Film Photography

What Joel Grimes and a 4x5 Camera Taught Me About Obsessing Over Focus
Video Tutorials

What Joel Grimes and a 4x5 Camera Taught Me About Obsessing Over Focus

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what it actually means to commit to a shot. Not in the motivational-poster sense. I mean the physical, logistical, you-burned-your-dinner kind of commitment. Last month I was out on my Sunday morning photo walk and I kept chimping, checking the back of my camera every thirty seconds, second-guessing my focus point, re-shooting the same frame six or seven times. I got home with 200 photos and maybe two that felt intentional.

How to Never Miss Focus on a Large Format Portrait (The Dual Focusing Method Explained)
Video Tutorials

How to Never Miss Focus on a Large Format Portrait (The Dual Focusing Method Explained)

There is a specific kind of dread that comes from getting film back and realizing your shot is soft. Not artistically soft. Out of focus. I’ve felt a version of that with digital files, staring at a portrait at 100% zoom and watching the eyes dissolve into mush. Now multiply that by the cost, the rarity, and the sheer ceremony of shooting 4x5 film, and you start to understand the problem Joel Grimes was facing when he set out to photograph portraits on a large format view camera for major ad campaigns.

Why a New Vintage Lens Mount Still Matters to Modern Photographers
News

Why a New Vintage Lens Mount Still Matters to Modern Photographers

Why a New Vintage Lens Mount Still Matters to Modern Photographers I was genuinely surprised to learn that 7Artisans recently released a fresh 35mm f/2.8 lens for the Leica Thread Mount system. Here we are, well into the digital era, and manufacturers are still creating glass for a mounting system that’s over a century old. But the more I thought about it, the more this decision made perfect sense—and it speaks to something important about how we approach photography as a craft.

March 2026: A Pivotal Month That's Reshaping Photography
News

March 2026: A Pivotal Month That's Reshaping Photography

March 2026: A Pivotal Month That’s Reshaping Photography When I look back at March 2026, I can’t shake the feeling that we witnessed something genuinely significant for our craft. It wasn’t just one story that captured my attention—it was the cumulative weight of multiple developments happening simultaneously that made this month stand out as a true turning point for photographers at every level. The Convergence of Change What struck me most was how interconnected these developments seemed to be.