New York Times Building (4×5 film)

I know this is the third time I’ve posted a similar picture of the New York Times building by Renzo Piano, but this is the 4×5 version.

How it was done–for those interested in such things. I had access to an office window in the McGraw-Hill building on 42nd Street, which provides an unobstructed view of the NYT building over the roof of the Port Authority bus terminal. For the moment, the NYT sits relatively open. But to the left you can see foundation work proceeding for another skyscraper at the corner of 42nd Street and 8th Avenue. The Port Authority, itself, plans on building a tower above the bus terminal. So, in a few years, this view will be drastically changed, if not obliterated.

The McGraw-Hill, one of the glories of the Deco era (Raymond Hood, architect), still has operable windows, a rarity these days. The first image here on my journal was taken with a digital camera through the glass, which was ok, but I really wanted to come back and shoot with the view camera with the window open. Unfortunately, the windows are set so that they open only a couple of feet above a wide sill. Getting the 4×5 camera into that opening would be difficult, but I figured I could do it.

Upside down view camera

I got to my window on a beautiful late afternoon and began setting up the camera. Because of the tripod center post, I couldn’t mount the view camera low enough for a clear view through the window. I was using a rather wide lens, so it was necessary to be as close to the opening of the window as possible. After fussing with the equipment for a while, I remembered something I’d done years ago, which was to flip the camera to the underside of the tripod and shoot through the legs. That’s what I did, as you can see above. The camera, for those curious, is an ArcaSwiss Discovery with a small front element and lens board. A Schneider 65mm Super Angulon lens for this shot.

I am still using 4×5 film, and then scanning to digital files. I am also still using Polaroid film to preview what I’m doing, although when shooting out in the field, I use this alarmingly expensive film sparingly. Is it worth it continuing to shoot film? I think so–for now. Today, I go to the darkroom to make 4×5 foot prints of the Civil War/Brooklyn project from high resolution scans of 4×5 film.