I find the snow to be so magical, especially when there’s two feet of it! The way it sparkles in the light, the dripping icicles, and the way an open landscape looks before tracks are made… gorgeous!

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{Yea, the shoveling is a pain, but once you get past that and grab a hot chocolate, you’re ready for adventure!}

To combat the cabin fever I’ve been feeling over the last month, we decided to pack up my 4×5 photography gear, bundle up, and head out to Sayan Gardens for some winter fun! With nowhere to park, and no shoveled paths to follow, it immediately felt like an epic adventure. We trudged around looking for the perfect snow covered trees to photograph, maybe some icicles, and whatever other gorgeous things we could find.

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4×5 Photography is the medium I’m classically trained in; it was the bulk of my college photography courses. I’m not sure how much you know about it, but if you can remember the size of your 35mm film, try to imagine a sheet of film that is 4″ x 5″ in size. And then try to imagine how large the camera has to be! {and how heavy it is!}

It’s the type of camera that looks like an accordion in the middle, the ones that you have to put a dark cloth over your head to see!

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Why on earth would I want to lug this thing around, you ask?

There’s something very “real” about shooting with this camera. Yea, it’ll take you 15 minutes to setup and get the perfect shot, but when you pull that shutter button or cable, you finally know what it feels like to take a photo. It’s special!

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…the images come through the camera upside down and backwards, too!

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I can’t wait to show you what the film is going to look like once I develop this week!

My adventure buddy, Gene, was a huge help today! The above image with three trees is his composition & first 4×5 photo!

…In addition to all of this film fun, I’ve also been behind the computer screen making geometric art with my snow photos from this weekend. What do you think of these?