4x5 for 365 project (365/365) - THE END

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A cabin typical of those used by George Washington's Revolutionary Army Soldiers during their encampment on the grounds of what is now the Valley Forge National Historic Site in Chester County, Pennsylvania.

This image concludes my 4x5 for 365 daily project for 2014.  The project's goals were to force myself to shoot as much as possible in as many different settings and situations as possible with the 4x5 large format camera in order to learn the mechanics and the science behind this type of photography to the point where it becomes second nature.  I think the project has served those goals well.  Looking back over the project output I have no regrets though I do wish I could have included more portraiture in the mix of images.  2015 sets the stage for new challenges including the addition of a 5x7 camera to the mix and hopefully spending more time with some of the cameras that had to take a back seat to the 4x5 gear during 2014.  I want to thank those who took the time to favorite photos on flickr and like photos on Facebook and comment during the project.  The support of viewers has made it easier to continue in times of self doubt.  I also have to thank my Wife for her never ending support in not only this 365 project but in all my photographic endeavors, I really couldn't ask for a more loving and supportive woman to share my life with.

Technical details:
Sakai Toyo 5x7" large format metal field camera with 4x5" film back.
150mm Caltar-S II F 5.6 lens in Copal BT shutter.
Ilford FP4+ B&W film, shot at ISO 125.
Exposure was 1/15th second at F32.
Developed in Ilford DD-X 1+4 dilution for 6 minutes and 50 seconds @ 20 degrees Celsius using a Beseler 8x10 print drum placed on Unicolor Uniroller 352 auto-reversing rotary base.
4x5" negative scanned with Epson V600.
Cropped to desired size in post.

4x5 for 365 project (364/365)

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The side door at Defender's Gate in Valley Forge, Chester County, Pennsylvania.  Defender's Gate is a part of the Washington Memorial Chapel but it's located 1/4 mile away from the chapel.  When constructed in the Spring of 1911, Defender's Gate was to be a second complex of buildings at the chapel cemetery's entrance mirroring the architectural style of the chapel complex and dedicated to those who had defended the Union in various conflicts. The structure would consist of a porter's lodge and a waiting room linked by an arch honoring Abraham Lincoln. It was hoped that veterans of the Civil War, many of whom were still alive, would donate funds for the arch. The porter's lodge was quickly built, and on the fiftieth anniversary of Lincoln's first call for volunteers the first stone was laid for the Lincoln Arch.  The complex was never completed, and the lodge section looks rather strange today, facing sideways along Route 23 without its arch and adjoining building.  The column you see on the right was to support the arch that was never built.  One day left in this year long project !

Technical details:
Sakai Toyo 5x7" large format metal field camera with 4x5" film back.
150mm Caltar-S II F 5.6 lens in Copal BT shutter.
Ilford FP4+ B&W film, shot at ISO 125.
Exposure was 1/4 second at F22.
Developed in Ilford DD-X 1+4 dilution for 6 minutes and 50 seconds @ 20 degrees Celsius using a Beseler 8x10 print drum placed on Unicolor Uniroller 352 auto-reversing rotary base.
4x5" negative scanned with Epson V600.

4x5 for 365 project (363/365)

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Located inside the outer courtyard of the Washington Memorial Chapel in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, this bronze statue is called "Sacrifice and Devotion" and is also known as "Heckscher Memorial" and "Grieving Mothers".  It was created in 1914 by Bela Lyon Pratt as a commissioned by Stevens Heckscher to honor Henrietta Armitt Heckscher, who died during child birth in 1912. Weathering through the years and the wrath of pigeons have taken their toll on the statue but it is still a very moving piece of memorial art well worth seeing.  Two days left in this year long project !

Technical details:
Sakai Toyo 5x7" large format metal field camera with 4x5" film back.
150mm Caltar-S II F 5.6 lens in Copal BT shutter.
Ilford FP4+ B&W film, shot at ISO 125.
Exposure was 1/2 second at F22.
Developed in Ilford DD-X 1+4 dilution for 6 minutes and 50 seconds @ 20 degrees Celsius using a Beseler 8x10 print drum placed on Unicolor Uniroller 352 auto-reversing rotary base.
4x5" negative scanned with Epson V600.

4x5 for 365 project (362/365)

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A Revolutionary War era canon sits atop a hill near the Muhlenberg encampment at Valley Forge National Historic Site in Chester County, Pennsylvania. Three days left in this year long project !

Technical details:
Sakai Toyo 5x7" large format metal field camera with 4x5" film back.
150mm Caltar-S II F 5.6 lens in Copal BT shutter.
Ilford FP4+ B&W film, shot at ISO 125.
Exposure was 1/30th second at F32.
Developed in Ilford DD-X 1+4 dilution for 6 minutes and 50 seconds @ 20 degrees Celsius using a Beseler 8x10 print drum placed on Unicolor Uniroller 352 auto-reversing rotary base.
4x5" negative scanned with Epson V600.

