Preface
Welcome to the seventh issue of VIEW Magazine
Lately I have gone back to the basics. What would that mean? For me it means purchasing a fairly affordable large-format 4” x 5” field camera, film magazines and one 150mm lens – an equivalent field-of-view to 50mm for those who shoot 35mm film. If one takes a quick look on Ebay it’s easy to see how many large-format camera sets are available, as the shift to digital cameras continues. Since I already had a tripod and light meter left over from my film days, I was able to go out and shoot fairly quickly after the equipment arrived.
It’s been several years since I last used a 4” x 5” camera but the overall workflow came back to me fairly quickly. I rediscovered the joy of taking my time with an image, the advantage of slowly composing the frame, the ability to tilt and shift and make sure planes of view are properly aligned. Say what you will, a large-format camera is, in my opinion, the ultimate photographer’s tool that rewards the artist who takes the time to learn and use it, with a meditative moment spent underneath its dark cloth in search of a more meaningful image. This practice alone seems to instruct us on how to move through this world more thoughtfully. I look forward to using this camera more in the coming months.
That being said, VIEW Magazine is not about what camera one uses or special techniques to achieve a final, strong image. While some work shown here is by photographers using large, medium or 35mm analog cameras some are using digital cameras, including their smart phones, and use them in different ways to explore the world.
Once again, we scoured the web to find some great photographers, from Joachim Moog’s simple and beautiful photos of the environment surrounding him (see cover); Dietmar Eckell’s beautiful survey of crashed planes whose pilots and passengers survived the forced landings; Willson Cummer’s introspective look at dawn light; Roberto Deri’s comical yet serious photos; Steve Ferrier’s very British road photographs; to Petter Togstad Stige’s photos depicting real and not so real animals. Eleven photographers in total, each committed to their craft and passion.
We hope you enjoy the issue and please let your friends and family know about what we do (it’s easy to share what you like via our Facebook and Twitter sharing functions, at the bottom of each page). The more people know about VIEW Magazine, the better our chances of being able to continue producing it.
Happy viewing,
Alon
Contributors in this issue
Matt Lief Anderson
Scott Binkley
Willson Cummer
Roberto Deri
Dietmar Eckell
Barry Falk
Steve Ferrier
Joachim Moog
Benni Pause
Petter Togstad Stige
Kalo Vicent