Now THAT'S a view camera!

My friend Hans turned me on to this story earlier today. I've shot large format film before but this isn't even in the same league. Maybe this should be ginormous format!

Chicago photographer Dennis Manarchy constructed this monster view camera with portability in mind. He'll be packing it up for a 50 state tour of the US to "celebrate and pay tribute to the history of American cultures that have shaped the nation." The image below shows his mocked-up (but working) prototype. The real deal will have traditional view camera controls, but on a Bromdingnagian scale, I'm sure.


 

There's nothing small about this setup - 35 feet long and 12 feet high, it produces 4.5 x 6 foot negatives. Ordinarily, I'd say those would make for some outstanding contact prints. But Mr. Manarchy has plans for 24 foot enlargements.






Vanishing Cultures: An American Portrait by Dennis Manarchy from Distortion Design on Vimeo.