©Spencer Cox - Earth's puzzle lake Sørvágsvatn • Faroe Islands

What is, for you, a good landscape photograph?

If I knew the perfect answer to that question, maybe I would never take a bad landscape photograph again! So, my answer is only partial and incomplete. But I think that the best landscape photographs are about emotion. When you are out taking landscape pictures, you feel some emotional connection to the place in front of you. You compose the photo in such a way to capture some of that emotional connection. You even post-process the photo to maintain the emotion. It’s like a thread connecting every decision you make. I think that a good landscape photo means that everything in the photo harmonizes with that emotional thread – nothing takes away from it or pulls it in the wrong direction. For example, if the emotion you experience is one of terror – maybe during an intense storm – then a jagged mountain may be a better subject than a gentle flower. Or, if the emotion is one of peacefulness and meditation, then low-contrast light may be preferrable to high-contrast light.
 
Ansel Adams said that there are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer. I agree with him. The emotions you felt, and attempted to capture in your photo, may not be the same ones that a viewer feels in response to the image. And you cannot totally control how someone sees the photo. However, I think that many of my favorite photos are the ones where I fully resonated with the artist’s vision. That emotional thread connected me from the print all the way through the post-processing, the compositional decisions, the light, and ultimately back to the landscape itself.
 
No photo will ever be universally good or resonate with everyone who views it. You must make photos that speak to yourself as an artist and human being, since that’s the only thing you can control. If you are lucky that a viewer responds to that emotional thread, cherish it.

©Spencer Cox - the rapids of the Yellowstone River, Yellowstone National Park • Wyoming

You work with many cameras, and in particular the 20x25 view camera. Why did you choose this very large format view camera? 
 
When I first started photography as a kid, it felt like a revelation. And when I first started large format photography, it felt like just as much of a revelation again. It’s how photography is meant to be for me.
 
My job involves reviewing cameras and lenses, and I have used almost every interchangeable lens camera made in the last 20 years. One thing I learned is that any one of them can be used as a tool to take good photos. I took my favorite photo last year with one of the cheapest mirrorless cameras that I’ve used, the Nikon Z30 with a kit lens. So, my love of large format photography is not because it is the only way to take good photos. At times, it is even a less efficient way to take good photos. But mostly, it is a different way to take good photos.
 
Taking large format photographs is almost like painting a canvas. With practice, it is possible to unpack, set up, and take a photo even on an 8x10” camera in just one or two minutes, just as it is possible to “speed paint.” But I’ve never taken large format photos this way. It is always a slow, deliberate, meticulous process for me. A lot of love goes into each large format photo that I take – careful attention to movements, focusing, lens choice, and of course composition. Actually, I remember where I was, and the story behind, every large format photo that I’ve ever taken. I don’t think anyone can say that about digital.
 
My choice of the 8x10” (20x25cm) format, rather than a different large format size, is more arbitrary. It is simply the largest size where color film is readily available today, and it is also the largest size that I find reasonable to carry while hiking long distances.  I love the aspect ratio of this camera, too, especially for vertical photos. I’ve always found that the 3x2 aspect ratio of most digital cameras is too skinny for the typical vertical image.

©Spencer Cox - Mass Sstokksnes Mountains • Southeast Iceland

To me, one of the best parts of large format photography is the huge ground glass. Careful composition is a delight with 8x10” cameras! I love to see every detail of the scene that I’m capturing. With the tiny 3” LCD on a digital camera, I too often miss little distractions in the composition that could take away from the emotional message of the photo. And composition is my favorite part of photography, so this is no small benefit.
 
Also, I don’t like to limit my future printing ability. If captured in a certain way – with careful choice of aperture, movements, and so on – 8x10” film has enough detail to make a print at any reasonable size. So, it allows the photographer full flexibility in the printing process.
 
I am not the type of photographer who believes that a bigger print is better, though. If anything, it is usually the opposite. Smaller prints are quieter, gentler, and more intimate. They ask the viewer to walk up close to them. Whereas larger prints are louder, more dramatic, and immediately impactful.
 
Some photos demand to be printed small, and some large. It goes back to the idea of which emotions you are trying to convey. However, by shooting my landscapes with 8x10” film, I don’t limit my choices. If anything, I get the best of both worlds. It is very easy to make 8x10” contact prints in the darkroom if the photo works better small, or make large prints with a lot of detail if the photo works better large.
 
That said, in recent years, I have gravitated toward photos with a lot of complex detail and patterns. These photos may not always demand to be printed large, but often they do.

©Spencer Cox - view of Vágar - Sornfelli • Faroe island

You are the author of a very informed article, visible sur galerie-photo, which deals with the choice of lenses for the 8x10. It represents an enormous amount of work and testing that few people in the world have been able to achieve. Are you passionate about the technique?

I do have a soft spot for lenses! Lenses aren’t just another piece of camera equipment – they have an unusually large impact on the creative side of photography. A photographer’s choice of focal length is especially important. It matters in every photo. Also, a crucial benefit of large format photography is the ability to use rise, fall, shift, swing, and tilt creatively to achieve the desired image. Full movements are only possible with a lens that has excess coverage for a particular format, for example, well over 315mm of usable image circle if shooting with 8x10 film.
 
Only a limited number of lenses suit these requirements – though there are plenty for 4x5 and 5x7 photography, far fewer exist for 8x10 photography. My article began as some notes for myself about the available lens options, and I referenced it a lot while I was buying my kit. As my notes became more comprehensive, I decided to publish them for anyone to read. A few times, I even bought a lens just to resell it so that I could get the data correct in my article.

©Spencer Cox - Melting Torres del Paine • Chile

What advice would you give to someone who wants to approach the 8x10?

I believe in doing what you feel called to do in life. Some photographers will tell you not to start with 8x10 – to start with a smaller format like 4x5 or even medium format film – and only jump up to 8x10 after you’ve mastered the smaller formats. I disagree. If you feel that 8x10 photography is right for you, you can do it at any stage in your photographic journey. However, it may be wise to start with some cheaper B&W film and develop at home in order not to waste too much money at the start!
 
8x10 photography rewards care and thought. Don’t rush through it. The bigger the format, the slower you will need to go. There is a lot that can go wrong if you rush, but the upside of 8x10 photography is extraordinary if you get everything right. However, you will not achieve it without deliberateness and attention to detail.
 
In the past, when people have asked me about getting into 8x10 photography, the primary thing that concerns them is the cost. That is reasonable in today’s world. However, I would also suggest to embrace the cost of 8x10 photography as a sign to put all your energy and emotions into each photo that you take. I find that I could take 1000 digital photos in a week only to get five that I like. And I could take seven 8x10 photos in a week… to still get five that I like. The cost of 8x10 is high in some ways, but it is also reasonable if you consider the value of each photo.
 
In the end, every photographer needs to find their own path, and 8x10 might be that for you. Personally, it feels natural for my photography, like putting on clothes that fit me correctly. But there are many good film formats out there, from 35mm to ultra-large-format, and good digital formats as well. Some will suit you and some will not. If you try something that feels like a bad match, send it back and try again.
 
In other words, pick your equipment to complement your personal style as a photographer and artist. Don’t change your art to conform with your camera gear.

This article in french

See also :
Les objectifs 8×10 que je recommande le plus
by Spencer Cox
on galerie-photo