People often ask us at Ben Ham Galleries what sets Ben Ham apart from other photographers. While we could provide a myriad of differences, perhaps the most notable differences are the equipment and the process.
The Equipment & Camera
First and foremost, Ben Ham is a fine art film photographer. His works are not captured on a digital camera. They are however, captured using a large format, wooden camera that folds down into a box. All the gear weights nearly 50 pounds. The wooden camera has movement, tilting or swinging in the front and rear to alter the plane of focus. His current 8x10 was made my Keith Canham, which is a work of art itself, made from walnut and aircraft aluminum. It is not only a very precise instrument for a view camera, but the weight was a big deal. His previous camera, made of mahogany and brass, weighed in at 27 pounds. To shed that much weight was a game changer to say the least!
For the most part, Ben uses film negatives that are 8 x 10” inches and uses several lenses. He also utilizes a Pentax spot meter to compute his exposures, using the zone system. But that’s just the equipment difference.
If you’ve seen digital photographers while at work, you will notice how many images they may take. Digital photographers may take hundreds of images and spend countless hours sorting through those images, determining what to put on the cutting floor and what to keep. They often tend to spend hours editing the kept ones – editing for light, contrast, structure, warmth, and composition. They may use several programs to achieve after-effects, too.
Ben’s process is much different. In a given outing photographing beautiful landscapes, Ben may take only a half-dozen photos. His process of scouting, approaching a composition like a painter and using the zone system for metering, gives him confidence in exposing only a couple of sheets for each shot. All of this is very time consuming. It can take 20 - 30 minutes to capture an image. It usually only allows a scene or possible two to be work on any given outing.
The number of photos taken are itself, a stark contrast to a digital photographer’s work. But moreover, much of Ben’s editing work is done well before he even presses the button to expose the photograph. He carefully examines the composition, measures lighting, examines color, and adjusts focus BEFORE he takes the picture. It’s a careful, measured, and deliberate approach – one that is much different from a digital photographer.
At Ben Ham Galleries, we don’t say that one process (digital or film) is better just that they are entirely different. When you learn how precise Ben has to be with his equipment and process, you learn that his work does not happen by accident. From that, we find many people appreciate his work as an art form.
Ben was highly influenced by the work of Ansel Adams, the world’s most famous fine art film photographer, and is entirely self-taught from Adams’ three books. Ben feels incredibly fortunate that his inspiration and love of nature can be captured on film and shared with collectors and viewers across the globe. Approaching $10 Million in sales and counting, Ben’s fine art film photography is taking the art world by storm.
We welcome your questions about the equipment or process. Contact us at either our Charleston, SC or Bluffton, SC to learn more or for purchase inquires.