Death Valley Winter 2023: Large Format Film Reveal

[@dominey]

FWIW, I like the composition of the first image. Specifically, the placement of the rock in frame. I like how it feels somewhat off-kilter and less mathematical.

[@BenHorne]

Thanks Todd. It's a scene I would like to revisit because I know there's a better solution there. I can definitely see what you're saying, though one of my goals is for my images to instill a sense of calm, and the version as it stands leaves me with a bit of an uneasy feeling. Thanks for watching and commenting Todd!

[@peterfritzphoto]

I absolutely love that shot of the canyon walls, Ben. Take care, mate.

[@BenHorne]

Thank you Peter!

[@VanMierl0]

Hello, Ben Great to see the format you use for film. I think it's nice to see that you take the time to judge every photo, even the lesser ones in your eyes, but I also think the lesser ones are special and very beautiful. thank you see you next time. best regards Martin

[@BenHorne]

Thank you as always Martijn! I've always been fascinated by how our own perception changes with time, and looking back at these videos at a later date is one of the reasons why I film them in the first place. It's interesting to look back at those initial reactions.

[@peterpacholkow3064]

Thank You for another great video Ben. I must say that I thoroughly enjoy your content. I don't shoot film but there is so much to take away that relates to digital as well. Your attention to detail and analytical process is to be admired. Keep it up, I look forward to future videos.

[@BenHorne]

Thank you Peter! When it comes down to it, photography is all about subject, light, and composition, all three of which apply to both film and digital. Thanks so much for watching and commenting Peter!

[@lhuhnphotography]

As a photographer that uses black and white film, it was good to see some of your black and white negatives. Have you considered a follow up video to the Film Review video? It would be nice to see your final edits as prints. It might help sell prints as well.

[@BenHorne]

Thanks Larry! I may very well do something along those lines during the summer months when I have a lull in my work load, perhaps around the time that I announce the preorder for my next print portfolio.

[@sdkgodeacs]

Good work, I look forward to seeing the print of the boulders in black and white.

[@BenHorne]

Thanks Steven! I scanned that sheet of film the other day and it's okay, but not quite what I had in mind. I'll have to sit on it a while longer to see how my perception changes with time.

[@kenblair2538]

Great video and absolutely , great images . Thanks. KB

[@BenHorne]

Thanks Ken!

[@danielscheerer3032]

Hearing you analyze your images is quite a thing to behold. The things you pick up on and critique are at a level beyond mine, so this is enormously educational! The image of the light reflecting on the right side wall is particularly stunning - beautiful work!

[@BenHorne]

Thanks Daniel! It's definitely important to be our own wort critics. It's interesting how our own perception changes with time though. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@nicolasbertin8552]

For me the mountain and river photo works. The light is so fantastic, and the salt so striking that you don't care about that tiny mountain bump in the corner. The eye doesn't give a crap in my opinion. You should poll your friends and relatives and see what they think.

[@BenHorne]

Thanks Nicolas! It's always tricky when coming home from a trip and seeing the film-only to realize the images don't quite match my own perception of the scene as I was standing there. Though as my specific memory of that scene fades with time and I'm left with the image, which leads to a greater sense of satisfaction in time. I now very much view that image as being successful, though I had my doubts when I first saw it. Thanks for watching and commenting Nicolas!

[@samwestenskow]

Great video, I love seeing large format transparencies.

[@BenHorne]

Thanks Sam! They sure are fun to look at!

[@kreygscott]

I was just saying to my wife last night after watching Saturday's episode that I do hope there's going to be a Ben Horne Film Reveal soon and VOILA! So happy to wake up and see this. Thanks Ben for taking us along with you on your journey.

[@BenHorne]

Thanks Kreyg! So glad you enjoyed it!

[@MichaelGarbarinoPhotography]

Finally got some time to sit down and actually watch this.

[@BenHorne]

Thanks for watching!! It was an interesting trip, and I look forward to heading back next year and trying to photograph that desert holly on a still day, if there is such a thing. :-)

[@Barjavel88]

Thanks Ben, very insightful, learned a ton by listening to your self-critic! Nice images!

