I’ve used 4x5 cameras for the past 30 years. Now I must confess I’ve had some “flings” with medium-format, the latest being the Fuji 680 five years ago. It has been useful in my work with moving water, since its lens tilts allow me to use faster shutter speeds. With moving water, getting a meaningful composition involves a high degree of luck! I usually cross my fingers — and then take many exposures at various shutter speeds. This would be prohibitive with a 4x5, since each exposure runs around $3 or more (film and processing).
For all my other work, I find that when I want to capture a “real” image, I must use a “real” camera — which in my mind, is a 4x5. I mainly photograph scenes with trees and other vegetation, which include a myriad of fine details — needles, twigs and such. Large format film can render these scenes with amazing detail, even in a 30x40 inch print.
On the basis of three different test exposures, I’m now announcing my latest “fling” — in advance! In late D...
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After spending seven years of college studying classical piano, Charles Cramer visited Yosemite National Park, and soon realized he wanted out of those tiny practice rooms! Realizing the similarities between interpreting music and interpreting a negative, he soon became enamored with making prints. Thirty years later, he is now recognized as a master printmaker. His prints sell in many galleries, including the Ansel Adams Gallery. In 1987 and again in 2009, Cramer was selected by the National park Service to be an artist-in-residence in Yosemite.
He has taught workshops since 1988 for the Ansel Adams Gallery in Yosemite, the Palm Beach workshops in Florida, Anderson Ranch workshops in Colorado, and the John Sexton Workshops in California.
Cramer has been profiled in PhotoTechniques, Outdoor Photographer, Outdoor Photography (UK), Camera Natura (Sweden), Popular Photography (China), PhotoVision, and View Camera magazines. His work has been published by National Geographic Books, Sierra Club, and the Yosemite Association. He is also included in the books “Landscape: The World’s Top Photographers,” published in 2005, and “First Light: Five Photographers Explore Yosemite’s Wilderness,” published in 2009. He also had a solo exhibition at the Center for Photographic Art in Carmel in 2010. His work can be seen at www.charlescramer.com.
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