I really wanted to make a series of panoramic landscapes and cityscapes as I travel around looking for subjects willing to have their portraits taken. A while ago I started looking around for a suitable lens and thanks to the wonders of e-bay managed to get something from a guy in India. It’s a lens made by Marion & Co. with a working aperture from f22 to f64. If anyone knows anything more about it I’d love to know.
It’s very light in comparison to the portrait lens so I was able to make the board from a little piece of cherry. It’s made from 3 separate pieces of cherry to prevent it from warping. The top and bottom sections have the grain running horizontally and these are joined to the centre section by tiny wee feathers. I had to have another flange machined – which my friend did the wrong way round but it still works.
For the plate holder I used a modern 10×8 film holder. I cut an aperture the shape of the plates I wanted to use from the spine of the film holder. The plates are held in place by a small rebate of the plate material I glued to the edges and a second backing plate. The second backing plate has a couple of bent strips fixed to the back to provide pressure when the darkslide is fitted.
I managed to get away in the van up to Glencoe for a few days to try this out and I love it. I can’t believe how sharp the lens is given it’s age and the fact it would have been hand ground and polished back in the day!!
Sadly the dreaded Highland midges chased me from Glencoe after making only a couple of plates so I headed back to Glasgow to make a plate of the clyde. I’m going to varnish the plates later today and will try and get them posted once they dry. If you don’t know what midges are – you’re lucky – check here – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highland_midge
I was literally running through the heather with a hoody on being chased by a large black cloud of these most torturous wee beasties. They are seasonal so the landscapes will be done when the midgies are dead! Thankfully they don’t come to Glasgow…much 🙂