[@BenHorne]

I'm so glad it was helpful for you! Thanks for watching!

[@andrewsimpson5436]

I get what you are saying with the rock at the start, it's beautiful with the rubble fading to the left corner but it's all about the left of the frame I'm sure you'll crack it! Likewise with the salt pan, river, hill maybe just a step back and 2 to the right, job done 🙂 Other than that a fine set of images as usual, I'd love to see the B&W shot looking down the valley.

[@BenHorne]

Thanks Andrew! I definitely plan to revisit that first scene with the crumbled trail and see if I can find another composition for it. It's a tricky scene, but I'm convinced there's a solution there somewhere. Thanks as always for watching and commenting!

[@ashvarma2486]

Rrally enjoy these film reveal videos Ben as they are highly informative and educational. Many thanks.

[@BenHorne]

Thanks Ash, and I'm glad to hear you enjoy them!

[@guywilliam]

The canyon light shot is great. When you were composing it I didn't think there was quite eough to make an interesting image but your perfect composition, the light and texture of the rock make it work. The creek/mountain shot as well is really nice.

[@BenHorne]

Thanks Guy! That's one of those subjects where specific camera placement makes all the difference. Moving the camera an inch or two in any other direction would yield a much different result. I had scouted it out the day before so I knew generally where to stand, and arriving early gave me plenty of time to think through the composition. Thanks for watching and commenting Guy!

[@albertotafuro8730]

Very very intresting how you explain your shots.....thanks teacher!

[@BenHorne]

Thanks for watching Alberto!

[@jimwlouavl]

Your thought process is so helpful to hear. Thanks for sharing. I'm curious if you ever use a smaller format or digital to test compositions? I'm getting back into LF but still do a lot of digital photography and think it might be a way to keep costs down.

[@BenHorne]

Hi Jim! I haven't found the need to use smaller formats or digital to test a composition, but I'm a big advocate of carrying around an Artists View Catcher framing device to help put a rectangle on a scene. It allows me to spot any potential distractions, and allows me to immediately know when a composition works. I highly recommend buying one of them and carrying it in the field. They're just over $10 on Amazon.

[@L.Spencer]

I like how you are analyzing your composition choices, it's helpful to learn from. I didn't know that lines leading to the corners looks contrived. The third scene, with the mountain sticking up in the corner, didn't bother me, I liked the tension it gave. But then when you showed the last shot of that scene, with more light, I agree that the light on the mountains changes where the eye goes and you don't even notice that little tip of the mountain. I had some questions about these, they aren't negatives are they? Do you process them at home? If you didn't scan them, would one make a print using an enlarger or is there a way to put the negative or positive directly on paper? I looked through your videos, I'm sure you've talked about it before, but I couldn't identify which video might explain it. Edit - I typed this before watching the whole video, now I see the negatives at the end.

[@BenHorne]

Hi L! I process the black an white film at home, but the color negatives and color positives were processed at a local lab. I will likely do my own color negative processing soon enough, but the vast majority of my film is color positive, and I'll still have that developed at a local lab for the foreseeable future. When it comes to printing, I scan the film and then print using my wide format Epson P7000. I don't have a darkroom or even the space for one, and printing directly from color transparencies isn't really possible anymore since those materials are no longer available. It's no big loss for me though since I enjoy the hybrid workflow of capturing the images on film, but editing and outputting via digital.

[@drdirt8276]

Salt Creek at 9:09 seems to work well with 9:16 crop. I am using that crop so much more because people usually see my images on a computer screen.

[@BenHorne]

That one does indeed work well with a 9:16 crop. That's one of the fun things about large format, there is so much potential for cropping after the fact for different interpretations of a scene.

[@duringthemeanwhilst]

great variety from your trip :-) I enjoyed all of them, but for me it's the creosote b(r)ush that steals the show. I love that image 🙂

[@BenHorne]

Thanks! That sure was a fun scene to find, and I look forward to revisiting that subject on a future trip to see how it's doing.

