This series focuses on those who take the making of pictures a step or two further, creating their own photographic tools.

Brendan Barry, Devon, UK

The world went into lockdown this spring and many people turned their attentions to their gardens. Photographer, educator, and camera builder Brendan Barry (featured previously) took on a different kind of garden project. His garden shed isn’t full of potting soil and has instead been transformed into a giant camera with a built-in darkroom.

He began by cleaning out the shed and building out the front with plywood. The shed had a lot of light leaks, which Barry blocked with cardboard, timber, black plastic trash bags, and lots of gaffers tape. Because the shed does not have electricity, Barry installed battery-powered LED work lights for his safe lights and white lights.

The lens is an old aerial military reconnaissance lens that Barry purchased online. It is attached to the plywood front of the shed and projects a large image onto the back wall. To hold the large sheets of paper straight and flat, Barry mounted a magnetic white board to the back wall of the shed. The is allows him to use a magnetic frame to help compose the image and hold the paper. The lens has an aperture of f5.6, which is quite fast for such a large camera, and makes portraiture easier on the subject. Barry repurposed the shutter from an old camera 4x5 Sinar camera. Next to the lens, a peep hole through the plywood which allows Barry to compose and direct his subject while the paper is mounted and the lens is closed.

The image is projected upside-down and backwards. After the exposure is made, the paper is moved immediately into the developer, also located inside the shed camera. Because the paper negative process makes positive prints by contact printing, the garden shed camera does not include an enlarger. Instead, Barry uses the flashlight app on an old iPhone. In the video, Barry also uses black-and-white direct positive paper for large, detailed, gorgeous prints, as well as shows the complex color reversal process. He then dries the prints on a clothes lines in the yard. The resulting images are large, beautiful silver prints.

View more of Barry’s work on his website.

Have you made or modified your own photographic equipment? Let us know at info@donttakepictures.com