My Large Format Photography Gear
Because I often field questions about what Kind of camera I use, my camera is a good place to start when discussing my camera gear. Most people want to know how I can create such large vibrant prints and what kind of digital camera I use. They are always surprised to learn that I use a large format 4×5 film camera to capture all of my fine art images. There are lots of reasons I explored and have subsequently stuck with a 4×5 camera despite its dated technology and painstaking workflow. Below is a picture of the 4×5 camera that I affectionately refer to as “The Big Rig” which I use to capture all of my fine art prints.
My 4x5 camera , "The Big Rig" which I use to capture all of the images in my fine art landscape portfolio.
THE CAMERA. WHY I STILL USE A LARGE FORMAT 4X5 CAMERA FOR ALL OF MY FINE ART PRINTS.
1. I like it! I like working with a semi-historic camera, I like the feel of it’s cherry wood body, I like the feel of the brass fittings and I like the fact that I feel like I am creating art with art when I am composing a scene with this beautiful camera. It is a very Artisan way of capturing and creating fine art images. In a time of ever advancing digital technology, Film simply film simply feels more real to me. I consider myself a documentary artist. My intention is to capture natural scenes at their very best with minimal post processing. My 4×5 camera helps keep me in touch with that intention.
2. The deliberate process of using this camera makes me fine tune my images before exposure. This camera is largely the opposite of modern digital cameras with which you can fire away without discretion. The film is expensive as is the processing. I estimate that it costs me about $10 per exposure with this camera. The inherent deliberation required with using this type of camera, combined with the cost forces me to pay attention to composition, exposure and focus. This extra attention to details actually saves me time in post processing and that I like.
3. Perspective Control. Large Format cameras like mine are made with bellows so that the film plane and the lens plane can move separate of one another. This separate movement allows me to change the plane of focus in a given shot so that I can get a larger percentage of a given scene in sharp focus than is possible with digital and 35 mm cameras.
4. Big Image format. Part of the reason that I refer to my camera as “The Big Rig” is that it is physically large. The other reason is that it has a very large film format(4 inches x 5 inches, thus the term 4×5 camera). The magic of this kind of camera lies in this large film format. I have to enlarge my transparencies very little compared to digital and other types of film cameras when I want to make a large print. Because of this large film format, I can also make an exceptionally detailed fine art print at very large print sizes. I’ve read that a slow speed 4×5 transparency can be drum scanned and is the equivalent of a 150 megabyte digital camera. That’s huge and that is a big part of why I love this camera.
THE TRIPOD( see the above image)
I use a Gitzo 1228 Carbon fiber tripod and I love it.(Come on Gitzo, how about a little sponsorship money!) It is light for a tripod that is so sturdy because of the carbon fiber material that it is made of. It has plenty of stability, adjustability and it does a good job of dampening vibration which allows me to create images that are crisp and wiggle-free. I also use a Gitzo ball head, for a full range of camera focusing options.
THE LENSES
I carry a small stable of lenses when ever I go out shooting. Because telephoto lenses tend to have lower image quality than fixed lenses, I have opted to use only fixed lenses in my lens collection. My lens collection is pictured below.
My Lens Collection. These lenses include 75mm,90mm,135mm,210mm, and 300mm and at the bottom of this image is my Pentax 1 degree Spotmeter
4×5 camera lenses tend to have a field of view that is 3x wider than the equivalent 35mm lenses. That is to say that the 75mm lens for my 4×5 camera is roughly equivalent to a 25mm lens on a 35 mm camera. My lenses include a 75mm,90mm,135mm,210mm, and 300mm. In terms of a 35mm camera, this collection does not allow for a very long/telephoto option. This is fine with me. In general, the further away a photographer is from his or her subject, the lower the image quality is. Not having a longer lens option, forces me to get closer closer to my subjects and therefore I have more sharpness in my images and greater image quality. It is simultaneously a self control and a quality control mechanism! These lenses are all very specialized and therefore very expensive but without a great lens you cannot have a sharp image, so I’m willing to pay the price.
The pentax spot meter at the bottom of the above picture is the tool I use to take light readings which I then use to calculate exposure times. The fact that it is a 1 degree spot meter means that it samples light from a circle only 1 degree in diameter. This gives me greater control over exposure which is especially valuable is some unusual lighting situations.
