Building an Afghan Camera

[benjiboy]

Regrettable but irrelevant to this thread.

I'm sorry for hijacking the thread, but I feel very bitter about the death of someone I once knew.

 

[tomalophicon]

Counselling might be a good idea.

fantastic story. These guys are the real APUG.

 

[Romary]

Romary do you have any contact details of the guy that is on his last batch of paper that those interested can post a box or two to him?

No, all I know is on the site

You can send an email to Lukas Birk (I drop you a message) or to the email mentionned here http://www.afghanboxcamera.com/abcp_contact.htm

 

[26x30]

Wow. This might be a nice winter project.

 

[guitstik]

I don't see why they couldn't use direct positive paper instead.

 

[Afghan Box Camera]

Building and Afghan Camera

Hi Guys

This is Lukas from the Afghan Box Camera Project.
In regards to building a camera like the Afghan Box Camera.
We are currently working on an illustrated manual which should be online by the end of the year.
afghanboxcamera.com

If you one of you wants to build one right now - send me a message and I can help you out..

L

 

[mhcfires]

This project looks like it will be worth the wait. Thanks.

 

[EthanFrank]

I'm sorry for hijacking the thread, but I feel very bitter about the death of someone I once knew.

And you thought making a racist comment on a camera forum might help with that?

 

[Romary]

And you thought making a racist comment on a camera forum might help with that?

I do not think that really worth to continue this discussion

 

[EthanFrank]

I do not think that reall worth to continue this discussion

Fair enough, my apologies.

 

[Romary]

afghanboxcamera.com published the leaflet to explain how to build an Afghan Camera : http://www.afghanboxcamera.com/abcp_camera_howtobuild.htm

 

[benjiboy]

And you thought making a racist comment on a camera forum might help with that?

If you consider remarks that denigrate the actions of Muslim fundamentalist who plant explosive devices that in many cases kill and maim not only soldiers but their own men women and children then I'm a racist.

 

[Romary]

benjiboy,

Enough is enough.

I think we all understood your point of view. I already asked Ethan to stop arguing and he agreed. So, please let this discussion stay on photographic matter not on your opinion on something which have no relation with the subject.

 

[cjbecker]

I might possible start trying to piece everything together for an afghan camera. It looks like a great process and a great tool to understand a different way of living. Especially since I was in India over the summer and I really loved it. Come to find out I was in the same city as one of the photogreaphers on the website.

It will be a slow process but.

 

[Newt_on_Swings]

afghanboxcamera.com published the leaflet to explain how to build an Afghan Camera : http://www.afghanboxcamera.com/abcp_camera_howtobuild.htm

Cool Thanks for the heads up!

I showed the video to my students last week and they liked it, I had them all draw the camera, photographer, and sitter to illustrate they understand the concept(with crayons). I should scan some when I have the time. The only thing I had to tell them not to do, is that we dont use our hands for the chemicals in our darkroom hehe =]

 

[cjbecker]

Cool Thanks for the heads up!

I showed the video to my students last week and they liked it, I had them all draw the camera, photographer, and sitter to illustrate they understand the concept(with crayons). I should scan some when I have the time. The only thing I had to tell them not to do, is that we dont use our hands for the chemicals in our darkroom hehe =]

I use my hands to develop sheet film. But i was wondering that. When i put my little fingers on photo paper, it ruins the paper at that location. I wonder why it does not happen to theres

 

[Newt_on_Swings]

I use my hands to develop sheet film. But i was wondering that. When i put my little fingers on photo paper, it ruins the paper at that location. I wonder why it does not happen to theres

Well I have to tell them that because they are kids, once the hands go into the chemicals, they usually end up rubbing their eyes or sticking them into their mouths, so no touching the chemicals in the darkroom without tongs! And always a long wash with soap afterwards when we get out. haha

To solve your mystery about finger prints on paper, its the cross contamination because you are using your hands. It could even happen if you use the same tongs for every chemical as well. Fixer on unexposed paper will leave white traces when put in developer. Developer or stop on paper before exposure will leave brownish traces. If you must use your hands, use atleast a large container of water that you can rinse your fingers quickly when going between chemicals. You should change this water routinly too. Plus try your hands well before grabbing the next sheet.

