Landscape 4x5 Photography - The Peckforton Hills

[@christopherhowell3209]

I have watched most of your video's twice or more Steve,.!..that is how good they are to me!.

[@SteveONions]

Thanks Christopher, twice 👍👍 😀

[@ArguelloFlores]

I enjoy so much on how you transform a calm walk into a photo session to obtain lovely photos. And the quick view on processing the film was interesting. Thank you again for sharing your videos.

[@SteveONions]

Thank you 😊

[@SD_Alias]

Just found your channel some days ago. Beautiful woodlands where you live. Here in northern Germany most woodland does not look so unspoiled and naturally anymore. Most of them are just for harvesting wood… Love to see your trips. Perhaps i will travel to England once it is possible again…

[@SteveONions]

I’m very lucky that there is plenty of open farming land and also woodland nearby. I’m also close to North Wales which is spectacular.

[@SD_Alias]

@@SteveONions yes really beautiful. I hope we continental Europeans do not need visa next year's to visit your beautiful island...😉

[@PiratePhD]

Love the sky at 2:34.

[@mamiyapress]

Yes, I would love to see an in dept video on that Jobo 5x4 system, I have subscribed.

[@SteveONions]

+mamiyapress I want to do a few videos on processing and scanning this year, just need to find the time.

[@richardshedd7382]

Enjoy your photography--makes me want to visit your part of the world someday. And I appreciate your sharing these videos. Between yourself, Ben and a few others on KZbin, large format is now being enjoyed by many more photographers, myself included. Thanks!

[@SteveONions]

Thanks Richard, I've another large format video out next Monday followed by a couple of medium format shoots.

[@joedavies1524]

Smashing as always Steve. Would love to see a vid on your processing of the large format negs.

[@SteveONions]

+Joe Davies I'll get round to it this year Joe when the darker nights leave me looking for things to do. I'd like to cover a couple of different methods out the many options that exist (particularly for B&W).

[@marcmarclandfotografia1187]

11:05 This happens here in Rio de Janeiro every time, unfortunately. Beautiful pictures as always, the most beautiful in my humble opinion were the tree in black and white and the house with wheat and red flowers. Every video of you is a lesson for me. Thank you!

[@garyclayton4652]

Very interesting video love the shot with the tractor lines in the feild . It's ok to talk to yourself.

[@SteveONions]

Thanks Gary, those lead in lines were a gift I couldn't ignore. I'd actually find it less embarrassing to talk to myself in a busy city centre than a remote hilltop.

[@eltinjones4542]

I like that you do the whole package from taking the photos to developing and the shots are class. It must take great patience and perseverance added to the early rising. Well done 👌

[@SteveONions]

Thanks Eltin, it is quite a commitment to work with large format especially if you throw in the processing and scanning but what really adds to the effort is the vlogging. The amount of extras you need can really add up and the weight starts to become an issue. I prefer to make the images and then record the clips if possible as setup time with the big camera is anything between 10 and 20 minutes per shot.

[@RobinWhalley]

Another excellent video. I particularly like the B&W shot of the tree. But I can't believe you resisted the shot of the tree in the corn field with the poppies in the foreground. It was right behind you when you were lining up the gatehouse shot at the end. Nice to see you have the film processing set up again - I still haven't done my films from our trip to the Roaches earlier in the year. I'm really looking forward to your next video.

[@SteveONions]

+Robin Whalley Thanks Robin, the tree is very impressive close up and I think I'll go back and shoot it agin this autumn. The shot behind me near the Gatehouse would have worked except for the angle of the sun that made it look very harsh, I should have tried to get back to it later in the day. Next video is from our Formby trip.

[@BenHorne]

That Sunrise shot turned out quite nice! That is a challenging exposure, and you did a great job capturing it. The black and white photo of the tree looks like some sort of giant creature that is turning away from the camera. Very cool. I also enjoyed the last photo of the gate house with the wheat field and those red flowers. I share your thoughts about recording video when other people are around. It's the most awkward thing, so I will seek out areas away from people.

[@SteveONions]

Thanks Ben, I was surprised how well it held the highlights, I metered for good detail in the shadows and it came out far better than expected. I keep researching quiet locations and have a few trips planned where I am unlikely to be disturbed. The bonus is that I end up shooting less obvious spots.

