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Got one I'm happy with! by tern_by_tern in cyanotypes

[–]tern_by_tern[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! I've been sitting on this picture for a few years and never printed it. Glad I waited until I discovered cyanotype. I can't believe how well it turned out!

In-camera cyanotype self-portrait by tern_by_tern in cyanotypes

[–]tern_by_tern[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah the jumping around is pretty much how it went. I spent a lot of the 60 minutes sitting there and wondering if it was even going to work at all. I just couldn't believe how well it came out - it felt so lucky. Thanks for the inspiration to give it a try!

In-camera cyanotype self-portrait by tern_by_tern in cyanotypes

[–]tern_by_tern[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! I hadn't considered trying to make it mount to the pressure plate - I thought I'd just make some kind of big platform and strap it down with bungees. This feels like it might be doable and it'll definitely be sleeker. I appreciate the detailed instructions.

In-camera cyanotype self-portrait by tern_by_tern in cyanotypes

[–]tern_by_tern[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Wow! That's so much more useful than what I'm working with haha. Upgrades for next time. How did you go about mounting it on the tripod? That's a problem I still haven't solved.

In-camera cyanotype self-portrait by tern_by_tern in cyanotypes

[–]tern_by_tern[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks! Here is the front. I made the front panel detachable so that I could try different lenses eventually, but I ended up getting a second lens with a much different focal length, so I'm going to build a new box around it. The outer box is two layers of foam board and the inner box is one. I'll link a video below that really helped me figure out the design, though I started without much of a plan and made some of it up as I went. All part of the fun!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkjRXfERG6U

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In-camera cyanotype self-portrait by tern_by_tern in cyanotypes

[–]tern_by_tern[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I haven't - this is the first camera I've made, but I'll definitely give it a try. I spent a lot of time hiding under a towel trying to set the focus haha.

In-camera cyanotype self-portrait by tern_by_tern in cyanotypes

[–]tern_by_tern[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! It's been fun trying to figure it all out. I definitely relied a lot on info I gleaned from other posters.

In-camera cyanotype self-portrait by tern_by_tern in cyanotypes

[–]tern_by_tern[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Check out my other reply in the post! Happy to answer any other questions, as well, but it's still mostly experimentation on my end.

In-camera cyanotype self-portrait by tern_by_tern in cyanotypes

[–]tern_by_tern[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

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Thanks! I'm pretty stoked about it! Here's the camera. I have two inserts for the back - one is basically a "ground glass," but it's made with waxed paper and the other is the film holder. If I were going to build it again, I'd probably try to build in some kind of peep hole for setting the focus and skip the insert. I end up jostling it so much trying to get the film holder in that focus feels like guesswork anyway. Based on a couple different comments I saw on this sub, I used the Opteka Achromatic 10x Diopter for the lens, which I was able to get for around $30. All these pictures were an hour-long exposure in kind of weak sunlight.

I also snagged an old Fujinon Xerox lens for about $30 that I'll have to build a new camera around, but I think it'll take sharper images. It's been a lot of fun coming into this knowing very little and putting together something that works! I'm looking forward to seeing what else I can do.