I am new to your site and surprized that I have not found it sooner! I am a large format hobby photographer interested in landscape and portrait photography, mostly black and white. I prefer a hybrid system; I shoot everything in film, but I then scan it and work in Photoshop rather than use an enlarger. I used to have a 4x5 Durst, but there is no way to beat the image control that you get with Photoshop.

I would like to take a class on portrait photography (emphasis on large format), but can never seem to find one.

I have been in televison broadcasting for over 20 years and ocassionally still shoot 16mm film. Yes, film is still the best!

welcome! i am trying to push myself more into doing LF portraits, just last night i made a post asking about light power and such and got lots of good experienced answers. apug is always a "wow" experience for me.

there was someone on craigslist trying to start an analog photography club (her second attempt). on the first iteration i attended the meetings, it was mostly younger people and students. i'm not sure how the 2nd iteration is going. last year i went to a nude model portrait workshop and i was the only 100% film guy there (2 others were shooting film part time, but only 35mm). so this plus being introverted, i gave up on camera/film clubs :)

things that have helped me learn; reading, apug, workshops when i can (went to the utah workshop last year and met a handful of apuggers). i plan to do more workshops this year.

i shoot with a shen-hao 4x5 and a burke&james 8x10.

anyways, welcome.

jason in san francisco

Hi Andy, welcome aboard!

Have you found the APUG.ORG "Gray Area" subforum in the Alternative Processes Forum? There may be things of interest to you there if you are a hybrid kind of guy.


...but there is no way to beat the image control that you get with Photoshop.


Have you ever heard of these masking techniques?

http://www.maskingkits.com/maskingexamples.htm

The examples just hint at the possibilities!

Again, Welcome aboard :)

Murray

Hi Andy!! Welcome from Hawaii. I'm sure you will enjoy being part of this group, but you need to be aware that your "digital" printing method won't be accepted my most here.

Andy,

There's no shortage of APUG people in the Bay Area, and a lot seem to have at least one camera of 5x4 or more in regular use (I am one). Though perhaps not with the rain at the moment...

Keep an eye on the Community -> Regional Groups -> California area.


Graham

Welcome aboard Andy.

From independent broadcast shooter Wayne

Welcome Andy. Hope you did'nt through away your Durst. A few months on this site and there's kind of a "gotta get back to the darkroom" disease that just sorta happens. I had my darkroom packed up for over twenty years and used PS also 'till I joined. Now my bathroom is my darkroom again. OK I'll admit I still use PS but I've found my passion back to focussing an enlarger. Only advise I have about using PS, which is necessary for even posting your photos, is keep manipulation to a very minimum. If you're anything like me it'll make you do the photo process from invisioning to finishing more purposeful on every photo.

Hi Andy, SF is a great place to shoot in. I just moved away from the bay area. I miss the old gang.




Have you found the APUG.ORG "Gray Area" subforum in the Alternative Processes Forum? There may be things of interest to you there if you are a hybrid kind of guy.
Murray

As to the grey area forum, it was set up as a place that would be discussing only digital in regards to making digital negatives. It is not about printing digitally. Many of the alternative process printers do digital negatives. That is why it is a grey area. Only thing that apug allows that is digital.