Large format cameras and Texas don’t compliment each other. There are only a few months during the year when one can really pull the camera out of the backpack and get under the dark cloth and enjoy being out photographing. When the calendar says fall and everyone else is enjoying the beautiful fall foliage, Texas has not left summer behind. It was the end of October last year that JB and I, along with several of our photography friends, decided to venture to a local state park. We could tell when we got up that morning that it was going to be a warm day. . . but we hadn’t counted on the wind and humidity to go along with it. 
We were going to meet around 8:00 in the morning so there was only time for a quick breakfast, load the gear into the van and off we went. We were all eager to make some photographs.
It had been a while since we had the cameras out. When we arrived at the park, we grabbed our viewing filters and walked all around the park looking for that spot where we wanted to plant our tripod. . . the location of our next anticipated image. A butterfly landed on my glove and stayed there while I was walking around. I managed to make some shots but it wasn’t long before the light started to get harsh. I wanted even lighting with subtle shadows and dappled light would not work. Photographing details will work during the flat light of midday but the time was not right for what I wanted to photograph. I had found an old split rail fence that lead up a path to this neat barn. It was surrounded by lots of trees. There were two trees in particular that had grown together into a tight embrace, not wanting to let the other go. . . as if supporting the other as it grew toward the sky. Because of the direction that the barn was facing I could tell that this would be a late afternoon, almost early evening shot to get the light that I wanted. The decision was made to return later that day.
Because of the hike to get to the barn I decided to use my Canham 4×10. 
I made sure there was plenty of fresh film in the holders before putting on my backpack and grabbing my tripod. Off I went. . . headed for the old barn. The light was just starting to get nice but the temperature was still pretty warm. . . 88 degrees. Because I needed maximum depth of field, I decided to use the 6 ½” WA Dagor. After metering the scene, I knew that the tonal range would work for a normal development. I stopped the lens down to f45 and exposed the film for 8 seconds. The film I used for this exposure was Bergger BPF 200, which has a long tonal range. The shot was made at 6:09 pm when the sun was at a low angle and provided soft shadows from right to left glancing on the ground below. The finished print is an 8×20 enlargement on Ilford Warm tone paper selenium toned. My waiting had paid off.
Susan Harlin