4x5 for 365 project (361/365)

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Another two cameras that I really look forward to using more in 2015 are these two Zenobia 645 medium format folders.  They were made from 1952 to 1957 by Daiichi Kogaku, later Zenobia Kogaku and shoot a negative of 6 x 4.5cm, giving 16 shots per roll of 120 film.  They are Japanese clones of the German Zeiss Ikonta "A" folding cameras. Each one has a Neo-Hesper, 75mm F3.5 lens with speeds that range from 1 second to 1/500th and bulb mode.  I picked up two because they were dirt cheap, in great condition and I could set one up with B&W film and one with color or one with 400 ISO B&W and one with 3200 ISO B&W film to have a street photography kit that would cover most lighting and subject situations.  I added the accessory shoe rangefinder to the one on the left because these cameras are zone focus only and the rangefinder can accurately give me the feet distance to the subject to then focus the Zenobia's lens, an arrangement that sounds complicated but works surprisingly well in practice.

Technical details:
Busch Pressman Model D 4x5 large format press camera.
150mm Caltar-S II F 5.6 lens in Copal BT shutter.
Ilfor Fp4+ B&W film shot at 125 ISO.
1/30th second at F22.
Lighting from a bay windw across the room.
Developed in Adox Rodinal 1:50 dilution for 7 minutes and 20 seconds @ 20 degrees Celsius using a Beseler 8x10 print drum placed on Unicolor Uniroller 352 auto-reversing rotary base.
4x5" negative scanned with Epson V600.


4x5 for 365 project (360/365)

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One of the things I really look forward to spending more time doing once this 365 project is over, is getting caught up with the various unique cameras I have been acquiring over the last year.  I bought this Kodak Recomar 33 9x12cm plate camera back in July.  It dates back to around 1932-1938 and was made in the Nagel factory in German after Kodak purchased the Nagel Camera Company in the early 1930s.  This one pictured came with two 9x12cm plate holders and I quickly found an additional nine plate holders in almost brand new condition, all with the hard to find sheet film sheaths.  Shortly after that initial camera purchase I was lucky enough to acquire an additional two Recomar 33s for next to nothing.  One of those has a fully functional 120 roll film adapter (included in this picture) and the other Recomar had been customized by a previous owner to take 2 1/4" X 3 1/4" (6x9cm) sheet film holders.  The condition of all three of the Recomar 33 bodies is excellent with supple leather bellows and no light leaks.  I've loaded a bunch of the plate holders with Foma 100 ISO film and I'll be enjoying these cameras in the coming months.  Five days left in this year long project !

Technical details:
Busch Pressman Model D 4x5 large format press camera.
150mm Caltar-S II F 5.6 lens in Copal BT shutter.
Ilfor Fp4+ B&W film shot at 125 ISO.
1/30th second at F22.
Lighting from an Alien Bees B800 at 1/2 power shot into a 36" Photek Softlighter umbrella softbox positioned to camera left.  A 30" white reflector was held just off to camera right. Strobe triggered with PocketWiard Plus IIs.  
Developed in Adox Rodinal 1:50 dilution for7 minutes and 20 seconds @ 20 degrees Celsius using a Beseler 8x10 print drum placed on Unicolor Uniroller 352 auto-reversing rotary base.
4x5" negative scanned with Epson V600.

4x5 for 365 project (359/365)

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A long exposure shot of the small creek that flows through the Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site in Elverson, Berks County Pennsylvania.  Six days left in this year long project !

Technical details:
Sakai Toyo 5x7" large format metal field camera with 4x5" film back.
150mm Caltar-S II F 5.6 lens in Copal BT shutter.
Tiffen 0.8 ND filter on lens.
Ilford HP5+ B&W film, shot at ISO 400.
4 seconds at F22.
Developed in Ilford DD-X 1+4 dilution for 7 minutes and 20 seconds @ 20 degrees Celsius using a Beseler 8x10 print drum placed on Unicolor Uniroller 352 auto-reversing rotary base.
4x5" negative scanned with Epson V600.

4x5 for 365 project (358/365)

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Built in 1771 by Ironmaster Mark Bird, this is the main house at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site in Elverson, Berks County Pennsylvania.  Seven days left in this year long project !

