120mm "Forgotten Laughter" And Other Trip Shots #12

Here are another 10 images made in the Mae Sot Thailand dump with the families back in April/May 2016. This selection is from the 12 rolls I developed on Sunday. These photos are part of the "Forgotten Laughter: Families of the Dump" series of images I have been making in Thai since 2013. These families and children live and work in the dump, they are Burmese refugees, amazing folks and many are my friends.

Boy sleeping with flies on face in dump home, Mae Sot Thailand April 2016

The Groom digging in the garbage, Mae Sot Thailand April-May 2016

Homeless lady Khun Ooh living under the freeway, Bangkok Thailand April 2016

Dumpscape, Mae Sot Thailand April-May 2016

Young teen in dump home, Mae Sot Thailand April-May 2016

Young boy at his neighbors dump home, Version #1 Mae Sot Thailand April 2016

Young girl outsider her dump home, Mae Sot Thailand April 2016

Young boy at his neighbors dump home, Version #2 Mae Sot Thailand April 2016

Father of the groom smoking in the dump, Mae Sot Thailand May 2016

Chimiko son of the bride and groom, Mae Thailand April-May 2016

(Note...more images to follow)

Amazing Wet Plate Collodion Photogapher Ken Merfeld

This is the type of wet plate portrait work I would like to do on my proposed "Oh! Canada!" project, the image is by photographer Ken Merfeld. If you have time please check out his amazing collodion wet plate webpage. A great selection of images that shows you the true power of collodion (photography) when a photographer is completesly dedictated to his craft.
http://merfeldcollodion.com/

Wet Plate Portrait by Ken Merfeld

11x14 Wet Plater Holder Arrived As Well

I also got my 11x14 glass plate holder today. The holder was very well packaged in an oversized box with foam pellets and bubble wrap. My new holder looks to be in great shape especially considering its age. They really made things to high standards back in the day.

Strange thing is, is that it has 2 dark slides with a plastic insert in the middle (taped on). I believe this was originally made to use with glass dry plates type, Edward Curtis used glass dry plates for his photography, a new development at that time. In the days before they figured out how to make film with plastic they put the light sensitive emulsion on glass base instead. I was told by the seller I could insert wet plates into the holder where the dry plate would have gone and do wet plate photography. I think doing wet plate in this dry plate designed holder should work out fine.

Here is a current thought thou. Can I insert 2 wet plates into the holder at the same time and then do 2 exposures of a portrait subject then develop them before they dry out and are useless? I would have to be able to coat 2 plates with collodion, sensitize them in silver nitrate (3-4 minutes each), expose the plates, and develop the plates within 10-15 minutes. Not exactly sure how much time I would have to do the 2 plates as it depends on many factors, type of collodion (more alcohol allows in the collodion gives slower dry times), how humid the working environment is etc. Not sure it would be practical 2 wet plate images at the same time, but heck I have 2 sides on the holder and doing 2 shots of a sitter back to back (slightly different types) might be VERY beneficial. It is certainly worth thinking about.

Anyway, the 11x14 wet-dry plate holder is in the fold, now just waiting on the Camera! All the wet plate gear for the various systems is coming together now. I plan on buying a ice fishing tent (mobile darkroom) and doing some developing in the field soon, possibly this year or at the latest next spring. I still need to get all the chemicals together as well as the glass plates/trophy aluminum etc.

I Got My Brass Petzval 1865 Carl Vandyk Lens Today

I got my Carl Vandyk brass petzval 1865 lens today! And it is a real real BEAUTY!. I did not realize that it had an adjustable shutter/diaphragm set up but it does. I assumed it used the old style waterhouse stops. The kind you take in and out and are hard to find. My lens has a little lever which adjusts the inner lens diaphragm to change the f- stop from F4 to F22 (4-6-8-11-16-22).

I am not sure of the coverage of the lens, I think it should probably work with 8x10 which is good. I doubt it has 11x14 coverage. I need to get a lens board made for it, probably use my eBay contacts for that. It takes a larger hole size then a standard Copal 3. I expect to use this with dads 8x10 Deardorf so I will probably get a Deardorf board made with the right hole size, then screw the mounting plate on the the board. This lens will be brought back to life. When was it last used, who knows? Now thou it will become a living lens again, breathing once more, making photos yet again, fulfilling its destiny. That thought is simply beautiful!

I wonder who Carl Vandyk photographed with this lens? Queen Victoria? King George V? King of Siam? Now I can use it to photograph the kings and queens of Canada, everyday ordinary folks that deserve to have their stories told and remembered. :)))

Update* Gosh just did the math, I will be using a lens approximately 150 years old, WOW!!!!!!!!
Update ** Just thought of an interesting coincidence. The lens was made around 1865, Canada became a country in 1867. Using this lens for the "Oh! Canada!" project just seems so right, they have basically the same birthdays, they were born at the same time.  Now they can speak to each other.
Update*** Wrote of this before but thought I would mention it again. My 8x10 Deardorf was made/first sold  in early 1964, I was born in early 1964. The lens and Canada are connected, me and dads gift Deardorf are connected. :))) Let's make beautiful photos together.

Here is the beauty lens!

My new 1865 brass pretzval lens, once owned by Carl Vandyk

2 New Wet Plate Books

Picked up 2 new wet plate books tonight off Amazon. The first is Quinn Jacobson's book on making wet plate collodion negs (I own another one of his wet plate books and love it). The second is a cheaper book from a wet plate writer/photographer I do not know, George H. Berkhofer. Hopefully these books will add to my knowledge of the process and eventually to some powerful work. Learning photography is always so exciting, I have so far to go, but it is a wonderfully fun journey!

Chemical Pictures by Quinn Jacobson

Wet Plate Collodion Photography by George H. Berkhofer

Non Fiction Art?

Think I will start calling (at least in submissions) my work NON FICTION ART instead of social documentary concerned photography. Many art people (curators, writers, high brow art gallery visiters, etc.) do not believe in the verbage "Social Documentary Photography". Maybe I can try to do a bit a more of a arty farty (conceptual) title thingy for them.

Calling it NON FICTION ART instead might get the work seen and the people visiting. I am just desperate to get the work into the galleries and get the stories of my subjects told. The voices of the children in the dump need to be heard!

Mr. Tuman Capote wrote the first nonfiction novel in 1966 with "In Cold Blood", maybe I can be the first nonfiction art (social documentary concerned photography} dude.

Bought A Linhof 8x10 Tripod

Not sure I need yet another tripod but this one seems to fit a need at a cheaper price. It is made by Linhof which only makes quality gear. The tripod (Special Geared Center-Post Tripod Model IV), is metal with a geared centre post (very important for portraits).

My Gitzo carbon fibre tripod is a bit maxed out when I go larger than 5x7 with it. I hope this tripod will work well with my 8x10 cameras. Maybe I can use it in when I shoot dads 8x10 Deardorff in Canada and elsewhere. This tripod dates back to the 1950s and looks VERY tough. Tough and reliable is what I need when I am shooting in far off lands (Inuvik Northwest Territories Canada, Mae Sot Thailand). Am a bit worried about the weight, hopefully it will not be too much to handle.

The seller wanted $199 USD, I offered $150 and was accepted. The cost of shipping is high (heavy) cost $93 via USPS postal mail.

Note* Can I use this with my 11x14 camera? Or will I be using the also newly bought wooden Reis A-100.
Note** If this tropd is too heavy to carry in the field in hot enviroments like Thailand I will use it out of my vehicle in Canada and possibly as a back up for the "Oh! Canada!" project. I will need good realiable back up units for that project.
Note*** The tripod is 17 lbs, 37 inches closed and can be raised to a total 72 inches with a 20 inch center column.
Note*** I wonder if I can use this tripod as a digital video camera tripod as well. I could put on a fluid head of some kind and use it  when doing interviews (one tripod for 2 purposes). The Linhof Special Geared Center-Post Tripod Model IV was designed for both film cameras and heavier movie (film) camera.

Linhof heavy duty Munchen 8x10 tripod

Quote: Vincent Van Gogh

"What is drawing? How does one do it? It's the action of forcing one's way through an invisible iron wall which seems to be located somewhere between what one feels and what one can do."

Another Rejection From Lattitude 53

Today I got another rejection letter from a local small artist run gallery called Latitude 53. The work submitted and rejected was  from the "Forgotten Laughter" series of photos. These photos deals with  the lives of children in the Mae Sot garbage dump. I guess the Latitude jury are more into the fine art, arty farty type stuff. They told me , "The programming advisory committee did not feel that this work fit with Latitude 53’s mandate or audiences."

