Large Format Photography Australia has been running for over two years now and it felt like it was time for a new lick of paint as we’ve been running the same design and format for all that time.

So, after several months of redesign and redevelopment, I’m proud to announce the launch of our rebranded blog, The Large Format Blog! I’m really pleased with the new design – with bigger images, to me it feels much more up to date and modern and I hope you feel the same. I’d certainly welcome your comments.

We will continue to primarily support large format photography in Australia but are also keen to bring in content from elsewhere so you’ll start seeing stories and articles from Europe, the USA and elsewhere over the next few months. But we’re not abandoning you, Australia!

The new site is still very much a “beta” release and so while content will be posted on the new site, this old one will stick around for some time to come. So please, kick the tyres a bit and if you see anything that looks odd, out of place or just weird, please get in touch and we’ll fix it as soon as possible.

Comments are going to be moved to the Disqus platform which, if you register on Disqus.com, you’ll be able to track and follow conversations much more easily. Talking of which, get involved if you haven’t posted any comments! We’d love to get your feedback on stories we’re posting!

Head over to thelargeformatblog.com and take a look.

Cheers!

Alastair and David

The Swiss-French photographer shoots exclusively in analogue, and regularly works with some of contemporary architecture’s most famous names – including Peter Zumthor, Zaha Hadid and Daniel Libeskind.

“I’ve never done anything professionally with digital,” Binet told Dezeen. “If something is a bit strange, a bit rough, you work with that.”

Read more at De Zeen

$44.95

Newspaper photography in Australia from glass plate negatives to digital.

Photographer, teacher and writer Kathleen Whelan pays tribute to the men and women with cameras who every day add meaning to the bald newspaper narrative with their pictures. Her book, Photography of The Age: Newspaper Photography in Australia from Glass Plate Negatives to Digital, is a history of photography in this newspaper, a description of the process of assignment and picture selection and biographies of many of the paper’s outstanding photographers. It is a lesson in the art and process of photojournalism.

More info

Book review by Terry Lane

Nearly a third of film photographers are younger than 35 years of age, and “support for traditional film is growing,” says Ilford Photo. The company, best known for its analog photo products, reported these findings after doing an international survey of film users.

The “comprehensive” survey was conducted at the tail end of 2014, and “thousands of users” from over 70 countries around the world participated. “The results were inspiring,” says Ilford.

Of all the respondents, 30% of them were aged under 35. Of those photographers, roughly 60% of them have been using film for less than half a decade. One of the big ways people got started was by first receiving a film camera as a gift from a friend or family member. Thus, many people are still entering the world of film photography for the first time, even as film developing labs are closing and popular film stocks are being discontinued.

More at PetaPixel

Thank you for your support and for coming back again and again, we very much appreciate it! LFPA hopes 2015 is a productive and creative year for you all!

As always, we’d welcome any thoughts, suggestions, comments and criticisms!

Another significant photography gallery is closing. This time it’s Edmund Pearce Gallery in Melbourne.

After three tremendous years and over 100 exhibitions we regretfully announce that these will be the final exhibitions at our dedicated gallery space in the iconic Nicholas building.
Since opening in February of 2012 we have been passionately dedicated to the appreciation and understanding of photography. The gallery has taken immense pleasure in supporting and promoting the work of both emerging and established artists, which has added to critical discourse and lifted the standards of contemporary photo-media practice here in Australia.

The decision to close did not come easily to us; most importantly due to the impact it will have on our artists and loyal audience. Despite the strength and diversity of our programme, it has become clearly evident that the Australian market is not sufficient to sustain a commercial space dedicated to photography.

We owe a debt of gratitude to all of the exhibiting artists, collectors, curators, writers, interns, volunteers and patrons who have made the gallery such a well-respected and exciting venture. In particular, we would like to thank the artists we have represented: Jane Brown, Michael Corridore, Stephen Dupont, Katrin Koenning, Lee Grant, Phil Toledano, Ward Roberts, Kate Robertson, and Vivian Cooper Smith. It has been a privilege to represent the work of such dedicated, innovative, and talented artists; and we look forward to following the exciting developments in their careers. Our success would also not have been possible without the long term and dedicated support of Christine McFetridge and Sharon Hughes.

Directors Tim Bruce and Jason McQuoid will continue to be passionate advocates of Melbourne’s cultural landscape through their individual projects and initiatives. The Edmund Pearce website and social media channels will remain active, documenting three years of rigorous photo media exhibition practice and allowing the opportunity for special projects in the future.

More info at Edmund Pearce

New 55 Film has a new web-site.

New55 FILM “PN” is a reinvention of Polaroid’s beloved type 55 professional instant 4 × 5 black and white positive-negative film. This instant, large-format monochrome film possesses the scale, acutance and refinement of the very best of analog while retaining some of the convenience and immediacy of digital.

New55 FILM’s arrival reflects the human urge to make marks with light using the most responsive materials, and its rediscovery can sponsor reinvestment in new light-sensitive materials with promising adjacencies — including color-instant and direct-positive large format films.

The photograph reproduced here is by Polly Chandler on a prototype New55 film.

Visit the website

In August of 1974, the photographer Nicholas Nixon made a group portrait of his wife, Bebe, and her three sisters, Heather, Mimi, and Laurie—the Brown sisters. He did not keep that image, but in 1975 he made another portrait of the four, who then ranged in age between 15 and 25. Working with an 8 x 10-inch view camera, the large negatives conveyed a wealth of detail and a luscious continuity of tone. Nixon was pleased with the result.

The following year, Nixon took another photo of the four sisters. The continuing success of these portraits prompted Nixon to suggest to his subjects that they assemble each year. The women agreed and a legendary series was born.

Nicholas Nixon: 40 Years of the Brown Sisters celebrates the 40th anniversary of the series with luminous reproductions of all 40 portraits and a new afterword by Sarah Hermanson Meister, which examines the series’ public exhibitions, critical reception, and cult following. This edition, which follows books published to celebrate the 25th and 33rd anniversaries, is yet another milestone in an ongoing project that will hopefully continue for years to come.

From Lens Culture

More info at Fraenkel Gallery

Richard White’s 2015 High Country Calendar is now available.

$34.50

http://richardwhite.com.au/calendar.php

A new Kickstarter campaign to build and distribute a low-cost 4×5 large format camera has started up. The difference between this campaign and the Wanderlust Travelwide, for example, is this camera features full movements and allows you to use your currently existing lenses (between 75 and 300mm). It looks like an interesting project and already has plenty of support with over 1/3 of the goal achieved.

More info on the Intrepid 4×5 can be found at Kickstarter