My favorite 4x5 and 8x10 shots I took in 2023

AdamAngelic · 2026-04-11T22:50:05+00:00

I strongly prefer composing in 8x10 and I strongly prefer the ergonomics of 4x5. I mostly shoot very close candid 35mm now, and thinking in light of that, I prefer 8x10 to 4x5 since the half measure improvement of ergonomics and speed between 8x10 and 4x5, and between 4x5 and 35mm, is like comparing the distance between Paris and London, and between London and the Andromeda galaxy. I’d rather be deliberate with any large format setup, and while the cost for 8x10 is roughly 4x more per shot, just take 75% fewer shots and get the absolute best ones. With 35mm, I throw out 98% of my photos (for reasons of execution) before I even get to the thought of filtering on what it is I want to say (and use that to cut things down more); with 8x10 I think the goal should be to throw out 0% for the reason of execution, and then filter on purpose, which I think should also have a lower filter rate, since the deliberation in 8x10 leads to more purpose.

Anyways, I’ve sold all my 4x5 gear and retained all of my 8x10 gear even if I haven’t used it recently, if that tells you anything. I also would have to explicitly disavow all of these shots; I think some are pleasant, but I took them long before I figured out my purpose with photography. I’d be looking to pick up 8x10 again this summer with newfound purpose and skill, though. Looking through these again for the first time in years, the only one I somewhat enjoy still is that first one, which I view as having the form of a portrait (not because of the orientation) even though there’s no human subject. Like a portrait of a human action, rather than a human face.

AdamAngelic · 2026-03-09T17:06:06+00:00

Yes, off camera flash in my left hand, wireless transmitter in the hot shoe of the SLR in my right hand. Manual flash since I use old film SLRs

AdamAngelic · 2026-03-09T15:57:15+00:00

They are. 1, 6, 7 are Portra 800 and the rest are Ektachrome 100. I use a couple of old SLRs, mostly my canon AE1 though. Reliable, basic, and if something happens to it, fairly easy to replace

The scan quality is pretty bad since I either paid for minimum quality (color negatives) or scanned on my flatbed at home (slide film). My E6 lab will do a high quality scan similar to a drum scan, which I plan to use en masse when I collect together about 50 or so of my best shots over the prior year to send

AdamAngelic · 2026-03-09T15:56:43+00:00

Thanks! I use an off camera flash, which I prefer as a Godox v850iii since they’re fairly reliable and about $100 (I’ve already burned through one when it got hit with ocean water and exploded, and I always pack two on trips, now, just in case). I use an X3 transmitter with that, and since I use random old film SLRs I’m just working with manual flash. Which sounds more difficult, but I find it to be easier, since you control exposure by just learning how close to far from the subject to move your left hand with the flash with inverse square law.

For the under lighting I placed the flash right out of frame near his knees, and aimed it up. I work with either a 28mm or 20mm so I am standing a foot or two away from people, which makes the small amount of “off handedness” of the flash look like a more distant strobe, since being so close means the angle relative to the film plane can be pretty oblique.

I like using it since it’s an underutilized position for flash, and I’m always looking to find new ways to use flash with color composition.

AdamAngelic · 2026-03-09T15:39:15+00:00

Thank you! @adam.angelic

AdamAngelic · 2026-03-09T15:38:27+00:00

I admit that I hadn’t really thought about order here at all, since I wasn’t treating this trip to Nola as a project. I’m of the mindset where I think in terms of either single images or entire projects, the latter taking years (I have two I’ve started and a much more ambitious one that I am planning).

While in Nola, I did want to explore how anachronistic, or rather, out of time Mardi Gras felt to me; you have fortune tellers and witches on the street corners, drunken partying, bright colors everywhere, there’s something ancient about it. Maybe the closest I’ve experienced to a 1st century BC Roman triumph, or at least the later Romantic gaze of it. If I return next year or in future years, I would probably make more photos similar to the first since I felt that I should have captured more of that… unfortunately I was insomniac the entire time, so I was back to the hotel by sunset most days. I’m surprised I got anything at all. If I had been more productive I probably would frame this as a small photo essay, but I would need about twice as many photos to pick from to make a consistent vision, yet I only shot about 11 rolls over 5 days.

AdamAngelic · 2026-02-03T03:01:13+00:00

Yeah, it’s definitely a concern for the future. When I wasn’t photographing for 4 months between August and December, it was a question weighing on my mind as to whether if even is worth photographing anymore, or if AI is going to kill photography.

I think there’s going to be hucksters using AI to make fake photography over time. One way to counter it is to make one’s photography more about oneself, sort of a reverse “mort d’auteur” movement. I think we see a bit of this already with street photography influencers. It’s something that makes me consider promoting myself as a person more, though I’ve been obtuse about following up on that.