Me and "The Big Rig" at my preferred office, high in the Oregon Cascades. Photo Credit: "Old Mike" Croxford
These are the high points from my gear collection. I have a hand full of other goodies that accompany me on my photography outings, but they aren’t as critical as my camera, lenses, and tripod. If you are an aspiring photographer and would like some further information or advice about photography gear, please feel free to contact me through the “contact” tab at the upper right hand corner of the home page of this website.
Thanks For Visiting,
Mike Putnam
Bend , Oregon First Friday Art Hop at U.S. Bank Downtown Branch.
I’d like to thank the good people from U.S. bank, in Bend, Oregon, who recently purchased some of my fine art landscape photography for their newly remodeled downtown branch.
Sunrise on Central Oregon's Broken Top Mountain with a wildflower filled foreground.
The above photograph is one of those now on permanent display at the downtown Bend, Oregon branch of the U. S. Bank. This beautiful image captures Central Oregon’s Broken Top Mountain at sunrise with a beautiful flower filled foreground which includes Monkeyflowers, Queen Anne’s Lace, Indian Paintbrush, Senecio, and alpine asters. This and all the other images at U.S. Bank are double matted with a museum white acid free matte which looks great at the bank.
Photo/Picture of Central Oregon's favorite waterfall, Tumalo Falls
The above Tumalo Falls also looks great at U. S. Bank. For those of you who have seen this image before, you’ll notice that this specific has a slightly different crop, giving it a more expansive feel. It is a crop I’ve wanted to try and one that the folks at U. S. Bank wanted for their downtown Bend, OR branch.
Photo/picture of an alpine sunrise as seen from the summit of Central Oregon's South Sister
This semi-famous “summit sunrise” image is still one of my favorites and is now one of the favorites of U. S. Bank. It looks great there as it does at most locations. It gives a rugged, alpine balance to the balance of fine art images in the new collection at U. S. Bank.
Picture/ photograph of the Painted Hills of John Day in Eastern Oregon
The above Painted Hills print captured in the John Day unit of the Painted Hills area is another great representation of the tremendous geographic diversity that can be found in the Bend, Oregon area. This image is also a permanent member of the U.S. Bank’s art collection.
Photo/picture of Mt. Jefferson in the Central Oregon Cascade Range
This picture of Jefferson Park was captured in late summer from one of my favorite camping and hiking areas and is one of the first locations that made me excited about fine art landscape photography. this is simply one of my favorite types of landscapes to capture. Beautiful snow-covered mountains, scenic alpine meadows filled with wildflowers and great warm evening light.
Fine Art photo/picture of Oregon's Smith Rock State Park with the Crooked River in the foreground
Smith Rock State Park offers endless fine art photography opportunities and this is one of my favorite prints from that wonderful Oregon location. The glowing towers bathing in soft warm light with a fore ground of the gently curving Crooked River offer another example of the phenomenal diversity of the Central Oregon region. I think all of the above images make a beautiful permanent addition to the downtown Bend , Oregon branch of U.S. Bank, but judge for yourself! Please stop in at the bank and tell me what you think.
I’d like to sincerely thank the kind people of U.S. Bank who chose to purchase my art work and who graciously hosted me during the May 2009 first Friday Art walk in Downtown Bend. The event was well attended and it was very rewarding to meet some new people who are willing to support the arts in Central Oregon. A special thanks should also go out to Stacey, Loretta, Andy, and the rest of the staff at the U.S. Bank Downtown branch. They were all very efficient, helpful, organized and pleasant people to work with during the completion of this art project.
Thank You!
Mike Putnam
First Friday Fine Art Photography show at Pandora’s Backpack
I’d like to officially thank Rod Bien of Pandora’s backpack in downtown Bend for hosting my photography show last Friday(3/6/09) The store is great, Rod has always been generous in allowing my huge fine art prints and cumbersome easels to clutter up his store and the staff at Pandora’s backpack is also a great group of people. Mo, Jordan, Thad and everyone who chipped in at last Friday’s art walk. It is very appreciated.
Mt. Bachelor and Red Indian Paintbrush in the Central Oregon Cascades
We had a great turn out and it was especially nice to see some old friends and collectors who I had regrettably lost touch with in the past couple years. Above is one of the many images that are still hanging at Pandora’s backpack which I captured with my large format 4×5 film camera.
