[LargeFormat] Introductions (another long one)

[Charles Thorsten]

Hi everyone,

I'm 26 and I own a small custom photo lab in San Diego, CA.
I've been involved in photography for ten years now and I've
been printing professionally full-time for the past five.  Everything 
I do is traditional darkroom work.  I do both color and B&W
custom work.  I guess I've just been lurking these days on the
LargeFormat list...sorry Clive. :)

Like most people, I started off with 35mm.  I gravitated to 
larger formats once I began printing and realized what a 
difference a big piece of film makes.  I photographed for
a while with a "borrowed" Rolleiflex SLX, which is a great
camera (6x6cm).  I still use it when I'm traveling light.  But
I took the plunge a few years ago and bought a Toyo 4x5.
It's been my primary camera for serious (i.e. fun!) work. :)
I've acquired 3 lenses for it over the years: a Caltar 75f/4.5,
Rodenstock 150f/5.6 Apo-Sironar-N, and a Schneider
210f/5.6 Symmar-S.  I've mainly shot transparencies over
the years, but recently I've been making some new black
and white images.

I've found the best way for me to learn with the view camera
(and photography in general) is to think of one photograph
you've always wanted to do perfectly, and do it perfectly.
Concentrate on one photograph at a time and carry it through
to the end product with no shortcuts.  So far I have two B&W
images I think I've succeeded with.  Using the large format,
combined with my darkroom experience, has taught me that
one masterpiece is superior to a hundred "okay" shots.

In my darkroom I have two motorized Durst L1200 enlargers,
one with a standard CLS 501 colorhead and the other with
the AC1201 closed-loop colorhead.  Most of my enlarging
lenses are Rodenstock Apo-Rodagons, with the exception of
a prized Apo-El-Nikkor I found last year.  If anyone on this
list wants to build a good professional darkroom cheaply, this
is the time!  Visit local pro labs that are switching over to digital.
Most likely they'll sell you high-end gear for pennies on the
dollar.  That's how I built my humble lab (I'm not exactly rich!).

My photographic inspirations come from many sources, but
I'm not ashamed to say I'm a big Ansel Adams fan.  Maybe it's
because I'm relatively young...I don't know.  His style motivates
me with the camera.  John Sexton's quiet print quality inspires me
in the darkroom.  I love the subtle yet powerful tones he is able
to achieve, along with the fact that he doesn't try to make 
wallpaper out of his prints.  He generally keeps it to 11x14 and
works on quality.  You know, I've learned a funny quirk of
human nature by running a custom lab.  People who shoot large
format are usually content with 8x10 prints, while those who use
35mm seem to insist on 20x30's or bigger, maybe just to prove
they can do it?  Who knows.

With the age and experience of everyone here, I'm almost feeling
like a junior member of the club.  I've enjoyed the wealth of
information here!  I've got a lot more to learn.  Thanks for making
f32 such a great list.

-Charlie Thorsten
 San Diego, CA