We'd start out shooting black and white Polaroid to get the look and feel of the lighting locked down.
Then we'd move on to shooting a few color frames to see if the addition of color changed the graphic design of the shots.
Once the subject and I were happy with the final color Polaroid I would grab a stack of film holders and we'd get down to business.
After the last frame was shot I always felt sad. I never wanted to stop taking photographs.
I found these images in a box with hundreds and hundreds of other Polaroid test shots.
It made me stop and re-think my current practice wherein I get everything set up and then we spend some time shooting and chimping until I get everything zero'd in and then I start to shoot in earnest. I think I'm not spending enough time up front to get everything right before I start. I'm depending to much on the digital ease with which iterative corrections can be made as we go.
Next time I shoot I'll test more at the start and then shoot fewer frames during the shoot. But with more concentration.
These were done with one of my old Linhof TechniKarden cameras and the 250mm Zeiss f5.6 lens that I loved. It's amazing what one finds upon opening mysterious little boxes.
Speaking of larger formats you might want to watch the interview with the CEO of Phase One that Michael Reichmann just posted over at www.luminous-landscape.com. It's pretty interesting:
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/essays/is_mf_dead.shtml