For those of you that don’t already know, Pandora’s backpack is according to my understanding a Patagonia concept store. Meaning they are privately owned but carry almost a full line of Patagonia clothing. Perhaps if Rod Bien happens to stumble upon this entry , he could give us some details. Regardless, it is full of high quality, well made outdoor gear from my favorite outdoor company, Patagonia. Old Patagonia catalogs were one of my early photography inspirations. When I lived in Kentucky with my parents, I had a small collection of photos cut out of old Patagonia catalogs taped up next to my spot at the dinner table. It was my happy spot! Back to Pandora’s Backpack. It is a beautiful store with very attractive brick walls and some nice rugged wood details, all of which combine nicely with my large format fine art prints and the hand made cherry wood frames that I create for them.
Lichen covered basalt columns in Central Oregon's High Desert
The above is another one of my fine art photos which is currently hanging at Pandora’s backpack. I captured this image near the alder springs area outside of Sisters, Oregon. I met lots of new Bend residents at the show virtually all of who are living in Bend for the outdoor experiences that are available here. Having the Deschutes River, the high desert, old growth ponderosas, and the Cascade Mountains all within minutes of each other and minutes of Downtown Bend make this an amazing place for me to live.
Middle Sister, North Sister, Mt Washington, Three Fingered Jack, and Mt. Jefferson as seen from Tam McArthur Rim
This is yet another fine art image hanging at Pandora’s backpack and yet another reason I feel lucky to live and work in Central Oregon. An endless supply of beautiful photography subjects and some amazing sunsets are nothing to complain about. The above photograph was taken from Tam McArthur Rim high on the flanks of Central Oregon’s Broken Top Mountain in the Oregon Cascades. The sunset was clearly stunning but the view is always grand from this location. From left to right are Middle Sister, North Sister, Mt. Washington, Three Fingered Jack, and Mt. Jefferson. It is truly an amazing volcanic viewpoint.
If any of you are interested in seeing more of my work in person, please stop by Pandora’s backpack where my work is semi-permanently displayed. It is located at the On Bond street in the St. Clair building in downtown Bend.
Central Oregon Photography Fundraiser
Every February for the past several years, I submit one of my fine art prints to the annual photography fundraiser for the Family Resource Center of Bend, Oregon. It is an outstanding event which raises lots of operating capital for this noble charity. The event was previously held at the Riverhouse until last year when it was moved to the convention center at the Riverhouse. For more specific information about the Family Resource center and their annual photography auction please visit their website at Family Resource Center.
The FRC’s annual fine art photography auction is rumored to be the largest auction focused entirely on photography on the entire West Coast. The event has traditionally held both a silent auction and a live auction. It is traditionally quite an honor to be juried into the prestigious live auction. This is my 4th year to submit a fine art photography print. In the three previous years, my fine art prints have been juried into the live auction. I haven’t heard back yet about this year but I like my chances as I submitted an image that is local, recognizable and very attractive. This years fine art print submission is pictured below.
Fine Art Print of Broken Top Mountain and a flower filled meadow.
This picture of Central Oregon’s Broken Top Mountain is my favorite to date. The scene is simply over flowing with wildflowers in the foreground meadow and the warm morning light accenting Broken Top’s summit is intensified by the wispy clouds floating around the summit pinnacles. To find this many flowers in a Central Oregon Mountain scene is rare but it is also becoming a photographic speciality of mine. As I mentioned, this year’s fine art print has not yet been juried so I’m not yet certain that this image will be present in the live auction but that doesn’t stop me from being optimistic.
I’ll not step back in time and give a bit of person history about the FRC auction. My first year with the local pros such as Bruce Jackson, and Loren Irving who does a great deal of work on behalf of the FRC I nervously submitted the following sunset photo of South Sister as seen reflected in the glassy waters of Sparks Lake.
Fine Art photo of South Sister reflected in the calm waters of Sparks Lake during a beautiful sunset.
Despite the fact that this image has some stunning color, and captures a beautiful scene, I was very nervous about submitting it to the FRC for jurying. It was at that time my most stunning large Format fine art print. What if it wasn’t good enough? Well, it was and it sold very well but unfortunately I don’t know who ended up buying that particular print. this is unfortunate because I wanted to thank my new collector and I’ve never been able to do that. If anyone happens to know who ended up buying that fine art print please contact me! The following year I submitted the following fine art print of Central Oregon’s Tumalo Falls in Autumn.