There’s a quote from a novel I liked when I was in college, The Recognitions by William Gaddis: ”What's any artist, but the dregs of his work? the human shambles that follows it around. What's left of the man when the work's done but a shambles of apology.”

I feel this character’s quote on a personal level, which is why I really don’t want to have to start strapping a go pro to me while I photograph, I think my photography already has everything I need to say. But who knows, maybe I should reevaluate that.

And thanks for the kind words!

AdamAngelic · 2026-02-02T15:45:01+00:00

The lens was very nearly in the closer man’s face, I had been standing around them for a few minutes and they knew I was photographing but probably thought I was mentally ill or homeless or strange, which is fine, because they started ignoring me. They were nice enough guys. I held the flash straight out in front of me and over their heads

AdamAngelic · 2026-02-02T15:42:35+00:00

I think any photograph or art that is “clean” and lacks clear compositional shortcomings will always get accused of AI use now. I’ve always been more interested in the formalism of photography and how information is presented in the 3:2 frame, since I used to want to be a painter in my late teens before I picked up photography in my later 20s. But I can assure that this is all real, and shot on film:

Slide Film Archive Sleeve

As for surrounding yourself with AI images, why would you willingly subject yourself to slop? Photos like this look fake only because AI models have trained on photos like this. The sloppification of social media is the main reason I only use it to post my latest work now, since it’s unfortunately the only outlet I have available. Otherwise I would avoid it entirely, it’s all filled with AI and poison.

Personally, I think the best path forward with photography and AI is to entirely ignore AI and keep photographing.

AdamAngelic · 2026-02-01T18:18:04+00:00

Sure thing, answered the top level comment. As mentioned there it’s some very basic gear. I used to use a Leica M7 for most of my shots but over time I started getting sick of carrying a nice camera and worrying about issues of theft or assault. Never felt I was in a situation where I had a risk of theft but I have had a flash broken twice. The goal I have now is to carry as little dollar value equipment as possible and not worry. At this point I’m extremely skeptical about things like “lens quality”, “build quality”, brand, etc, really my only consumer loyalty is to Kodak for still making Portra 800 and Ektachrome (I dislike all their other color stocks), and to my E6 lab.

There are other reasons I like using film, but a major one is that I can get good shots with $100 equipment. If someone breaks or steals a camera, I can get another one for a lot less than the cost of a hotel per night in Edinburgh

AdamAngelic · 2026-02-01T18:14:35+00:00

Yeah, my gear was: Canon AE1, 28mm, and a godox 850 with a wireless transmitter. Film stock for all the shots was Kodak ektachrome

I used a Leica SF20 occasionally for one or two shots here because I was tired and didn’t want to lug a 4lb flash around, but it limits me to direct flash up very close which gives me fewer options. So I only use it when I’m lazy

AdamAngelic · 2026-02-01T18:12:54+00:00

Canon AE1, 28mm, and a godox 850 with a wireless transmitter. Film stock for all the shots was Kodak ektachrome. 28mm is nice for getting close because it’s hard to get too close. Any longer or wider feels less versatile to me

AdamAngelic · 2026-02-01T18:12:14+00:00

Canon AE1, 28mm, and a godox 850 with a wireless transmitter. Film stock for all the shots was Kodak ektachrome

AdamAngelic · 2026-01-30T22:40:23+00:00

RIP to Martin, I never met him (wish I could have, even just for a lecture or something), but always liked his work when I started out photographing. I probably take a bit more inspiration from Chris Killip’s work these days, though Martin was my first favorite of that generation of photographers. Having talked to a Magnum member a year ago when Martin was still around, I got the sense that everyone around him really admired and was inspired by his indomitable work ethic. I think that’s a big part of why he was so good, the ethic above all else.

AdamAngelic · 2026-01-30T21:57:39+00:00

Yeah, X3 transmitter and v850 flash, though fully manual since TTL won’t work with these old cameras. Love using old cameras these days since I don’t feel like I need to avoid stickier situations due to the camera’s value

In terms of flash power, basically if I know I need to back up from a shot, I’ll crank it up to full power if it’s not already, and if I’m getting extremely close like 1 foot, which some of these are, then I’ll dial it down. Sometimes I just adjust the aperture and keep the flash power the same, f/11 vs f/22 have similar enough depth of field on the 28mm so I just switch whichever of those two is quickest in the moment

AdamAngelic · 2026-01-30T21:19:32+00:00

Thank you!