Technical details:
Sakai Toyo 5x7" large format metal field camera with 4x5" film back.
150mm Caltar-S II F 5.6 lens in Copal BT shutter.
Ilford HP5+ B&W film, shot at ISO 400.
1/4 second at F32.
Developed in Ilford DD-X 1+4 dilution for 7 minutes and 20 seconds @ 20 degrees Celsius using a Beseler 8x10 print drum placed on Unicolor Uniroller 352 auto-reversing rotary base.
4x5" negative scanned with Epson V600.

4x5 for 365 project (357/365)

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A fence guides visitors down a country path at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site in Elverson, Berks County Pennsylvania.  Eight days left in this year long project !

Technical details:
Sakai Toyo 5x7" large format metal field camera with 4x5" film back.
150mm Caltar-S II F 5.6 lens in Copal BT shutter.
Ilford HP5+ B&W film, shot at ISO 400.
1/4 second at F32.
Developed in Ilford DD-X 1+4 dilution for 7 minutes and 20 seconds @ 20 degrees Celsius using a Beseler 8x10 print drum placed on Unicolor Uniroller 352 auto-reversing rotary base.
4x5" negative scanned with Epson V600.

4x5 for 365 project (356/365)

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The furnace buildings at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site in Elverson, Berks County Pennsylvania.  The completely overcast, flat light of the day helped eliminate nasty hard shadows but it also gave some odd glare on some of the windows.  Nine days left in this year long project !

Technical details:
Sakai Toyo 5x7" large format metal field camera with 4x5" film back.
150mm Caltar-S II F 5.6 lens in Copal BT shutter.
Ilford HP5+ B&W film, shot at ISO 400.
1/4 second at F32.
Developed in Ilford DD-X 1+4 dilution for 7 minutes and 20 seconds @ 20 degrees Celsius using a Beseler 8x10 print drum placed on Unicolor Uniroller 352 auto-reversing rotary base.
4x5" negative scanned with Epson V600.

4x5 for 365 project (355/365)

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An old barrel and wagon wheel sit outside the blacksmith's shop at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site in Elverson, Berks County Pennsylvania.  Ten days left in this year long project !

Technical details:
Sakai Toyo 5x7" large format metal field camera with 4x5" film back.
150mm Caltar-S II F 5.6 lens in Copal BT shutter.
Ilford HP5+ B&W film, shot at ISO 400.
1/4 second at F22.
Developed in Ilford DD-X 1+4 dilution for 7 minutes and 20 seconds @ 20 degrees Celsius using a Beseler 8x10 print drum placed on Unicolor Uniroller 352 auto-reversing rotary base.
4x5" negative scanned with Epson V600.

4x5 for 365 project (354/365)

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A hay wagon parked in the barn for the Winter. Image created at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site in Elverson, Berks County Pennsylvania.  

Technical details:
Sakai Toyo 5x7" large format metal field camera with 4x5" film back.
150mm Caltar-S II F 5.6 lens in Copal BT shutter.
Ilford HP5+ B&W film, shot at ISO 400.
1/4 second at F22.
Developed in Ilford DD-X 1+4 dilution for 7 minutes and 20 seconds @ 20 degrees Celsius using a Beseler 8x10 print drum placed on Unicolor Uniroller 352 auto-reversing rotary base.
4x5" negative scanned with Epson V600.

4x5 for 365 project (353/365)

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A wagon, once used to transport coal to the iron furnace, sits sheltered by a roof at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site in Elverson, Berks County Pennsylvania.  

Technical details:
Sakai Toyo 5x7" large format metal field camera with 4x5" film back.
150mm Caltar-S II F 5.6 lens in Copal BT shutter.
Ilford HP5+ B&W film, shot at ISO 400.
1/4 second at F22.
Developed in Ilford DD-X 1+4 dilution for 7 minutes and 20 seconds @ 20 degrees Celsius using a Beseler 8x10 print drum placed on Unicolor Uniroller 352 auto-reversing rotary base.
4x5" negative scanned with Epson V600.

4x5 for 365 project (352/365)

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A view of the rooftops of the furnace buildings from the hillside above at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site in Elverson, Berks County Pennsylvania.  

Technical details:
Sakai Toyo 5x7" large format metal field camera with 4x5" film back.
90mm F5.6 Schneider Super-Angulon lens in a Copal 0 shutter.
Ilford HP5+ B&W film, shot at ISO 400.
1/2 second at F45.
Developed in Ilford DD-X 1+4 dilution for 7 minutes and 20 seconds @ 20 degrees Celsius using a Beseler 8x10 print drum placed on Unicolor Uniroller 352 auto-reversing rotary base.
4x5" negative scanned with Epson V600.

