Today, we’re featuring a beautiful large format photo essay from Tobias Key. Scroll below to view the images and read more from Tobias about creating The Downland Project…
Analog cameras and films used: Wista 45DX with 75mm, 125mm, and 210mm lenses (Find at KEH Camera or on eBay) | Ilford HP5+ (Find on Amazon), Ilford FP4 (Find on Amazon), Kodak TMax 400 (Find on Amazon)
Connect with Tobias: Website | Instagram | Blog
Shooting Close to Home With a Large Format Camera: The Downland Project
by Tobias Key
We often don’t appreciate what is on our own doorstep.
Photographers are often guilty of thinking they have to travel far afield to create interesting images. From the American road trip that was the formative experience for so many influential photographers to the Iceland shoot so beloved by Instagrammers, you could be forgiven for thinking that you can’t take an interesting image without hopping on a plane first!
I must admit I have been guilty of this in the past. So when COVID arrived and we suddenly all found that even quite modest travel was impossible, it was time to look closer to home.
Familiarity is a funny thing; we often fail to see the potential in things we see too regularly or those places close to us that appear in our social feeds almost daily. For this project, I really tried to look at my local area with fresh eyes as well as doing a bit of research. I found in my area there are quite a few 11th,12th, and 13th century churches near to me, so I used them as a starting point. It gave me a series of locations as a framework I could expand upon.
I used my large format camera mainly because it gives me the option to shoot and develop one frame at a time. I find this a really efficient way of working as there is no need to finish a roll of film needlessly because you are excited to develop a couple of shots at the beginning of a roll.
Often, I go out and only shoot a couple of sheets, which is perfect for locations that might have one promising picture but perhaps not more than that. It is a very peaceful and meditative way to take photos, and it’s almost impossible to rush. I shoot about four frames an hour at my normal pace. The quality when you get everything right is stunning.
My go to films are HP5 and FP4 because they are so predictable and easy to develop, and I have a selection of black and white filters (red, orange, yellow, and yellow-green) that help me get the most from each scene, especially in the sky. Film costs are lower than you might think because I tend to shoot fewer frames, and the hit rate is much higher than with other formats.
It’s been great to work on something over an extended period of time, and it has gotten me out of the habit of photographing things with no clear goal behind it. That in itself has been worth the time I have spent.
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