I have experimented with several vintage film cameras over the years and still use three fairly regularly: a 1955 Minolta Autocord TLR and a 1980s Nikon FA - both superb cameras. The Kodak 'box brownie', however, should not be underestimated! This particular model is relatively advanced, having a choice of three apertures, approximately f/11, f/22 and f/32. The aperture is controlled by a simple 'pull-up' lever that positions a thin metal plate with a smaller diameter hole in front of the widest setting. The shutter speed is fixed at approximately 1/50 and is controlled by a surprisingly robust hairspring, producing a satisfying but muted click. Focussing of the lens is not possible, one is only able to compose the scene through the tiny glass viewfinders. Fortunately, this model has a screw thread that will accept a tripod mount, which is essential for this type of photograph with this camera. The film used was Kodak Portra 800 (120) and developed at home using the c41 process.
This wood is about a 30-minute walk from my home, and a cold morning with a good hoar frost provided clean, bright conditions to make a photograph. This camera is quite unforgiving and will struggle in poor light and back-lit subjects. For best results, the light needs to come from the side and be bright. Poor light utilises one of the two wider apertures. To estimate the best aperture for the available light, a light meter app on my phone does a good job.
A little tidying up and cropping was done in Lightroom. I also produced a digital negative of this image that was produced as a cyanotype. It's not normally something we think of with landscape images, but it worked really well. Ideally, it would be interesting to present the two images side by side.
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Dimitri Vasileiou • Editor