[@timothy-mcgaw]

I love how engaged the landscape photography community is here on KZbin. Great seeing thoughts and comments from other channels that I love.

[@SteveONions]

And everyone benefits too. It was impossible to progress quickly when I started in the 80's as you had to learn the hard way. It is great that someone can learn to use a large format camera through watching others at work.

[@davidsalter7726]

Ace ....as always

[@SteveONions]

+david salter thanks David.

[@tonyb2760]

I love your film work. Great inspiration. Thanks for sharing

[@SteveONions]

+Tony Blackwell Thanks Tony, there's more on the way, had a good day out yesterday with the 4x5 and starting to get excited about the arrival of the 8x10.

[@kennynvake4hve584]

Wondering if you have ever shot fireflies...they are quite a lot of them at this time of the year....I get mostly streaks across the shot...from them flying across and the long exposure..

[@SteveONions]

I’ve never seen any where I live.

[@srennielsen9141]

Great video as always Steve. That quick look into your darkroom was quite a teaser for that upcoming video about your color process ;D

[@SteveONions]

Thanks Søren, I used to have a fully working darkroom but closed it down after my intolerance to the chemicals became more severe. I can tolerate film developers in well ventilated spaces but have to be careful with rapid fixers where one whiff can make me wheezy. I'll definitely put together a video on developing colour and black and white films his year.

[@FilmingWildlife]

Great video Steve. Very informative and enjoyable to watch. I know it takes a lot of work to put these videos together - which you do well. Looking forward to joining you on your next foray outdoors. Well done!

[@SteveONions]

Thank you, there is indeed a fair amount of work especially for large format outings which is why I need to mix in digital shoots too.

[@markharris5771]

Beautiful images, absolutely gorgeous and I'm glad you're developing again. I know I'm not in the least bit skilled at it, but I do find the process very therapeutic and so far it's not impacted on my lungs, but we all have different triggers. Thank you for the extra details in what you are doing with your lens and why, even though I don't do large format (yet!) I find it fascinating. Have you got your 8x10 yet? I won't be in the least envious if you have...honest.

[@SteveONions]

Thanks Mark, the more film types I use the more work in processing sadly ideally I'd shoot one or the other. Good job C41 colour has a fixed development time unlike B&W although if you are careful you can find film/dev combo's that are the same. The 8x10 is scheduled for late Sept and I am keenly following the tweets from Intrepid on the progress of the components. I think they have added new features such as rear tilt and also increased the rigidity of the design in general. I'll start with B&W film, probably FP4+ and develop in the Patterson Orbital.

[@nickswisher6759]

It's nice to see some more on location large format videos, I'm trying to get my large format kit by the end of this year. Both of those first shots you took were really nice as well as the black and white tree, great video!

[@SteveONions]

+Nick Swisher Thanks Nick, it will be good to have another large format photographer making videos, I really enjoy your channel, you have a good style.

[@bujin1977]

Thought I'd take a trip up up to Bulkeley Hill this evening after watching your video this morning. It's only 20 minutes drive away. Awful light, but as far as woodland goes, not bad. I don't normally bother with woodlands as I can never find good compositions. But there's quite a lot of interesting trees there! Will have to go back when the light is a bit better.

[@SteveONions]

+bujin1977 Glad you like the location, I have also struggled in the past but there are a few areas there worth exploring. I went up to Rawhead yesterday and got some pretty decent light for a change.

[@VikasKM]

Enjoyed.. hope you do a detailed video on developing ur films as well

[@SteveONions]

Definitely this year.

[@GaetanCormier]

Really enjoyed this episode ! You got me crackin' when you heard those riffle shots haha! Good job Steve!

[@SteveONions]

Thanks Gaetan, it's all farmland round there so I shouldn't have been too surprised.

[@gsansoucie]

Hey now, you can’t just tease us with those short developer clips. Will there be a video on just your development process in the future?

[@SteveONions]

+gsansoucie I keep meaning to make a video about this and a few other subjects. With the dark nights approaching maybe it is a good time to start.

[@brentdrafts2290]

@@SteveONions I was pleased t see you have a Jobo CPE2 also. I do my film and prints upto 11x14 and use my larger Beseler daylight tubes for upto 20x24.

[@SteveONions]

I’d love some of the bigger tanks but they are so expensive these days.

