Wednesday, May 3, 2017

BUYING A 35X35 MAMMOTH WET PLATE - FILM CAMERA!!!

Decided to go for it on the huge HF3535 camera buy. Life is too short to live without hopes and dreams. So many people I know give up on their dreams, or worse yet, never have any dreams. They are sort of screwed before they get started. They slug along making excuses about why this or that cannot be done. Many folk seem to not care for dreams, or are simply too lazy to pursue them, others do not truly love something strong enough (photography or other). I do not want to be one of those people.

I want to live out my dreams, I want to chase them down, pursue them with a animal like aggression. If I do not achieve them, so be it, at least I tried! I can try and fail, I can live with that, live with failure. I do not want to live with the regret thou, the "WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN!" stuff would be too painful for me to endure. I will now live out my dreams. I will swing for the fences and see where that takes me. Bring it on baby, another photographic challenge!! I LOVE IT!!!

This will be one of the largest cameras in the world, possibly the largest or close to the largest wet plate camera ever made. The weight of this machine will be 80-100 pounds. The cost is relatively low considering what this amazing camera will be, $5555 USD plus $750 USD for shipping it from the builder in the Czech Republic to Canada. The $5555 USD includes the camera and a 35x35 wet plate holder that can take metal or glass plates (up to 4mm thick).

The camera designer/builder and I are working together on what this camera will be. I asked Filip the builder to make it as strong as he can regardless of extra weight. I want something something that can stand up to the harsh Canadian environment and be used to produce my planned wet plate project "Oh! Canada!".
"Oh! Canada!" Project Blogs

Here are some drawings of the camera. Later on I will update you all with photos on the making of this beautiful machine.

HF2024, Here is the biggest camera Filip currently makes a 20x24
Note* We are currently upgrading the design giving added strength to the front standard. I want the ability to put a large brass lens (assuming I can find one) or a very large process lens on this camera. I might have to rig up a seperate small tripod for added lens support. The lens board will also be larger to allow for larger lens mounting, 200mm x 200mm or possibly 300mm x 300mm.

I also plan to use photos of the making of this camera for future artist talks (getting ahead of myself?). If I am showing 35x35 inch ambrotypes-tintypes in a gallery-museum then part of the PowerPoint artist talk has to be about the camera that made the plates and the amazing camera maker who built it.

In the future I might get a 24x35 wet plate back to do more rectangular compositions and possibly a 20x24 film back to allow for film photography.

SHE IS GOING TO BE A REAL, REAL, F-CKING REAL BEAUTY! Got to find the right name for her.

Note** This will be the largest camera Filip has ever made, he is also making a smaller and lighter 30x30 camera for another buyer. His design and quality standards are based on his love of Ebony cameras.