Ultra Large Format photography refers to photography

Photography

Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...

 using camera

Camera

A camera is a device that records and stores images. These images may be still photographs or moving images such as videos or movies. The term camera comes from the camera obscura , an early mechanism for projecting images...

s producing negatives

Negative (photography)

In photography, a negative may refer to three different things, although they are all related.-A negative:Film for 35 mm cameras comes in long narrow strips of chemical-coated plastic or cellulose acetate. As each image is captured by the camera onto the film strip, the film strip advances so that...

 larger than 8x10" (20x25cm).

The ULF photography 'movement' has known a revival in the last few years, and is still expanding, along with film photography which, despite the very large market share of digital photography

Digital photography

Digital photography is a form of photography that uses an array of light sensitive sensors to capture the image focused by the lens, as opposed to an exposure on light sensitive film...

, still has many practitioners.

Origins

In the 19th century and early 20th century, photographic materials were not sensitive enough to light to allow for enlarging. All prints were contact prints, which meant a large negative was needed if one wanted a large picture. This can only be achieved by using a large camera.

Advantages

• The sheer size of the negative allows for very precise detail reproduction.
• Large negatives can be used to make contact print
  Contact print
  A contact print is a photographic image produced from film; sometimes from a film negative, and sometimes from a film positive. The defining characteristic of a contact print is that the photographic result is made by exposing through the film negative or positive, onto a light sensitive material...
  
  s, which is a method used with many alternative photographic processes.
• Images produced have a presence that is difficult to obtain through any other means - mostly the quality of a contact print instead of enlargement

Trade-Offs

• Very heavy and costly cameras
• Costly lenses with image coverage for large film sizes
• Film holders are custom built by fine wood workers - very costly
• High cost of film - most films must be special cut
• Cumbersome manipulation, which slows down the photographic process significantly
• Absence of international standards for film holders beyond 11" x 14" (30 cm x 40 cm) - this is rarely an issue as film holders are custom built to match cameras.
• Note that 14" x 17" - the size of X-Ray and MRI films - is indeed an international standard.

External links

• Mamut Photo, a website talking about Ultra-Large format photography
• APUG.ORG, an international community of like minded individuals devoted to traditional (non-digital) photographic processes. Site contains many discussion forums including an Ultra Large Format Forum.
• Fotostudio-Arton, an experimental digital large format camera.
• Going Ultra, the chronicle of a journey into contemporary ULF photography.
• In The Land Of Giants, an article on three modern lenses typically used in ULF Photography.