Results Of: The Large Format Photography - 2010 Survey - Part III
Saturday, January 22, 2011 at 5:17PM This time the survey results blog will focus on the kind of workflow in use for post-processing. It is kind of a sensitive subject, since many skilled classic photographers are dedicated to their classic "analogue workflow" and the wonderful results that it can create. At the same time there are many photographers that have switched to a "hybrid workflow". This last group still makes pictures on film, but does not return to the darkroom with their slides or negatives to make a nice print; they scan them and do the post-processing on a computer. To be complete I should not forget to mention that in the context of large format there are also a few people that use an "instant workflow" using e.g. Polaroid film, or a pure "digital workflow" with e.g. digital (scanning) backs. Alternative workflows, like for instance wet-plate workflows, are considered to be part of the "analogue workflow" category in this survey.
Limiting the comparison between users of the "analogue workflow" and the "hybrid workflow", the answers to the survey showed that the different groups ended almost ex aequo (hybrid: 52%, analogue 48%). However, when taking the formats into account, one can see that for the 4x5 inch users (125 in total) and the few 13x18 cm, 9x12 inch, 11x14 inch and 120 film users that have replied to this survey it is the majority that uses a hybrid workflow (e.g. 4x5 inch - 57%). For all other formats the "analogue workflow" is still the favorite. Another observation worth mentioning is that from all large format photographers that indicated a color film to be their favorite, there was only one that still uses an "analogue workflow".
From the 196 respondents, 5 people shared that they also use a digital back. One of them uses a scanning back from Better Light, one uses a digital back from Leaf, and the other three use backs from Phase One.
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