Large Format Friday: Meditation at Mohican on a Misty Morning

Large format photography is an all-in activity. There’s considerably more effort put into making each photograph happen from loading the film all the way to turning on the lights in the darkroom to see the resulting negatives. This extra work doesn’t mean, however, that you’re guaranteed any greater results than any other camera or format you could use. Like any kind of photography, you need to practice. It’s the boring part of photography to some but it’s the long, winding road of practice that keeps our photographic journey going between those magical moments when everything goes right in the picture.

Today I wanted to share a bit of how I like to practice my large format photography with some landscape work I made earlier this week. After waking up super early, I jumped in the car to travel to a familiar place, Mohican State Park, home to the Clear Fork Gorge State Nature Preserve. This was a location I’ve visited several times over the last few years for my Ohio Uninterrupted project, and felt like it was time for a re-visit.

I’m sure there are many more cost effective ways to spend a morning than getting up super early, exposing ten sheets of film, then rushing to process them. To me that’s all part of the enjoyment I get out of the process, and over the years has played a key role in my mental health. Photography isn’t just making pretty pictures, it’s therapy to me as well. That’s why I call this series of exercises, Large Format Meditation.

Here are all ten photographs from that morning a little larger in gallery format if you’d like to take a closer look: