It has been a long time coming, but today, I finally mounted my newly acquired 100-year-old Spencer Port-Land 6-inch F4.5 soft-focus Pictorialist lens.
I am going to explore using this lens for my Pictorial Whispers project.
I have been trying to find a 6-inch version of this lens for a long time and finally found one in France a couple of weeks ago.
As you can see in the original 100+ year old advertisement for the Spencer Port-Land soft focus lens, their audience was the original Pictorialist.
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The copy I found had the original mounting flange shown in the photo directly below.
I wanted to decide whether to use this lens on my Graflex Series D, which I use for my wild horse photography or mount it on my Series B camera.
There are pros and cons to this choice. For example, the Series D is more flexible because it has interchangeable lens boards, and I have the RB (revolving back) version that allows portrait or landscape compositions. The downside to mounting a 6-inch lens on the series D is the camera was designed to use lenses starting at 7 1/4″ and longer.
I explored some ideas, but I did find a way to use a modified recessed Linhof lens board that would allow the lens to set back closer to the film plane and not interfere with the mirror or internal workings of the Series D. It was a very close call, but it could be made to work.
Another consideration is the size and weight difference between the Series D and B cameras. My Series D weighs about 8 1/2 pounds, and the Series B weighs about 6 pounds. It is also physically smaller than the Series D.
On the other hand, the Series B comes with a standard issue Kodak No. 32 6 3.8 f/4.5 lens, as shown in the photo below. My camera was made in 1927 based on the serial number. It is all original and still works perfectly. Based on that, I assumed the 6-inch Spencer Port-Land lens would have no problem attaining infinity focus with this slightly shorter focal length, and I was right.
As you can see in the photo below, the original Kodak No. 32 6 3/8 lens is on the left and the 6 inch Spencer Port-Land soft focus lens is on the right.
While they are not identical in size, they are very similar, and I made another very interesting discovery. The mounting flange holes are in the same location on both lenses, even though they differ in diameter by about 4mm. This is important because the Series B does not have interchangeable lens boards. As you can see in the photo of the Series B above this text, the lens mounting is made of solid metal. It is quite an amazing coincidence these two lenses share the same mounting dimensions.
Ultimately, I decided to mount the Spence Port-Land lens on the Series B and try to use this camera in addition to the Series D for my Pictorial Whispers project. With the lens mounted, the automatic lens cover closes without issue.
Next, I will load 12 sheets of HP5 in my “Bag Mag” and head out to create some exposures.
The development of the HP5 film should be very similar to what I use for my wild horse exposures. I use HC-110 Dilution B (1:31), and I either develop in my Jobo processor when I am in the darkroom, or with the Spearman Press SP-645 daylight tank.
I am heading out into the field and creating some exposures over the next few days. I will write a new article and share my prints after I ensure I have my exposures and resulting densities and contrast dialed in for my platinum/palladium and Kallitype printing processes.
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Check out the images Daniel Waters shared on Flickr. He created them using his Graflex Super D and Spencer Port-Land 6-inch lens, as well as HP5 film.
Here are two of my favorites from Daniel:
Explore how you can support my Pictorial Whispers Project and become part of a community dedicated to celebrating art and healing. By joining as a member, you will gain exclusive access to several unique benefits, including behind-the-scenes updates, early access to view new works, exclusive access to me, and much more. Your support helps sustain this deeply personal project, allowing me to continue creating meaningful art that resonates with memory, loss, and renewal themes. Join me today and become a part of the journey.