Will not submit to this gallery again, we have different agendas when it comes to art. Everyone has their own mandate and own view on what art is important. My view simply differs from theirs. I have always found art that deals with human life (real lives) in a realistic way is more moving than art that deals with some high brow conceptual ARTISTE theme. I have also found that the viewer often connects to and are more moved by art they can indentify with and relate to. Anyway, to each their own.

Rejected photograph, young baby and mother from the "Forgotten Laughter" series, Mae Sot Thailand May 2016

Will I ever get this work shown? Am I the only one who feels the lives and the stories in the dump are important and worth seeing? Feel very frustrated right now. After working so hard to tell these stories, 3 years of shooting on the other side of the world, 3 years of seeing and speaking and being with the families and NO ONE will show the work! At least there was financial and material gifts handed out to the families during the photography.

Still it is so disappointing to have failed the families, failed the children yet again. I let them all down. I let the little boy who held my hand and took me to a birthday party, down. I let the little boy who followed me around the dump and pretended to steal my bag then laughed and ran hoping I would play with him and chase him (he had no mother or father was raised by his grandma), down. I let the little girl who smiled so sweet and hugged me after I gave her a second hand barbie doll, down. I let the young girl who carried heavy pails of water on her head even when she was sick (would pass out), down. It goes on and on, the memories flood back now. It is all too depressing to think about. Need to try and think of something else.

The young boy (mentioned above) who followed me around the dump, Mae Sot Thailand April-May 2016

Here is the latest Latitude 53 rejection letter:

---------------------------------------------------------

Thank you for your submission to Latitude 53 Contemporary Visual Culture’s Main Space programming call. We were delighted to receive a diverse collection of submissions for our spring deadline; on behalf of our selection committee, Board of Directors and our community, we really appreciate your consideration in responding.

All submissions have been reviewed thoroughly by a selected peer group and I regret to inform you that your specific submission was not selected for programming in our upcoming season.

The programming advisory committee did not feel that this work fit with Latitude 53’s mandate or audiences.

Latitude 53 accepts submission proposals twice yearly and reviews these submissions on an ongoing basis. Our next deadline is 30 September 2016.

We really appreciate the time and effort you put into this application. Thanks again for submitting.

Sincerely,

  ---- -------- - -----
Programming & Communications
Latitude 53 Contemporary Visual Culture

Next 16x20 Holder Will Be Czech!

Am going to get my next 16x20 holder made in the Czech Republic! Contacted my man there (Filip) who is going to make a holder for me to test for $315 USD (free shipping). That is a lot cheaper than the $695 USD (charged shipping) Chinese made version. If this works out and it should, I will probably buy between 3-5 more from him.

My film holders from the Czech republic will have aluminum dark slides so will  probably be a bit weaker and a bit heavier (Chinese Chamonix holders of carbon fibre dark slides) but gosh I will be paying less than half the cost. On a guards salary I need to cut as many corners as I can. As long as the holder is light tight and fully functional I will be OK with it. After all the idea is to make pictures and tell important stories not accumulate pretty gear.

Book: "Edward S. Curtis: The Women"

I fell in love with a new library book of Curtis portraits titled, "Edward S Curtis: The Women". As always Curtis's subjects are historical native north american portraits, this time of women, made in the USA and Canada.

I was able to buy a used but acceptable copy (a former library book) off eBay for $40 CAD (including shipping). The best price I could have got for a used-acceptable version off Amazon.ca was $62 CAD. I had no choice but to buy this book. Once I saw some of Curtis's simple but very strong portraits, I just had to get it. Looking at work like this inspires me to try and do the same or better. Maybe I can make some strong women portraits worthy of Mr. Curtis during the "Oh! Canada!" series. I would love to do him and my subject proud.

The beauty and greatness of photographs is something I never tire of it. I was so lucky to find photography, it has given a purpose and passion to my life. I will continue to make pics until I can make them no longer.

"Edward S Curtis: The Women"

Poem: Crowfoot (Blackfeet) 1919

What is life?
It is the flash of a firefly in the night,
It is the breath of a buffalo in the winter time.
It is the little shadow which runs across the grass
and loses itself in the sunset.

ULF Lens Mounted To Boards

Here are some of my new ULF lens mounted on Sinar lens boards. I will have to sand down one of the boards as it does not quite fit into the lens board adaptor (board issue not adaptor issue). I have a 3rd ULF the Ilex 21 inch F10 Process which is mounted on the camera in the earlier blog.

