Charles Twist - Landscape photography

Using a large format camera slows down the pace of work and forces me to be far more questioning: what I am trying to say? Have I chosen the right subject? Have I chosen the right angle for this particular subject? The two aspects of landscape photography are quite simply landscape and photography. Below are three documents detailing my opinions on how they interact and what we, as photographers, can hope to achieve.

Document 1 :	is a brief expose of what a photographic picture can hope to say, detailing the agents of this art and how their effects are limited by culture.
Document 2 :	is a summary of principles of composition.
Document 3 :	looks at David Ward's suggestion that one way for the photographer to reveal his/her intentions is with a picture which deliberately avoids depicting the horizon.

Also of fundamental importance to the photographer is the technology s/he chooses. In my case, I use a large format camera, a forty-year-old Toyo 45A. I am fortunate in that I have the original manual for this camera which is available for download below. For all those, wanting to better understand the intricacies of focussing a view camera, may I recommend the site of Harold Merklinger. Those seeking the principles underpinning good exposure could do worse than visit John Lind's site.

Toyo 45A manual:

Note that the contact address does not include a fax number, or even a telex number, but a cable address! Best of luck...

Right-click on the links below to save the target pages - you'll get much better resolution than by simply downloading the new page.