THE INTREPID Team story

The Intrepid Camera originally started life as a project to make an open source large format camera, as in one that anyone could download the plans to and build. We worked on this project for a year or so and it eventually turned itself into the final year of my degree.

After Graduating from Product Design I got to working out how we could share the camera with even more people. Soon we realised that if we took a lot of the ideas from open source tech, put them into a commercial product, we could then create a fantastic and affordable camera. 

The most important part of photography for me personally, is the ability to escape from everything, even if its just for half an hour or so a day. When using the camera I'm often somewhere beautiful and my mind is focused on one thing only, even if I don't get a shot I'm still happy to have had that time to relax and just do something I love. I think going on a walk or hike with a large format camera, setting up, sitting, waiting, thinking and then maybe if it all comes together just right, taking a shot, is one of the most relaxing and rewarding things I do.    

In all of my creative endeavours I always find myself being drawn back to physical formats. While studying Journalism I got into making and designing zines, I then got into photography through looking at Photojournalism and Documentary styles. 

At Intrepid I get to work directly with the growing community of film photographers and combine my passion in photography with writing and designing. It’s amazing to be able to provide a platform for people with Intrepid Cameras all over the world, seeing what they create, and sharing and featuring their stories and photos.

When you shoot with a film camera of any format, you are forced to slow down and take a step back, and for that moment you switch off from everything around you. 

With large format not only do you disconnect from the fast pace of modern life, but you really have to think about each individual element of photography, and how to use them to create the image you want. This makes it such a valuable experience, which we want to make accessible to any photographer. 

I have always been a tinkerer of models and have worked in many areas of product design from building stages, and making costumes, to model painting commissions. I’m really interested in woodwork too and studied 3D Design at College then Art and Design at University. 

I joined Intrepid early on and for a while it was just me and Max in a tiny garage, we’ve expanded so much since those days and we’re continually looking for ways to develop the designs.

I get to create products using my own hands everyday and I use skills I never thought I would be able to use in a job. Seeing a product appear from a load of wood, bolts and metal is pretty amazing.

We make pretty much everything in our Brighton workshop and always have, we’ve got lots of modern machinery but we combine it with traditional techniques like making the bellows by hand, which is what you’ll often find me doing.

Here at Intrepid our goal has always been to make large format photography accessible to a much wider audience. We have successfully been doing so for over seven years and are now the biggest modern manufacturers of large format film cameras worldwide.

Too frequently people have not been able to experiment with this fantastic format, and often it is due to the high price tag. This is a real shame. Large format is the most rewarding and true type of photography you can experience. Nothing compares to composing an image on the ground glass, and prints made from the giant negatives have a quality and depth to them that is like nothing else.

If you are completely new to large format, then the range of Intrepid Cameras is a fantastic place to start. Our team can help you with choosing everything you need to get started and we have a great range of guide videos and blogs that cover all the basics. Or if you are already well versed with all things LF then an Intrepid could be the lightweight, compact and affordable camera you have been looking for!

In 2018 we took our first step into creating affordable darkroom products with the launch of our 4x5 Enlarger Attachment. We then launched the Compact Enlarger in 2021 marking our expansion into the world 35mm and 120 film. Just like with large format we set out to make darkroom printing accessible to anyone regardless of space, budget or prior experience.

We love all aspects of analogue photography and want to see it continue to thrive and develop, we believe that this can only happen if new products and solutions are offered. By combining high-tech modern manufacturing with traditional carpentry we have been able to rethink analogue photography products, making them more accessible and affordable than ever before.