Note* I also have a 4th ULF lens, a 42 inch Goertz Artar Red Dot I plan to use with a Ilex #5 shutter when I can find one.
Note** It is good to have lots of photo related stuff laying about. I found a new 67mm Hoya UV filter for the 600mm and a new 62mm Hoya UV filter for the 450mm. I was also able to add a nice 67mm metal lens shade to the 600mm. The only thing imissing is a lens shade for the 450mm. I placed an order on eBay for a 62mm metal shade from China $2.15 USD (free shipping). My imporant ULF lens are not protected!

Nikon 450mm F9 (Q version)  

Fujinon 600mm F11

Double Tripod On "May Lee"

After I did my darkroom redo today I set up "May Lee" my 16x20 camera with 2 tripods, the Ilex Process Lens, and the new 16x20 wet plate holder. Everything seems quite solid so I will probably go with a set up something like this. In this configuration I have the smaller Reie's tripod and head on the back of the camera with a Chinese carbon fibre plus large ball head on the front of the camera. I later removed the ball head entirely and placed only the carbon fibre legs up front which proved easier to set up and much more solid (less moving pieces). I think this double tripod set up should work fine. I do not think it is necessary to buy a bigger Reis tripod or the large giant Gizo carbon fibre. This tripod set up should work fine until I move up (if I move up) to the 24x32 Chamonix wet plate.

Note* With Chamonix ULF cameras you can even mount 3 tripods, a third tripod could be added directly under the lens when you have the bellows fully extended.
Note** The Ries A100 tripod is rated to 33lbs which should be fine on its own (camera folk have told me so). I think thou a second tripod is a good idea, it will add stability in the field. Especially in the wind if the bellows is extended. The one thing I might change out is the rear Ries head which is not as strong as the tripod, I might upgrade that.

Double tripod with "May Lee" Front Viewq

Ilex 21 inch F10 Process lens mounted to "May Lee"

Double tripod side view

New Zone VI Enlarger Set Up

I have the new-used enlarger now set up in my darkroom. The enlarger is not quite as nice as I had hoped, a bit too much plastic and thin metal in my opinion (am spoiled by my higher end Durst's). I am also having issues with the column-head as there is a lot of weird movement going on. Some of the multigrade cold light heads sealing foam fell away as well and I need to find and replace that. The last problem is that I cannot seem to attach the fine focusing nob (screw seems stripped). I will have to get the screw out and attach another.

The good news is the head does move up and down on the column properly if I use the smaller knobbed wheel on the left side and I can still focus using the larger focusing on the left as well. The head powers up and seems to be functioning properly, the multi grade head adjuster board changes the colour of the cold light tubes, the timer runs properly with foot switch and sound.

If I had to do it again I would probably not buy the enlarger but I think I should be able to get it properly printing for me in the next little while. When and if I see some beautiful prints I should be more at ease about the money spent. As always when my equipment starts making good photos, everything settles nicely in my mind. Money is only money, it comes and goes, but making great one of a kind pics is the reason I wake up each morning.

I now have a cold light in my darkroom which gives me the ability to print in cold light, harsh condenser light, colour head light, and a b/w multigrade diffused light. I can enlarge negs in the 35mm, X-pan (panoramic), 6x4.5, 6x6, 6x7, 6x9, 4x5, 5x7 and 8x10 formats.

It was quite a bit of work to set up the Zone VI cold light. I had 5 packages shipped to me,  So I had to put it all together which took a while. I then had to find a table top to place it on. I have a secondary enlarger table at one end of my darkroom that had 2 enlargers I got cheap but almost never use. One is a NAIT school condenser machine the send a Durst colour head I bought off Kijiji.  With much effort and some back strain I managed to move those to my mom and dads home. I plan on setting up a secondary darkroom there for platinum printing, teaching and possibly renting.

New Zone VI enlarger set up

Contrast control and timer with foot switch-sound and drydown button

Zone VI cold light enlarger and beautiful "May Lee"

Possible "Oh! Canada!" Inspirational And Shooting Location "Haida Gwai"

Another place I would love to go during the "Oh! Canada!" is the island of Haida Gwai (Queen Charlotte Islands) off the coast of British Columbia North of Vancouver Island. This is the area that the great Canadian painter Emily Carr worked, and is one of the most beautiful parts of Canada. Such a different world and vibe than the slums, bars and dumps of Asia where I have photographed the last 30 years (1996-2016).

