The #FrugalFilmProject, February 2024: Refining my Framing with the 1920s Generic Folding Camera.

The #FrugalFilmProject, February 2024: Refining my Framing with the 1920s Generic Folding Camera.

In January we took the 1920s generic 9x12 folding camera and Fujifilm Instax Wide film into Oiã and Águas Boas. I quickly discovered that it was not easy to frame the images properly since the frame size of the Instax Wide film is so much smaller than that of 9x12 and when the Instax film is mounted in the holders it is not centred.

For my February exposures the first thing I wanted to do was to learn how to frame images properly. I had noticed that a previous owner of the camera had drawn a frame in indelible ink on the ground glass screen. Mounting an Instax Wide film in the 9x12 film holder and placing the ground glass back over the film holder showed that the drawn frame was in the perfect position and the ideal size for a piece on Instax Wide film. 

I loaded the three film holders with Instax Wide film and mounted the camera onto a tripod. Using a dark cloth to shelter the ground glass image from the sunlight I framed the subject, my favourite tree and well, in landscape and portrait orientation and exposed two images. I exposed the Instax Wide film for 1/100s at ISO 800. The third image I exposed across the road of the old shed.

The framing was ideal, although the exposure of two of the images showed light leaks. I'm unsure exactly why, it can't be light leaks as the would all be affected. One possibility is that the film holders are not light tight or I am doing something wrong when removing the dark slide to take the photograph. 

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#Generic, #Folder, #Camera, #1920s, #Instax, #Instant, #InstaxWide, #Experimental, #Vintage, #FrugalFilmProject,