Silver Archive #3 - Long Entry - Fort Point - San Francisco California

During one of my foray's into the local Border's Bookstore (remember them?), I came across this wonderful photography book by Jay Dusard, titled "Open Country". For me it was a revelation...

All of the images were of course spectacular, rarely of the usual landscape photographic hot spots, and many were in a panoramic format.  I was intrigued and moved by the images.

One of the techniques that Jay used was a simple box camera that shoots 4x10 inch sheet film, and a very wide angle lens, a 90mm. He called it his "adobe brick" and many of the images in the book were shot with this camera.

At that time Keith Canham, the well known camera builder from Arizona, had a catalog item for a 4x10 Point and Shoot Camera - which had been influenced by Jay's Adobe Brick.  I contacted Keith about ordering one, but he stated that he no longer was making that camera. He did however have enough of the various parts so that one could be built, and he would sell it to me. I contacted Alan Brubaker - the well known film holder maker - and asked if he could build this camera for me. He did and in short order I became the proud owner of my own 4x10 Point and Shoot.

Thanksgiving 2001, I went to the bay area to visit with my parents and spend some time with them. I planned to drive back home by going through San Francisco. On that day it was raining pretty solid, and I opted to go to Fort Point. Fort Point is a Civil War era Fort, in San Francsisco and is located south east of the Golden Gate Bridge. In the photo you can see parts of the girders for the South Tower of the bridge.

Shooting with this camera is a challenge. Having such a wide lens even forces you to make sure you have an interest that is in the near third of the image. The wrought iron rail in this image is actually pretty close to me, the right side wall is right next to the camera, and the left side wall with the beautiful light was no more than 10 or 15 feet away. One can get a sense of scale, as the doorways are 6 to 7 feet tall.

I had a great several hours shooting at the Fort. It was very slow as the sky was dark with rain clouds, the inside of the fort itself is very dark. Using this camera, you need to shoot at the smallest of f-Stops (f45) so that the lens will cover the entire film format without vignetting. To top it all off I was shooting with 125ASA film. Exposures that day were often in the multiple minute range (due to reciprocity failure).

I originally (contact) printed this image using Kodak Azo paper, and than later made 23 inch long print using Bergger Graded warm tone paper. In 2015 I printed this image at a 17 inch long print on Adox MCC110.

Technical Stuff:
4x10 Point and Shoot
90mm Schneider Super Angulon XL