Plate Camera Plans
The only historically accurate books ever written on how to build plate cameras.
Wet plate camera, tintype camera, ambrotype camera, make camera, collodion, wooden camera
For the photographer who is also an experienced woodworker, building your own plate camera is a great accomplishment. I have applied my many years of making plate cameras into two how-to books.
I aim these books to the experienced woodworker who is familiar with some traditional joinery. Some of the joinery such as the hand-cut dovetails may be substituted with box joints or finger joints. Mitered spline joints may be used in place of the mortise & tenon joints used in the books. Though aimed at the experienced woodcrafter, I feel that those with limited experience may be able modify the methods and techniques to fit their needs.
In the books, I cover all aspects of the camera making process; including lens selection, adapting my measurements for your needs, ground glass, making the acrylic inserts, brass-work, and more. 3D diagrams and color photos help you to visualize the process.
Diagrams within the body of the books are in inches; however, those same diagrams in mm are reprinted in the back of each book.
Typed print is larger than normal to ease reading from a distance in the woodshop.
Click on each button for more details and ordering info.
Both books are on the Barnes & Noble website also.
Making the Traditional Wet Plate Camera
This is a very comprehensive book on building a historically-correct bellows camera for plate photography. It takes you through all the basic stages of the base, standards, bellows, plate holder, etc; and also touches upon other aspects such as folding tailboard, rise/fall, tilt, and swing.
The book follows along with the build of a 5"x7" camera. Also included are the critical measurements for cameras from half plate up to 8x10.
Measurements are listed in mm at the bottom of each page and the diagrams are repeated in mm in the rear of the book.
130 pages
Making the Sliding Box
Camera
The sliding box camera is a very early camera design dating back to the daguerreotype era, though it can be used for any of the plate photography methods. The all-wood construction lends it to be a beautiful piece of a working photographic tool.
This book covers the entire construction phase.
The camera made for the writing of this book is a 5"x7". However, there is a section on measurements & adaptations that explains how to adapt the camera to fit your lens and format size.
78 pages
Email: GuilloryTy@gmail.com
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I began building cameras for my own journey into wet plate collodion photography. After experimenting with designs and format sizes, I started making cameras for other photographers. Improving upon each and every camera, I was soon supplying cameras to some of the most well-known collodion photographers and shipping cameras all over the globe.
In Rochester, NY, I had the pleasure to study original cameras in the vaults of the George Eastman House.
I have also had the chance to join in with workers from the Smithsonian, Colonial Williamsburg, and The Headly Family woodcrafters to study and measure furniture pieces of our first President at Mt. Vernon.
My camera work has been featured in numerous printed publications and television programs.