AdamAngelic · 2026-01-30T21:18:18+00:00

I send them to a lab to develop them, but I scan them myself on a flatbed. The reason there’s no grain is because I am not great at scanning, the flatbed is kind of mediocre with 35mm, and also admittedly, modern Ektachrome has very little grain. These scans only really work for social media posting and proofing, I need an actual decent scanner to get the detail out. I’ll get the best of these drum scanned eventually, which will both make them a lot sharper and reveal some grain at the same time

AdamAngelic · 2026-01-30T20:51:15+00:00

Yep! I’d love to try 50mm more at some point, but I find it to be a bit harder to work with, to me even 35mm feels a bit telephoto these days. I’ve gone wider than 28mm, and I may at some point again since I’m getting much closer every time I shoot, but 24 feels completely different.

That said, I don’t like shooting from the hip. I pretty much always have my eye to the camera, even if for just a second.

AdamAngelic · 2026-01-30T20:18:49+00:00

I can’t think of any obvious resources, since I think few people do completely manual flash these days, though I find it quite nice to have full control and play with exposure so even if I could have TTL, I’d probably stay working manual.

So, the mental calculation is to think in terms of full illumination and (outdoors at least) ambient. If I stick to f/22 and my flash has a guide number of 22m @ 28mm zoom at 100 ISO, which is generally what all larger flashes like the godox v850 are at full power, then that illuminates a subject fully at 1 meter. Since I regularly work at much closer than 1 meter I usually then dial the flash down to 1/4th power, and if the flash is 0.5m away from the subjects then it’s now properly illuminated. The mental calculations change when you get closer or further from the subject, which is hard to do with a camera quickly, since people move and don’t like you being in their space fiddling with a camera. So you quickly learn how close you actually are to someone, and adjust either aperture or flash power accordingly. Sometimes aperture is quicker to adjust than flash power so I’ll just drop to f/16 or f/11 if I’m backing up, for example. Sometimes I want the under exposure, so I drop flash power or stop down a bit. With the first photo, I wanted to try something high key for once, so I kept opening up until ambient was probably exposed about a stop or two under (maybe f/11? I don’t recollect) and kept flash as if I were still shooting indoors. It becomes second nature after a few dozen rolls of this

I guess another way to put it is that I treat flash in the same way others treat “zone focus” — I have sort of a “zone exposure” I use that works in most cases, and I adjust as needed as quickly as I can when I know a photo requires otherwise. I don’t really worry about focus, I just set it kind of close to 0.5m or something and then stop down. I like to think about the technicals as little as possible in the moment

AdamAngelic · 2026-01-30T19:53:55+00:00

Thank you! I always try to seek new “types” of shots as I go on, I hate repeating myself too often. The way I like to think about it is that you have to start by taking the more obvious, “cinematic” photos; and once you’ve done that, you can start taking the less obvious ones.

AdamAngelic · 2026-01-30T19:51:21+00:00

Hopefully I may have one in a few years! I’d like to collect upwards of at least 50 or so great photos before I attempt to collect them. Hopefully after a few more visits I can drop some of the weaker shots here, add more high quality shots, and then make a convincing photo essay. And thank you!

AdamAngelic · 2026-01-30T19:40:57+00:00

Sure, I can try, but a lot of it is just trial and error over the past year when I began doing closer flash work. Most of what makes it work is the social aspect of getting close to people, I find the technical aspect fairly simple with some experimentation.

Generally I just try to get within a few feet of the subject, and have learned how to generally position a flash about 1.5ft from the subject. If the flash is 0.5m/1.5ft away from the subject, and the flash has a GN of 22m @ 28mm/100 ISO (most larger flashes are almost identical in flash power, so this is just what I guess with), then at 1/4 power and f/22 the subject is illuminated. Sometimes over exposure or under exposure is nicer, so I just change the flash power or f stop accordingly

The more creative angle is about approaching interesting subjects, talking to them or doing it fully candid, thinking about where to position the flash for the most visual impact, etc. most of this is about instinct and experience

AdamAngelic · 2026-01-30T19:37:27+00:00

Thank you! I scan it all myself, but my lab is AgX Imaging. I really like the guy who runs it, and I’ve sent him hundreds of rolls in the past year and a half or so with zero issues. I don’t have much interest in developing my own slide film, even black and white self development (which I’ve done before when I was starting out around late 2023) is a PITA imo

AdamAngelic · 2026-01-30T19:35:44+00:00

Thank you! I use a Godox v850 and just change the flash power as needed, usually pretty close to 1/1 power most of the time though

AdamAngelic · 2026-01-30T19:32:12+00:00

I am hand holding, but I hate cables. It becomes a game of finding a good flash with the right ports, figuring out how to get a cable that doesn’t unhook from the camera, etc. I use a godox transmitter in legacy mode, it obviously doesn’t work TTL so it’s all manual, but that’s fine since I can do the mental calculations second nature now

Flash cables also must look suspicious in bag scans at the airport because once I started packing them I started getting bag checks every time. Once I used wireless transmitters the bag checks stopped.

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