A Return to Film - A trip toward simplicity. A trip toward the real raw image.

 OK, so I have and often still do shoot digital camera’s and have nothing at all against them, the process, the convenience or the ability to view and share the images digitally. I completely understand the benefits that digital photography provides. The vastly more efficient workflows, the commercial efficiency, the ease of incorporating the images into other materials. Digital simply makes sense. Is it superior? Well that is the wrong question in my mind. It is certainly different. It is in its own way a technical improvement as photography was a technical improvement form human capture of images by sketching or painting. But sketching and painting are what they are. They are human and interactive. They are different. Analog film photography is much the same. It is a medium like sketching, or printmaking, or painting. But so is digital photography. It is a medium. It is a similar medium and yet a different medium. Digital photography is derivative of the algorithms the digital camera makers build into their cameras. Film is derivative of the formulation of the film and the chemistry that is used to develop it, to print it. 

Over the past few months I have been assembling tools, camera equipment, to again dive into film photography. In some ways this is return pilgrimage to where I started with this so many years ago and to a place I have returned to at several times along this life journey. This has been an on and off relationship with film photography that has interested me, drawn me back so many times before and does so again. I have been over the time assembling various 4x5 camera gear and lenses. I have also been looking at cameras that are a bit more transportable. 120 film cameras that fold up and fit into your pocket. The common man folding cameras that shoot 120 film. A Ventura 66 Deluxe, “US Zone, 6x6 format and an Ansco Viking 6x9 format folder. They are simple. Lens, shutter, aperture, bellows, and film advance winding spools. No built in meter, no automation, just photographer, simple camera and film. Then to be processed and printed in a darkroom. Now we would likely scan the negatives to allow it to be shared and viewed online. Another, even simpler camera is a plastic 4x5 camera outfit without a lens but instead a pinhole. The camera obscura. The simplest of cameras. Instead of 4x5 film holders I equipped it with an old Graflex Graphic 22, 120 film holder 6x6 format film holder. So now we are off on another simple journey. Another adventure in film photography. Focused on the images. Not the technology or the convenience. The simplicity. The human interaction with subject, simple device, light and film. Not easy. the real raw image capture system. 

Ansco 6x9 and Ventura Deluxe 66

Ventura 66 and Ansco 6x9 

Chinese Plastic 4x5 Camera with Graflex 22

Chinese 4x5 with Pinhole lens

Chines Pinhole camera with Graflex 22 120 6x6 film back 

Some Sad Photographic News New 55 and Hedrich Blessing - Closed!

As anyone who visits my site knows my posting has become a lot more infrequent. Time commitments in my life have reduced the amount of available time for my photography interests. Today I came to check my site, look over links and generally make sure things were still working. In checking my inspiration and links section I discovered that during my absence two of my links had stopped working. The first was my link to New 55 Film. They were a start up Kickstarter company that was trying to bring to market a new peal apart instant film for 4x5 polaroid camera's.


I was very excited about the potential new product as there may be no manufacturers of instant film remaining. As a large format camera owner instant film was how I learned the craft of architectural photography. The process was fairly simple. Set up your shot. Take all the necessary preparations and then shoot some test shot with instant film. When Polaroid went out of business in pretty much destroyed the financial viability of the large format camera for many professionals as it requires some degree of certainty that you have the shots you want or are being paid to produce.


New 55 was a valiant effort to return an instant 4x5 film to the market and at the same time provide a viable negative along with a print. They had done it. They had gotten the product design pretty well in place and were delivering product. But the whole operation could never scaled up to move past a craft operation. For them to be financially viable as a going concern they needed to make production equipment that was more efficient, required less hand labor and had higher levels of consistency. Having watched them struggle and fail was sad especially in light of the analog resurgence that seems to be taking place elsewhere in such things ad vinyl records and typewriters.


I was also saddened to learn that the famous Hedrich Blessing photo studio in Chicago closed its doors. Several of it's remaining photographers have started a new studio but the legacy of world famous photographs from the famous Chicago company has sadly come to and end. The archives have been transferred and I have put a link up. See the information and inspiration section of the blog.


The photography market place continues to be one of ruthless change and competition. There is nothing standing still in this world, especially not in the photography industry.

Graflex Crown Graphic Camera - Finished! At least for now!

So the Crown Graphic that I have been working on is done. Thanks in no small part due to the rotten winter weather we have had. Being stuck indoors has indirectly encouraged me to spend time in the shop working on this an other projects. When I purchased this camera on EBay the seller had somewhat misrepresented the condition. More omission than commission. They did not say that it likely had been in a flood. They had mentioned that the bellows leaked. The camera has now been cleaned, the leather stripped and the wood refinished, the bellows patched both with cloth tape and with flexible black silicone sealant, the bellows treated to help preserve future flexibility and last but not least the leather handle has been replaced. Some of the metal parts have been repainted. But I opted not to dissasemble the entire door/focusing bed and have not repated the camera interior parts. Now that she is finished I have taken a few with it shots using Fuji instant film and some of my lens/shutter combinations and it seems to be working well. The bellows are for now light tight and should remain so with reasonable care. The lens and shutter that came with the camera have a ton of fungus and wiping scratches. The shutter also sticks and should I decide to keep her I will make an attempt at cleaning and lubrication. The lens on the other hand shows lots of fungus and wiping scratches. The shots I took with it are very soft. They sharpen a bit when stopped down in the middle F stop range. But when I use my other glass the images improve greatly. In short the body of this camera is back but the glass and shutter are still not what I would consider using.

