Afghan Box Camera Practice

[@KalleThyrvin]

Thank you Joe! This was a treasure trove of information for me. I'm in the process of building an afghan box camera, just got a lens and I'm working on the drawings. You have a lot of great design ideas that I'll borrow like the metal surface and magnetic vinyl for the prints, the interior door to keep the light out and also the shelf on the tripod. Truly great stuff. Greetings from Sweden!

[@EFD620G]

Loved it when you built it, and still love it.

[@alexanderkoster3196]

Wow! More than excellent tutorial! I always wondered, during my 60ties trip to India and 70-ties trips to South America, how these cameras worked. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. It’s much appreciated. Greetings from Holland

[@bunyowbub]

This is very impressive, Joe! Thank you!

[@puppetanimation]

Fantastic video! Love the view from inside; clear and well done. I always find your videos to be very informative! thanks for taking the time to create this content.

[@SilntObsvr]

I just found this video. I've been interested in Afghan Box Cameras for a while, and I happened to check Freestyle for availability of paper. In grade 2 .EDU Ultra (= Fomabrom) they don't have sizes smaller than 5x7, and actual Fomabrom comes in 8x10 and larger. Assuming you recut the paper to 3 1/2 x 5, you're looking at a minimum of 70 cents for just the paper for a single image (one half-sheet for the negative, another for the positive). That's barely cheaper than the last generation of peel-apart Polaroids (well, quite a bit less after applying two decades of inflation to the last run of BW100 or BW3000) -- but much less subject to discontinuation for "business reasons", given the number of photographers around the world still using graded Fomabrom.

[@andyvan5692]

great camera, reminds me of the old wet_plate process, just combining the "tent" and the camera, in the one space.

[@karlmatthias2698]

Joe, this is fantastic!

[@timstammers]

This is fantastic Joe !

[@jameskyle4807]

Thank you, Joe... This might be my next build. :-)

[@DavidALovingMPF102]

Very COOL. I am amazed that this camera develops the picture inside. ( Ok, you did this ).

[@SamStinson]

I'm building one of these myself, I will use direct positive reversal processing to create the portrait in one step instead of re-development though.

[@urbanimage]

Very interesting video.

[@sbcinema]

Very Nice !

[@doctordarkroom]

Great video Joe. I just started watching your previous Afghan box camera videos a few days back and was excited to see a new update today! Looking forward to some more this year.

[@razielvonelric]

Im gonna build one for me and im gonna make one for a local photography museum and donate it to them

[@jcameraworks]

maybe you could use a longer sleeve, so you would not need the door. also how about an inspection red window ?

[@Joe_VanCleave]

The door is a great help, and easy in install. I've tried red filters for windows, they still fog the paper. This originally had a viewing port with pull shutter and a red LED for illumination, it also fogged the paper.

[@peterrenn6341]

@@Joe_VanCleave Don't give up on red windows! I'm using two layers of rubylith on the rear access door (approx 4" x 3") on my ABC and it's fine with multigrade IV even in moderate direct sunlight. - That's English sunlight mark you, not your high-power US desert stuff! :-). Nicely built by the way. I recommend a flip-top flat paper box held down with velcro to save chasing it around the box. seal the lid with black velvet. best wishes, Peter.

[@peterrenn6341]

- velvet tape. regards, Peter.

[@anibalisasa]

Sr Joe , le escribo desde Argentina , estoy haciendo una "Afghan Box Camera " me gustaría saber que tamaño de negativo y foto me convienen ?? y si de pueden usar como negativos las placas radiográficas de mamografías ?? ya las consigo baratas ,

[@Joe_VanCleave]

The size depends on how much room your box has, and how big you want the prints to be. You probably want to make the prints onto paper, yes? Or do you want to print a negative onto another plate? I think most people would want a paper print. A size similar to what fits in a photo album is convenient. Here in America it would be like 4 by 6 inches. Good luck with your project.

[@GONZOFAM7]

Do you find that the dev drips at 7:42 fall on the paper box and mess up your next shot of paper when you take it out of the box and set it on top like at 5:25?

[@Joe_VanCleave]

If I’m careful to keep the paper dripping over the tray then I don’t see drips on the paper box.

[@BonsaiBrandy]

Hi Joe, do you account for 'bellows extension' when determining exposure times i.e. do you find the f number of the camera from the lens - paper gate distance and the lens aperture, or is this unnecessary?

[@Joe_VanCleave]

Yes, it should be taken into account. One approach is to make a series of test exposures of a normal seated subject distance in appropriate light and determine the exposure through emperical testing. This is likely how indigenous users did it. Or do it using the more difficult western method of first determining proper exposure at infinity focus, then measure your close focus distance and calculate the proper exposure using the bellows extension factor. I think the first method makes more sense.

[@BonsaiBrandy]

@@Joe_VanCleave I might be misunderstanding, but would it not make sense to have some scale on the focussing rod which indicates the lens-gate distance, and then for each photo determine the f number from that and the aperture of the lens and calculate the exposure time from that? Im trying to make a box camera at the moment (though im taking some time as im trying to make it from pallet wood) and ill be using a fresnel lens and waterhouse stops. Ive only made pinhole cameras before where you use a similar method but maybe that’s impractical here? I recall you using a similar method for your box camera with your homemade shutter? Thanks for your responses.

[@Joe_VanCleave]

@@BonsaiBrandy Yes, you could do that. But what interests me is how the indigenous practitioners managed to make great portraits without calculations. I think many of them used consistently standard camera-to-subject distances, which therefore implies consistent internal focus distances, then determined proper exposure based on prior testing and experience. These cameras were used almost exclusively for portraits, so the internal focus was typically set to a similar distance each time. Another tip from experience is don’t be afraid to experiment. It is absolutely mandatory that you make a series of test exposures at various exposure indices to determine the optimal exposure based on the time of day, quality of light, kind of paper, strength and age of developer and skin tone of subject.

[@BonsaiBrandy]

@@Joe_VanCleave Thanks very much Joe, having a standard subject distance would seem to make it a bit simpler. Im trying to make a slightly more portable camera and still process the paper in a darkroom, so id like to be able to do landscapes too. I do try to take plenty of notes for all my photos, though sometimes i have to cut them slightly short to not bore to death anyone I might be walking with. Thanks again!

[@LuciusGraciusMaximus]

could you tell which paper youre using exactly?

[@Joe_VanCleave]

Freestyle Photo's Arista grade 2 RC paper.

[@LuciusGraciusMaximus]

@@Joe_VanCleave thank you

[@petervanorsouw2858]

Hi, your paper so called neg, seems to have more latitude than film, is that so ? I think what you are doing is what photographery is all about. Thank you.

[@conradsmith9332]

First veiw like and comment :)

[@christopherrasmussen8718]

Vertical with a mirror at the top. Flip the image right to the paper?? I’m not bad with wood and this has me thinking. Just like you said , if you can just speed up the process. I live in south FL and for sure I could make a buck if I could peddle this.

[@Joe_VanCleave]

I think the image gets reversed back to normal when rephotographed for the print.

[@christopherrasmussen8718]

Joe Van Cleave what I’m thinking is skipping the whole second step???

[@christopherrasmussen8718]

Second idea. A mirror or a right angle prism in the light train right before the paper. Inside the box. Then you would not need a second picture?? Make the prism (mirror ) and the paper a moving object on the rails for focusing. I’m sure it could work.