took the burke and james out for a first test shot, along with a 12″ meyer apo-process. the test neg looks good. now i need a real #3 lens board and not the piece of cardboard i used to hold the lens in. :-) my next task, natural light portrait.

did some minor repair work today. this is my newest acquisition, a burke & james 8×10. it was refinished by the previous owner. it’s weird how these cameras were made of nice wood then painted dull grey! in any case, i spent some time on it today. i detached and reattached the bellows, cleaned off and brushed all the metal pieces, and wiped all the parts down. now the standard brackets are moving well (much better than when i got it) and the bellows isn’t hanging off the back standard. now all it needs is a lens.

i also took anoother picture so you can see the size of the camera in comparison to something more familiar.

rest in peace, richard avedon. thanks for inspiring me with your portrait work.