Different scenics on Haida Gwai island

Dempster Highway

To get to Inuvik Northwest Territories I would have to travel North from Dawson City Yukon on the Dempster highway which in winter uses ice bridges and in the summer months a series of ferries to cross the Mackenzie and Peel rivers.

It just occurred to me, I could potentially be travelling to places in Northern Canada where little view camera photography has been done. Pretty well everything has been photographed but I would be in areas that have been much less photographed than other parts of the world. Heck I might be the first or one of the first to ever shoot wet plate pictures in these regions. Hard to believe in the year 2016+ there are still photographically virginal parts of the world left. Imagine, breaking new photographic ground! A security guard from Edmonton packs up his camera gear and becomes the first to ever (or one of the first) to make wet plate in parts of the far Canadian North. There is a wonder and real beauty to that idea.

It is all so exciting, Richardson mountain here I come!:))))
Wikipeida Dempster Highway

The Richardson Mountains, Dempster highway

Dempster highway #2

Dempster highway #3

Another Possible Cargo Trailer

Found another possible cargo trailer, this one is tall enough for me and a bit shorter than the earlier trailer post. It does not have the drop down ramp door but I could probably rig something up to take the big camera gear in and out. This 2016 trailer is 14 feet long and 7 feet wide, with some modifications done by the family that owns it (screen door etc). The price would probably be $5500 to $6000 CAD.

Still unsure if I should choose a cargo trailer or a camping trailer. Twin axel cargo trailers might be tougher than any old camping trailer I could find. There is a possibility I could be hauling my darkroom to very tough locations, places like Inuvit from the earlier post, tough is always good. The last thing I want is breakdowns when I am on the wide open landscape along side no one but polar bears and a heard of caribou.

Here are the photos.

A nice used but newish beauty of a trailer

Inuvik, Northwest Territories Canada

Been thinking of places I would like to go for the "Oh! Canada!" project if it happens. At the top of the list right now is a place in the North West Territories of Canada called "INUVIK". What a different world to make environmental wet plate landscapes and portraits in. It is located in the upper most regions of the Canada boasting a population of around 3400 people.
Wikipedia, Inuvik

Inuvik 2013

Inuvik on the Canada map, I am in Edmonton in Alberta province

Got My ULF Chamonix Wet Plate Holder Today

Today I got my ULF wet play holder for 16x20 camera "May Lee". What a ascetically beautiful piece of equipment. The people in China who make Chamonix camera gear really do a good job. This simple little wet plate holder is a wonder to behold, part wood, part carbon fibre, everything fits smooth and slick together. I do not think I have seem something hand made of wood that looks or operates as well.

The holder is a separate unit that does not snap onto the back of the camera but instead slides in behind the ground glass (plastic on my camera), just like a regular film holder. The 24x24 Chamonix camera I was looking at and did not buy in Calgary a few weeks back had a separate holder that snapped onto the camera back which is a bit more of a cumbersome method. You have to remove the ground glass then add the holder to the back of the camera, versus just sliding the holder in. I think I prefer the sliding in method. It is much faster (collodion dries quickly) and there is probably less chance of accidental camera-focus movement. The Calgary camera might have been an older design, not sure, the seller claimed it was new, but that may not have been the case. Guess I will find out later when and if I buy my 24x32 Chamonix wet plate camera. Will that camera have snap on or a slide in wet plate holder?

With my new holder it took me a bit of time to figure out how to add the wooden inserts to the back allowing for different format sizes. I have got that down pretty well now and it works smoothly for me. I wonder how everything will hold up to the deteriorating effects of silver nitrate and collodion eating at the wood etc. Hopefully I can get a lifetime of use out of this thing. 30 years if I live and shoot it till 82 (like dad), or 25 years if I am able to do this type of photography till 77. If I only live another 20 years to 72, surely it will last that long. I will need to wipe down the holder carefully during and after each use.

With the adaptor inserts I have the capability to use today's holder as a 16x20, a 12x20 and a 16x16 camera. Imagine 16x16 tight portrait head shots done with clear glass to make ambroypes on asphaltum, WOW! Stunningly strong portraits. I can't wait to start taking them.