[@LynneLuxonJonesphotography]

Live that last image Steve 👌 I feel your pain with the "talking to yourself " .......I'm getting better at talking with others around but still feel a little self conscious 😯

[@SteveONions]

Oddly it feels OK if there are a lot of people around but when it is deserted I find it a bit creepy and I don't want to scare anyone. I don't know about you but I find people turn up just as I am about to record a clip to camera.

[@steveh1273]

I had one of those orbital processors for developing Cibachrome prints. I use a Chromega motor base with the 2509 and 6 sheet reel. Had some uneven development along the edges where the tabs are on the reel slots; had to sand them down to fix it. Jobo reps told me I had to turn up the rpm's to at least 50 to make the 2509 system work correctly! Is the camera extension limited to the 300mm? My Linhof MT goes out to 420mm, but I can't find a lens other than telephoto that will work around 400mm. Thanks for the video.

[@SteveONions]

Hi Steve. I also used an Orbital for C41 and Cibachromes but struggled a lot with contrast when printing slides. I had a lot more success with colour negatives and made a few nice prints. I've had no issues so far with the 2509 spiral and run the CPE2 at the slower setting. The Intrepid can just manage a 300mm so long as you don't need to focus on anything less than about 10 feet away. I like that focal length in all formats and find it long enough for most situations and the Nikkor M is very small and light.

[@steveh1273]

I wonder if your Jobo reel is older, mine is about a year old. I have seen similar complaints to mine on the internet so that's why I took to sanding down the tabs with an emery board,

[@SteveONions]

Mine is pretty new too Steve, bought it less than 6 months ago although I have used other older versions in the past. I have done the full 6 sheets in one run but prefer to load just 4 so I can split my processing run and do the safety shots in a different batch. I've contemplated using the Orbital for C41 at the lower 30 degree temperature but it would mean sitting it in a water bath and agitating manually. Set up time for the Jobo is a bit of an issue so I like to have quite a few sheets before I do a processing run.

[@paulwilcock4351]

Hi Steve another great video. Where is the best place to park if I wanted to do the same walk. Regards Paul

[@SteveONions]

For the Bulkely hill section park at the end of Coppermine Lane Paul. For Beeston castle the Gatehouse at Peckforton is ideal. Have fun 🙂

[@derekcoe9633]

We have a similar sandstone rock on the Wirral called Thor’s Rock, some of the carvings are quite artistic 🙂

[@SteveONions]

I must look that up Derek.

[@derekcoe9633]

Steve O'Nions it wouldn't compare to some of the scenery on your videos but it's quite high and you can see for a few miles..loving your vids and subscribed

[@SteveONions]

Cheers Derek.

[@BillMcCarroll]

Nice work Steve. How many film holders do you normally take with you and is at always a mix of b&w, Portra and Ektar. What b&w film do you use? I liked your quick take on axis tilt, I need to try that myself as a newbie to large format.

[@SteveONions]

Thanks Bill. I usually carry 6 and the film mix will depend on the subjects and weather. I nearly always have Ektar with me and probably a Portra 400 too for the extra speed and even greater latitude. FP4+ is often in there as is Rollei IR 400 for the bright days. I'll also be shooting some E6 this autumn although I really don't like scanning it due to the dense shadows which my Epson v700 struggles with. I don't mind the axis tilts on the Intrepid and prefer them to base tilt but the ideal would be asymmetric movements like many Ebony and Chamonix models.

[@prashantkhapane]

Lovely shots !! Good to know how you develop colour film. How do you maintain temperature for colour film?

[@SteveONions]

+Prashant Khapane Hi Prashant. Even though I have a motorised CPE2 professor I like to keep things simple and usually have a bucket of water at 40 degrees to keep the chemicals warm and put the tank in a bowl also at 40. I get my colour developer to about 41 degrees before starting as it loses a few degrees when it is emptied into the tank. The other stages aren’t as sensitive but if possible I like to keep everything at roughly the same temperature.

[@sacheus]

Now you've made me think you're going to make a video about how you develop them. I hope you do.

[@SteveONions]

I'll definitely get round to it, there are a few subjects I'd like to cover like scanning and film handling in general.

[@brentdrafts2290]

Sounded like they were coming after you near the end there....lol