Fine Art photo of Tumalo Falls in autumn near Bend, Oregon
I captured this fall image of Tumalo Falls with my daughter Emma by my side. We’d just finished a day hike together under rainy skies and I realized that the combination of heavy rain and fall color along Tumalo Falls and Tumalo Creek might make for an interesting photograph so we drove to the most iconic waterfall in the Central Oregon area. It was raining and blowing hard but the scene was beautiful. I fought with rain spots on my lenses for quite some time as my large format camera isn’t the speediest photography tool available. I captured many different compositions as I realized that the combination of setting, light and color was special. My little Emma was actually instrumental in keeping my equipment dry during what developed into a rare Central Oregon downpour. This ended up being my favorite of many good images from that day. For another cropped version of this image, please visit our stock photography blog at Pacific Crest Stock and browse the collection of waterfalls, lakes and streams images. Unfortunately, Debbie and I weren’t able to attend the auction that year because we took Emma to Disney Land which Emma probably enjoyed more than the fine art auction or getting drenched with me at Tumalo Falls! When I returned I got a congratulatory call from a fellow photographer who was Impressed with how much that photo sold for and how exciting it must have been for me! I believe that years total netted the Family Resource Center $3,500 which is exciting indeed. I think the excitement from my Tumalo Falls photo helped garner some extra attention for my work around Bend. The next year I was asked to be the featured artist of the event and the following fine art print was the featured print for the Auction.
Fine Art Photo of Mount Jefferson from the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness area of Central Oregon
Being the featured artist for an event that I once was nervous about being juried into was of course a tremendous honor. The same Mt. Jefferson photo seen above is also to be featured on the cover of the soon to be released Visit Bend Central Oregon guide. I recently recounted that honor on our stock photography blog at Pacific Crest Photo Blog.
If any of you have an interest in top quality fine art photography, please visit the Family Resource Center’s website listed at the top of this entry. I’d also like to give a special recognition to Debbie Spicer of Eastlake Framing. She does all of the framing and much of the organizing for this event which is a huge time and monetary commitment. I suspect this event would not be possible without her time and effort. If you happen to go to the FRC photography auction, think Broken Top, bid early, bid often and bid high!
If you have any interest in licensing any of these images for editorial or advertising purposes please visit our stock photography site, Pacific Crest Stock . If you are interested in purchasing any of my fine art prints of these images, please contact me via the contact info at the top of this website’s home page.
Pacific Crest Stock Photography
Hello everybody! I haven’t made an official announcement on this website about our new venture, Pacific Crest Stock Photography and it’s about time. Pacific Crest Stock is stock photography company started by me and My great friend and fellow photographer, Troy McMullin. Pacific Crest Stock specializes in licensing top quality landscape images for advertising, editorial and marketing purposes. Please visit our website, Pacific Crest Stock to see lots of galleries filled with stunning Oregon landscape images. I should also mention our new Pacific Crest Blog where I will now focus most of my blogging effort. For future photo updates about mine and Troy’s recent photography related adventures, our Pacific Crest Blog is the place to visit. If you’ve enjoyed visiting this blog, I encourage you to visit our Pacific Crest Blog because it will be updated more frequently. I’ll continue to use this Mike Putnam Photography website/blog but it will be more focused on fine art photography information and updates. I go out and get some spectacular new images that will definitely be available as fine art prints, it will be be first announced here. Also I’ll announce upcoming shows, new print releases, and ongoing exhibits on this site.
So, for frequent updates about Central Oregon Trail conditions and our evolving wilderness scenery in the Bend area, please bookmark our new Pacific Crest Blog or better yet, sign up for an RSS feed! I’ve heard from several people who are now using our Pacific Crest Blog as their home page or they have included our blog in their RSS feeder that updates automatically on their Google or Yahoo based home pages because they enjoy updates on Central Oregon’s beautiful scenery so much and they enjoy the stories that accompany our images as well. You’ll find that Troy is quite the wordsmith! Visit our “About Us” Page for some info about Troy who recently posted a blog with some beautiful fall images from along the McKenzie River. You can even view some of the images he plans on pirating from my portfolio in that blog entry. I also recently finished a blog entry about the Metolius River which includes some of my favorite images from that area that are available as fine art prints. I hope you enjoy our new Pacific Crest Stock blog please visit there often!
Oregon Cascade Mountain Gallery
High Desert Print Gallery
Trees and Wildflower Prints Gallery
Rivers, Lakes and Waterfalls Gallery
All content © 2010 by Mike Putnam Photography