I feel some great photos can be made, I just got to have the drive and determination to make them as I become older and weaker. I cannot let my age be a reason not to make important pictures. No excuses Gerry, only photographs. I hear too many excuses of why NOT to make pics from too many people, that will not be me. I need to drive myself hard, go all out. As they say in one of my favourite comedies , 'Galaxy Quest', "NEVER GIVE UP NEVER SURRENDER!" Lets make photos as we age without excuses. Never give up, never surrender!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fdcIwHKd_s

Maybe one day when I am in the field, exhausted and in need of something to help me, drive me to the next photograph I can "ACTIVATE THE OMEGA 13". :))

Ambrotype With Asphaltum

I have been studying the videos of Quinn Jacobson on YouTube. Quinn is an advanced teacher in the art of wet plate photography. Todays video was on the use of black "Asphaltum" to coat a clear glass ambrotype.

The finished product is one of a kind and quite stunning. The subject matter is not that interesting to me but the look, depth and feel of the finished glass image is astounding. You look through the glass to see the photograph on the back side, it sort of sits there and glows back at you. Imagine what a 16x20 or even better still a a 22x32 ambrotype with black "Asphaltum" would look like! A subject of a strong northern Canada coastal landscape or a tight head shot of an other indigenous person! Wow! As beautiful as photography can be. It is almost like magic, the image is captured INSIDE the glass. An important memory kept safe forever. A glimpse into another place, another time, another life. Using an ancient technique, technique 170 years old (made with a lens from that same period??) to photograph and bring to life modern subjects!!

I am very excited, I may have found the look I am after for this important Canada based project. I could do up these type ambrotypes as well as shooting regular film for silver gelatin and platinum prints at all my shooting locations.

Here is a link to the video and some captures of the final ambrotype.
The Studio Q Show - S01E06 - Using Asphaltum on Clear Glass Ambrotypes

Note* If you want to learn wet plate, Quinn Jacobson is the guy you want to talk to. He has several books, as well as videos on YouTube and elsewhere and is a workshop teacher.

Note** Doing a ambrotype like this on clear glass is MUCH cheaper to make than using black glass (expensive-rare). The other advantage is you can reverse the image by flipping the glass allowing for all the text etc. to be the right way round.

Ambrotype with added Aspuhalton by Quinn Jacoboson

Luck!

This is my latest and possibly last email from the Polish seller of my Carl Vandyk lens.

"I hope that you will be lucky with the lens."
Best regards, L---

I feel that is a big part of photography, the luck of the draw. Finding the right gear, learning in the right way, being in the right place at the right time, all involve luck! I hope luck continues to follows me with this accidental lens buy. Maybe the photography gods of fate will smile on me, give me some added luck and help me make important photos with this ancient and historic piece of glass.

Nice Night Out

Had a great gab session with my friend Larry tonight. We meet usually every 2 weeks and have a small simple meal and then go to the coffee shop after. We talk and talk and talk, tonight did that for around 3 hours. We talk photos, art, travel, dreams, projects, life things etc. I was lucky to find a friend later in my life who I share so many passions with.

A nice night : ))

Up And Running For ULF Film Photography

I can now make photos with my ULF 16x20 May Lee.

I have:
- 16x20 Camera
- 3 lens on boards with shutters (one not on a board or with a shutter yet)
- 1 16x20 film holder
- Adox CHS 100 film 10 sheets (another 50 Ilford on order).
- A variety of tripods/heads (will make up a 2 tripod system of some kind)
- Big black sheet to use as a dark cloth

We are ready to go!

Note* Still need to get a nice Pelican or other style case to hold the camera, lens, holders.

Got My First Chamonix 16x20 Film Holder

I got my first 16x20 film holder today. It is the most expensive film holder I have ever bought, an astounding $695 USD!!!! It is also the lightest, best made and most beautiful film holder I have ever owned, it even comes with its own padded bag. I will probably have to get 2 more of these holders but will first try my cheaper Czech Republic option. I have a builder there who says he can make me something comparable for around $400 USD each. Will see how that goes. 3 holders should be more than enough, you tend to be more selective and shoot more carefully with ULF film, especially something as big as 16x20 film.

Note* The dark slide for the holder is made of carbon fibre, it TINGS when you hit it your finger nail, remarkable!
Note** This is my first of 2 shipments from Chamonix. The next one will have the wet plate 16x20 back and the adapters to also allow 16x16 and 16x20.

My new very large, carbon fibre and wood 16x20 Chamonix film holder