4x5 for 365 project (351/365)

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The gate to a horse corral found at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site in Elverson, Berks County Pennsylvania.  I've been waiting for a flat lighting day to re-shoot Hopewell for quite a while so I didn't have to deal with hard shadows.  Sunday provided lighting so flat and overcast that I had to drive to the location with my car lights on.  I find that old wood and metal detail comes out looking great in these overcast conditions and shooting with Ilford HP5+ at the full 400 ISO and processing it in Ilford DD-X to maintain the sharpness and minimize grain at 400 ISO worked out very well for the shots I had envisioned.

Technical details:
Sakai Toyo 5x7" large format metal field camera with 4x5" film back.
150mm Caltar-S II F 5.6 lens in Copal BT shutter.
Ilford HP5+ B&W film, shot at ISO 400.
1/4 second at F32.
Developed in Ilford DD-X 1+4 dilution for 7 minutes and 20 seconds @ 20 degrees Celsius using a Beseler 8x10 print drum placed on Unicolor Uniroller 352 auto-reversing rotary base.
4x5" negative scanned with Epson V600.

4x5 for 365 project (350/365)

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Barn door detail on the main barn at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site in Elverson, Berks County Pennsylvania.  

Technical details:
Sakai Toyo 5x7" large format metal field camera with 4x5" film back.
150mm Caltar-S II F 5.6 lens in Copal BT shutter.
Ilford HP5+ B&W film, shot at ISO 400.
1/2 second at F22.
Developed in Ilford DD-X 1+4 dilution for 7 minutes and 20 seconds @ 20 degrees Celsius using a Beseler 8x10 print drum placed on Unicolor Uniroller 352 auto-reversing rotary base.
4x5" negative scanned with Epson V600.

4x5 for 365 project (349/365)

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A wagon wheel rests next to a window along the side of the casting room at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site in Elverson, Berks County Pennsylvania.  Looking through this project's images I have come to the conclusion that I apparently have a thing for windows and door compositions.  

Technical details:
Sakai Toyo 5x7" large format metal field camera with 4x5" film back.
150mm Caltar-S II F 5.6 lens in Copal BT shutter.
Ilford HP5+ B&W film, shot at ISO 400.
1/4 second at F22.
Developed in Ilford DD-X 1+4 dilution for 7 minutes and 20 seconds @ 20 degrees Celsius using a Beseler 8x10 print drum placed on Unicolor Uniroller 352 auto-reversing rotary base.
4x5" negative scanned with Epson V600.

4x5 for 365 project (348/365)

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These vine like plants seem to take a liking to our backyard shed.

Technical details:
Busch Pressman Model D 4x5 large format press camera.
Graflex Optar 135mm F4.7 lens in a Graphex shutter.
Fuji Super HR-T 30 medium speed double-sided green sensitive X-Ray film rated at ISO 100.
1/15 second at F22.
Developed in Adox Rodinal 1:100 dilution for 7 minutes 20 seconds @ 20 degrees Celsius in Mod54 daylight developing tank.   
4x5" negative scanned with Epson V600.

4x5 for 365 project (347/365)

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Moselem one-room Schoolhouse built around 1905 and closed in 1955. It sits across the street from the Zion Moselem Lutheran Church in Richmond Township, Berks County Pennsylvania. It's in great shape and features intricate gable detail on all four sides and the front porch area, something I've found on most of the historic one-room schools in the immediate area.  Day # 1 of this 365 project also featured this schoolhouse taken from a different angle and shot in B&W.

Technical details:
Sakai Toyo 5x7" large format metal field camera with 4x5" film back.
Fujinon-W 210mm F5.6 lens in Copal B shutter.
Circular polarizing filter on lens.  
Kodak Ektar 100 color negative film shot at ISO 100.
1/8th second at F32.
Developed using Unicolor C-41 color developing kit and Beseler 8x10 color print drum placed on Unicolor Uniroller 352 auto-reversing rotary base.   
4x5" negative scanned with Epson V600.
Cropped in post.

4x5 for 365 project (346/365)

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A gear and piston from a replica of the John Stevens "Steam Wagon" which he built in 1825. Stevens built the original Steam Wagon as a proof-of-concept and ran on on a small circle of track in Hoboken, New Jersey. He also chartered the first railroad in Pennsylvania in 1823, though it was never constructed.  Image shot at the Railroad Museum Of Pennsylvania in Strasburg, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  

Technical details:
Busch Pressman Model D 4x5 large format press camera.
Graflex Optar 135mm F4.7 lens in a Graphex shutter.
Ilford HP5+ B&W film, shot at ISO 400.
1 second at F22.
Developed in Adox Rodinal 1:50 dilution for 7 minutes and 25 seconds @ 20 degrees Celsius using a Mod54 six sheet insert in an older screw top Paterson System Tank # 4 placed on Unicolor Uniroller 352 auto-reversing rotary base.   
4x5" negative scanned with Epson V600.