A photograph is an immortalised split second where the energy of the photographer and his surroundings have come together. 

If we’d take this rather extensive statement as a starting point we find an explanation why a portrait  taken with a large format camera is different from a portrait with a digital camera.

When portraying somebody with a digital camera we can endlessly release the shutter and we have instant feedback on our LCD screens. We could even set our camera on “high speed continuous” so that we won’t miss that perfect expression and moment and that we will have hundreds of photos for the final selection.

However, making a portrait with a large format camera is an elaborate process without instant feedback.

Firstly the portrayed person has to find a comfortable position, or the position that is required for the particular photo. Then we manually measure the light conditions so that we’d know the settings for our camera and the development of the film. We open the lens so that we can see our composition. Now we manually focus, preferably on the eyes of the subject. Once this is done the person in front of the lens must not move until the photographer has released the shutter! The photographer closes the lens and sets the shutter speed and the aperture according to the measured light. He places the film holder on the rear side of the camera, he removes the dark slide and only then he is ready to take the photo.

The result of this crafty operation is a portrait with a certain stillness to it.

Also it becomes clear to the portrayed person that for a photo like this craftsmanship is required, whereas everyone can take a well lit and sharp photo with a digital camera. 

It seems that the current interest in having your portrait taken with a large format camera has got to do with the increased attention foto photography in general. After all, we are all photographers today and carry a camera in our mobile phones with us with which we are taking countless photos every day. 

In my experience people do want to pay for the experience of having taken their portrait on 4x5 inch sheet film. 

Nowadays photography is believed to be free because all of us are photographers yet for a portrait with a large format camera craftsmanship is required.