1 to compress contrast of the negative density values of your highlights and figuring in adjustments in exposure for the installed filter, coming up with an exposure of f45 for 2 seconds, which means that you need to consider the reciprocity failure curve for the film you are using and ultimately winging it at f45 for 4.5 seconds!!! Go back to shore because you forgot cable release. Wade back and install cable release. Insert film holder into camera but you forgot to lockup all the camera movements and now you're out of focus again (sigh). Wade back for cloth and loupe refocus and lock up all adjustments, carefully insert film and remove film slide. Shit Shit Shit. I goddamn forgot to close the lens aperture and the goddamn film is over exposed before I took picture. No problem, 2 sided film holder. Gently insert film slide and remove film holder gently turn holder over and reinsert side #2. Close lens aperture. Remove film slide. Cock the shutter and finally what the hell is going on now. A goddamn cloud has covered the sun !!!!!! you get your meter and recheck your calculations shit this won't do. So you wait and wait a little longer, swat some monster flies, wait and just when your ready to kick the whole mess into the drink, out pops the sun. Place aperture on 45. Set shutter to B. Look at your watch, ready set depress cable release, one, two, three, four, and a half.......release. Place dark slide back in to film holder. Remove film holder. Take camera off tripod. Wade back with camera. Wade back with tripod. Dry off self. Take the whole thing apart. Hike it back to your car. Replace film holder in back pack. Wait a minute, I'm holding film holder # 4. I exposed #4 five hours ago down the road. Shit shit shit shit shit! Wade back out with tripod.........................Get home, place ad in Shuterbug Clasifieds, drive to Walgreens and buy Kodak disposable camera."

I am anxiously awaiting the opportunity to view the results of Michael's new field of photography. No body ever warned him how much patience would be required to get involved with something you really had a passion about. How Come?