Side View

Front View

Top View

Back View/Film Holder

Front Lens and bellows - Note patching at bellows points

Bellows Patch Details

Work Continues on the Crown Graphic Refurbishment

While it has been intentionally slow going the refurbishment of the Crown Graphic continues. I did not want to set any deadlines for this project as I have plenty of other things to do and to be stressed over. This has allowed me to do one or two small things a night and allow plenty of time in between for things to dry. The leather is all stripped and the wood has been, cleaned, sanded and refinished. Considering everything this camera has been through the wood that makes up the main box was in great shape. All the joints were tight and sturdy. No re-gluing required. The last week has included the patching of the bellows. The leaking bellows was what started this whole process in the first place. Bellows repair has actually gone better than I originally expected. If it holds I will be quite glad that I did not pay for a new bellows. If it doesn't that always remains an option and iI now know what would be required to remove the bellows from the rear box/standard. I have placed black fabric sports tape on the inside at the bellows points where light could be seen coming through. It seems to adhear well, is flexible, flat black so it should not cause light bounce and seems to work fine when the bellows is openned and closed. The pleats still seem to fold properly. Then I used high flex black silicone caulking to seal the rubberized coating on the bellows exterior. The result seems to be a good seal, light tight and first impressions are that it should be pretty durable. The caulking seem to be appropriately pliable. The rest of the rubber on the bellows seems to be in pretty good shape.

The more I work with the camera the more I am convinced it was underwater for a time. I have been reluctant to take it completely apart. Instead I have chosen to stay focused on fixing the parts to get them functional with a little less emphisis on appearance. I decided last night to reinstall the range finder. It does not fully function as far as I can tell but since I have the parts it went back on. It is brighter now that it was cleaned inside. Should I decide that this camera is for carting out to the field and that I want it to be as light as possible it might get taken back off.

I am now in the process of putting it all back together. After I put the front standard back together i will start testing how well it opens closes. One of my next big steps will be to craft a replacement leather strap for the handle. I am also thinking about ideas for a button/cap for the case opening mechanism. Right now it is just a wire coming through the hole. I assume there must have been a metal part that is missing. Time to get creative.

Photos to follow shortly.  

Graflex Crown Graphic Rehabilitation Project Starts

New Years day project starts

It is really silly that someone who takes as many photos as I do started a project without photos of the original condition. I can't believe that I did not take pictures before I started, I thought I had but cannot find them now. Oh well! Back in September of 2013, in a quest to find a light camera to replace my Sinar F for shooting 4x5 film outdoors, I purchased an old Graflex Crown Graphic, early 50's from the serial number list on Graflex.org. It was in really quite rugged shape but did not cost much $123 plus $12 in shipping at auction on Ebay. The lens has fungus and many cleaning scratches, the shutter sticks on slow speeds, the bellows leaks, looks like 5 holes in all at the corners and the leather the leather covering was shot. From what I can tell this camera was likely in a flood. As it came from down south it might have been a hurricane. Regardless this camera has been badly abused. The leather and paint was cracked and pealing especially on the front bed but really on the wood parts as well. But she is complete with all her parts and the working mechanisms seem to function fine. When I realized she was going to take a fair amount of work to make into a working camera again I decided to put her aside and I purchased a bargain price Graflex Super Graphic which is now all set up as a working camera with my glass from the Sinar.

So over the New Years holiday I started the job of figuring out what to do with her. I had come to the conclusion that I was not going to try to restore her. I just wasn't in the mood to buy leather and do the whole recovering thing and have seen some nice looking Graflex cameras with the leather removed. Since the leather on mine was in such bad shape I have decided to go that direction. Hard decision but I plan on exposing and refinishing her mahogany wood box. I plan on stripping the old paint off of the painted graphlock back and other metal parts and repainting them. Still not determined if I am going to paint or leave bare the drop bed. I have seen them both ways.  I may put the view finder that mounts on top back on but may leave the rangefinder off for weight savings. Since I would likely use her as a handheld so I might be looking for a replacement lens and shutter that works. Plenty seem to exist and if I am patient I hope to not pay too much for. I can always use the 135mm I have on my Super Graphic Lens board. I think they are interchangeable.

The leather seems to be glued on with some kind of water soluble glue. so I have been soaking it and gently removing it with a sharp paint scraper being careful not to dig into the wood.  It is coming off fairly easily. The glue on the metal parts is a bit tougher. More photos to follow.



Side view with leather coming off. Bellows has 5 holes at pointed corners, very common!  




Front View

Side view - Leather handle brackets have been removed. Missing bed drop "button".

View of Front Standard, Bellows on this side seems free of holes.