[@alexgimagery]

The first shot of the disintegrating boulder is quite good. You are beating up yourself too much over it. I think you can crop just a small amount from the left edge, and thus also a small amount from the top and get rid of the sky triangle. You can probably also crop the same amount from the bottom as you do from the top and keep the balance.

[@BenHorne]

Thanks Alex, though I will say that when I see a photo that requires a notable crop to work, I personally see it as a lack of foresight on my own part in the field. It's not a bad thing though. Often times it takes me a couple tries to get a subject right, and I plan to revisit this subject next year to see if I can find another solution for it. Thanks for watching and commenting Alex!

[@TLM823]

Great results, Ben! You mention the artist view framing devices in your video. Any idea where I could purchase one for 1:1, 3:2, and 16:9? These are the three ratios my camera uses. Thank you.

[@BenHorne]

The Artists View Catcher has a slider that allows for a wide variety of aspect ratios. When open all the way, it’s 1:1, there’s a marking for 2:3 and you could easily add a mark for 6x17. It’ll do everything you need.

[@TLM823]

@@BenHorne Thanks Ben. Where’s it available? I didn’t see it on Amazon.

[@TLM823]

@@BenHorne Found it! Thanks again!

[@charlywedl5544]

I see you're working with slide film. It is said that the exposure must always be exact, i.e. no under- or overexposure can be tolerated. When exposing my negative films, I always pull the films and, for example, expose a 100 ASA film with only 50 ASA, I let the film develop - as in this example - but with 100 ASA. Question: Can you also recommend this for slide film? The Fuji Provia 100F is said to have a high exposure latitude.

[@BenHorne]

Hi Charly! With negative film, you can play with the contrast by pushing or pulling the film, but with transparency film, accuracy is key. If, as in your example, you were to Expose a ISO 100 film at ISO 50 and then develop with the normal ISO 100 time, your photos will be overexposed by 1 stop, which is significant. With transparency film, you'll quite readily notice if your exposure is off by 0.3 stops, so being 1 stop off will look like a significant mistake. The highlights are more forgiving than the shadows with slide film, so I will expose as bright as I can without losing important details in the highlights. Any shadows 2 stops darker than your meter reading likely won't hold detail, and any highlights 2 stops brighter than your meter reading won't hold detail, but at least with the highlights there will be some pastel colors and such in those regions. The shadows just go black with nothing which is awkward.

[@charlywedl5544]

@@BenHorne Hi Ben! Thank you very much for your detailed answer to my question, which confirms my previous working method, namely to keep away from pull and push when exposing slide films. Best regards Charlie

[@GTS00000]

How do you print/develop these positives?

[@BenHorne]

Hi GTS! The film is developed by my local lab, and then I flatbed scan the film to get a feel for it. If someone orders a print, I send the film off for a professional drum scan to get the most out of it. I produce all my prints in house with a wide format Epson P7000 pigment printer on Hahnemühle Photo Rag Baryta paper.

[@GTS00000]

@@BenHorne Thanks for the thoughtful answer. Your developed film always looks impeccable, I was wondering if you develop the film yourself. Cheers!

[@berthaduniverse]

Good morning Ben. I love how the first shot is packed with fine detail, yet from a distance it blends in. Sadly, so much of the shot draws me down and out to the lower left and left...

[@BenHorne]

Yup, my thoughts exactly. I believe there is potential with that scene, though I didn’t find it this time.

[@Rocking_J_Studio]

Give me a few days' notice next time you head out to photograph that one troublesome composition and I'll grab a shovel and fix that pesky ridge for you. 🤓

[@BenHorne]

Hahah!!! Thanks John!

[@Riverrockphotos]

The one with the shaft of light it's almost like you'd expect Jesus to come walking around the corner as he was resurrected.17:20

[@BenHorne]

It sure gave that feeling walking through that small canyon. That's one of the reasons why I gave the photo the name that I did: Eternal. Thanks for watching and commenting!