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How to build your own DIY UV exposure box for when the sun won’t shine

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I was always told: if you have to do something, do it with your own style! So here is my Italian style UV box to expose the papers coated with antique photographic processes.

At the origin of photography, many technologies of printing required exposure to UV light. In those times, the sun was the perfect source and the exposure was usually made outdoor. But the quantity of UV light from the sun can vary a lot in different seasons or with different weather. Plus, baby it’s cold outside now in winter! For this reason, I decided to build a UV Box.

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Photographers turn empty building into a camera obscura to create epic large format photos of London

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UK photographer Brendan Barry can turn pretty much any object into a camera obscura: from a camper to an entire skyscraper floor. This time, he teamed up with young folks from Beyond the Box to turn an empty building in London into a multi-lens camera obscura.

Unlike previous times, Brendan used a new process he developed during the project. Thanks to some DIY magic, film chemicals, and smartphone torches, Brendan and his team created a unique large format image of the city.

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How to make a DIY Photo Enlarger from an Afghan box camera

In a previous post, I shared how I converted my Afghan Box Camera into a slide projector. The principle of the slide projector involves putting a light source at the back whose light passes through some condenser lens. The light then goes through the slide and finally pass the projector lens and be projected big on the projector screen.

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This video explains the science behind photographic film

I think many of us agree that there’s still something special about film photography even in the digital age. Film photos have some magic to them, and there’s a lot that comes before we see their final look. In this video, Destin Sandlin of Smarter Every Day shows you the magic and the science behind shooting, developing, and scanning a roll of 35 mm film.

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Watch: How to shoot and develop color photos with a camera obscura at home

British photographer Brendan Barry is well-known for his camera obscura projects. He has taken photos with a camper-camera, container-camera, and plenty more. And during the lockdown, he turned his own bedroom into a camera. In this short film, he shares behind the scenes of taking a color photo with a camera obscura, which is something you can do in your own home.

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Here are three big reasons to shoot film in 2021

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We live in the 21st century, technology is rapidly improving, and our digital cameras are becoming better and better. So does it still make sense to shoot expensive and outdated film? Well yes, it does. In this video from grainydays, Jason Kummerfeldt gives you three big reasons (and a bunch of small ones) why you should shoot film in 2021.

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Watch: The George Eastman Museum shows us the historic salt process printing technique

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Making prints from our film negatives is often a bit of a pain. You have all kinds of chemicals you need to buy, and the range that’s available today can be quite overwhelming. In this video, Historic Process Specialist, Nick Brandreth at the George Eastman Museum shows us how to make prints using the salt process.

The salt process is one of the earliest silver-based photographic techniques and is used to make photograms, in-camera paper negatives and prints from paper and glass negatives – I suspect it might work on some types of film, too, either for contact prints or using an enlarger, although your enlarger would need a UV bulb in it.

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This sleek and tiny light meter attaches to your film camera’s hot shoe

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If you’re into film photography and have a camera without a light meter, it can be pretty tricky to get the exposure right. Lime One is a neat-looking light meter that should solve the problem.  It’s a small reflective light meter, and it’s mounted straight on your camera’s accessory shoe.

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Photographer turns the Customs House into a giant working camera obscura

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A camper, a shed, a bedroom, or even an entire skyscraper floor – you name it, Brendan Barry can turn it into a camera. For his latest project, he visited Custom House in Exeter, UK, and turned this amazing attraction into a working camera obscura. Brendan shared his process in this fun video, and if you plan to embark on a similar adventure, it will be very valuable as a guide. [Read More…]

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