Featured guides
Rikard Ă–sterlund's Guide to Wet Plate Collodion
Photographer Rikard Österlund walks through wet plate collodion from scratch — the chemistry, the plate holders, and how to shoot tintypes on a large format camera.
Buying A Lens For Your 4x5 Camera
You can't put any lens on a large format camera. This guide covers focal length, image circle and Copal shutter sizes — and where to find good glass at sensible money.
Exploring Large Format Photography: A Comparison of 4x5, 5x7, and 8x10 Cameras
4x5, 5x7 or 8x10? A practical comparison of negative size, cost, weight and film availability, to help you pick the format you'll actually carry.
All Guides
Free, practical guides to large format photography and darkroom printing — from choosing your first camera to making prints at home.
Setting Up The Intrepid De Vere 504 Enlarger Head
How to fit the Intrepid LED head to a De Vere 504 and bring a classic darkroom enlarger back into service.
Setting up the Intrepid 8x10 Camera
A step-by-step walkthrough for the Intrepid 8x10 — unfolding the camera, setting movements, focusing on the ground glass and loading your first sheet.
Setting up the Intrepid 4x5 Camera
Everything you need to get your Intrepid 4x5 out of the box and taking pictures: unfolding, zeroing the standards, movements, focusing and loading film.
Rikard Ă–sterlund's Guide to Wet Plate Collodion
Photographer Rikard Österlund walks through wet plate collodion from scratch — the chemistry, the plate holders, and how to shoot tintypes on a large format camera.