Stretching The View

Wisner 8"x20" Panoramic View Camera

There is one desire as strong as the tides when photographing the elements of the land. Go wide. Some of the best views of the open landscape are wide and require a slightly different approach. Enter the modern day ultra large format panoramic camera. Or so one would think. The reality is that this format was born over 100 years ago. Originally designed for capturing large groups of well dressed people in banquet halls the camera became known as the banquet camera. A very catchy term that has endured throughout the years.

The banquet cameras came in three basic sizes and have changed very little over the years. For a true panoramic size the 7”x17” and 8”x20” were deployed. The largest size came in at 12”x20”. Regardless of the format used, the end result was amazing. Over the years the use of the banquet camera fell out of style. Most likely due to changes in attitudes and social behavior. Banquet halls no longer hosted the events of the early years. In time technology caught up and swing cameras were all the rage. Many group shots were taken with a swing camera due to the simplicity. Compared to a banquet camera, the swing camera was like a stroll in Disneyland. Much easier to use and more forgiving.

The decline of the banquet camera hit rock bottom in the early 70’s and all but fell off the map. Finding a flea on a tail of a Mississippi mud hound in December would have been easier then finding banquet format sized film. Only the most hard core photographer would even attempt to use the banquet camera. Then a strange thing happened. A sort of renaissance occurred. Attitudes changed and the banquet camera became very popular with the landscape photographer. Never before had a wide format been utilized for landscapes in such a manner. This was just the start. In the 80’s the Wisner Classic manufacturing company began to manufacture the banquet camera. Prior to the purchase of a Wisner, the only option was to find a used banquet camera and restore and repair. With the banquet camera in production, the format took off. And take off it did. There are still those that will restore the older style banquet cameras.

The 8”x20” format is the camera of choice for my wider images. The view in the glass is amazing. Trying to see the entire image in the ground glass presents the first difficulty. Next is the overwhelming size and weight. I often thought about the 12”x20” format. Not a true panoramic format, the 12”x20” is still the largest wide view on the market. And heavy as well. Coming in at an average of 30 pounds there is only two heavier camera models. With an aspect ratio 2.5:1, the view of the 8”x20” is two and a half times wider then high. The average 8”x20” camera comes in at 24 pounds. Most photographers will stick with a 7”x17”. The weight of the 7”x17 is less then half of the 8”x20” Weight is the largest factor when choosing an ultra large format camera. The size, weight, cost and every other possible downside of the format just drop off the face of the earth when I see the final image. The view in the ground glass is immediate.

Working with the 8”x20” format has changed the way I see the land. In particular many of the fine art images that I have would not have worked in any other format. The Ballyhoo tavern was the first example. The entire mural was captured in my ground glass. Another perfect image was the Coca-Cola mural in Fayetteville Tennessee. No other format would have worked. Yet using the banquet camera for traditional landscapes is not as easy as one would think. There is the ever challenging dilemma to avoid the so clichéd postcard image. The size of the image is some serious real estate that demands dedication. Very unforgiving is the banquet camera. With any new format the first year or so can be full of disappointments. Far too many times there is the nagging feeling of doubt. A sort of buyer’s remorse. Never once have I even come close to feeling that way with the 8”x20”. With all the images out there I suspect I never will. From the Ballyhoo in Terre Haute Indiana to the Tobacco Barn in Round Bottom Ohio…….the 8”x20” continues to pull at my artistic side.