 

[guitstik]

Guistik, please don't take it as an offense, but this question perfectly illustrates how we have difficulties translate our way of thinking into situations we haven't lived.
I guess those photographers have big difficulties getting normal photographic paper, and even if they could afford direct positive paper (even we in civilised countries would think twice, did you look at the price difference between normal paper and positive paper?) and even if they clients could afford paying for it they will still have the problem that the material is not avaible. Do you think they would work on paper if they could get at least film? (Btw, the photographers in Romania I talked about used sheet film in their cameras if I remember correctly, although I'm not shure.)

I take no offense, I was just wondering because it would seem to me that doing two exposures would be equal to the cost of just one with direct positive paper. I understand using paper as opposed to film because it is easier and quicker out in the streets. I just received a lens from a member here and plan on building one of these cameras around it, I think it is fascinating.

 

[landscapepics]

A great web site, thanks for the link. I enjoyed the video - including the intermission ! Good luck with your project.

 

[Steve Smith]

I don't see why they couldn't use direct positive paper instead.

The only disadvantage would be a reversed (mirror) image.


Steve.

 

[steven_e007]

I don't see why they couldn't use direct positive paper instead.

I enthusiastically bought some Ilford direct positive paper when it came out.

I found it very difficult to control - it has very high contrast and strange reciprocity characteristics. The contrast seems almost proportional to the exposure. Long exposures usually produced soot and whitewash effects and since it was slow, short exposures were only viable with flash.

I managed eventually to get a workable regime using pre-flashing and a low contrast developer, but I found it a difficult paper to use and the method had little flexibility.

Paper negatives on the other hand are quite easy, with the ability to control exposure and contrast at both the negative and positive stages, so even with the ability to obtain positive paper and with the cash to buy it - I would personally prefer a paper negative in my Afghan camera.

 

[guitstik]

I have never personally used direct positive paper only heard of its usage, I was simply postulating on the viability of it as an alternative. I had thought about using it when and if I ever get around to building my own camera.

 

[altair]

Thanks for sharing the link, mighty interesting.

 

[Afghan Box Camera]

Issues & questions

Hi folks, really interesting discussion going on here and we'll definitely be looking into some of the points you've raised when we return to Afghanistan in April.*

To venture a reply to some of the remarks:

Why don't they use direct positive paper?*
It never made it their. It also is very expensive. Supply is already an issue in many other countries.
But it does make the process easier. In Afghanistan you usually get a negative and two positives. Working with the negative - positive process allows you to reproduce several positives from the same neg. If the neg is good that makes a lot of sense.

About using bare hands when developing and fixing*?
Some of the photographers told us that is one of the positive point in not working with these cameras anymore. Always smelly fingers as well as damaged skin. A lot of darkroom experts use their fingers though instead of tongs.

About finding these cameras in Europe: the book Photographs de Rue/Street Photographers by*Patrick Gnassia and Zilmo de Freitas*has a picture of a street photographer from Bucharest using a camera with an external focus, but sadly without the stuffed toys (we'd love to see such a picture!). It also has some pics*from box cameras in*Greece as does the*photo gallery from Chris Wroblewski's*Smudgers*book we put online recently - from the '80s (I think):*afghanboxcamera.com/abcp_gallery.htm

If you come across any please send us the link/reference/image! Putting together a picture of these cameras is a slow archeological process - the more hands, the better.

If you've downloaded the 'How to build' manual on our website, we'd be happy to get some feedback - especially if you make one of the cameras. A note: colouring the pictures by hand used to be quite common in Afghanistan - give it a go!*

Otherwords:**we update the website now and again;*any updates as well as other links and bits of info relevant to the project*will come via a public Facebook page for the meantime:*facebook.com/pages/Afghan-Box-Camera-Project/129532640494753


If you have any questions in regards to the Afghan Box Camera ( technique, history, background ) let us know.
contact(at)afghanboxcamera.com

ABCP

 

[Afghan Box Camera]

Afghan Box Camera Project - back to Afghanistan

Hi guys.
There has been a lot of interest in the box camera project especially in the How To Build a Box Camera Manual.
www(dot)afghanboxcamera(dot)com/abcp_camera_howtobuild(dot)htm

We now decided to publish a book on the subject with all the manuals, photos and research.
For that we are going back to Afghanistan. One of our many aims is to make a video on How To Build a Box Camera. We've already got a carpenter lined up for that.

We just started a kickstarter fundraiser for the research trip
www(dot)kickstarter(dot)com/projects/531499040/afghan-box-camera-project-2012

maybe people in the community are interesting in supporting the project.
all the research will be put online again to make it accessible for free.

thanks again for all the enthusiasms for our research

ABCP