large format for the people - Daniel Wu and Edward Huang's 'The Stage'

A little while back Edward Huang and Daniel Wucreated a piece for the HK/Shenzhen Biennale named 'The Stage'. I was invited to have drinks and hang out at the site but as it turned out that night I was working and decided to visit the site when free time came along. Fast forward to Xmas eve, I felt bored and decided to take a look at the installation and take some pictures with my 4x5 to make up for not showing up that night.
Just to let you understand, I love my 4x5 gear. Its something I wish I took more advantage of back in school but my work never really allowed for a slower approach to photography that is inherent to large format picture taking. I took interest in acquiring my own 4x5 gear 3-4 years ago after I met Tony Law and saw that he was still shooting 4x5 (which he still does).
There is no doubt that digital photography became popular both professionally and personally for all and as a result the film industry has suffered a great deal. When I returned to Hong Kong back in 04' I was still shooting film. There were still a great deal of people processing color negative and transparencies in any format as well as selling all the film stock I needed. Back in school digital photography was beginning to make waves as a viable alternative to film but the prices and image quality to fall short of a 6x7 medium format frame I learned to love.
After returning to HK, the only way to make a wave in photography was to start shooting digitally. No one had the patience for film, shooting-developing-contact sheets-scans-retouching and finally to print was becoming obsolete as digitally you could shoot-edit-print. I'll admit that I love what photography has become in the digital age as it did back in my father and grandfather's generation with 35mm film. But the troubling thing now is that people aren't taking pictures anymore rather they are taking pictures and checking their results as they materialize. Yes, the speed of photography has changed for the better but I remember when I took my first pictures you had to wait for the film to process before knowing what you actually did. Mistakes made you a better photographer as you learn through them. Nowadays a picture is adjusted too easily to fit the criteria - there not must skill involved and with the addition of retouching - its not what greats like Cartier-Bresson, Avedon or Eggelston faced.
But before I rant on about photography (which I'll remind myself to save up for another blog) I tell about the original thing I was talking about - 4x5 pictures of the installation.
I hadn't shot with my gear in over a year but kept it in neutral humidity containers. As the saying goes, the proof is in the pudding, the camera still works great and the pictures, well, you decide for yourself.




I had a few more sheets left so I shot some other stuff.







note: These last 2 pictures were 4-8 minute exposures.