Glow in the dark camera.

**Steven Scanner** · 28-Jan-2013, 05:47

Some of you may know, I have build a large format camera with a flatbed scanner behind it.

Here more info about the build:
http://www.largeformatphotography.in...herlands/page3

I don't have room for a darkroom and to store chemicals needed and I've got a 3 year old daughter running around, so I'm looking for a non-toxic alternative.

The plan is to use a sheet of plywood and cover it with glow in the dark paint. After that, the sheet is placed behind the camera, using it as a film plate. Light travels thru the camera lens, projecting an image on the GITD sheet and creating a temporairy picture. Before the picture fades, I could take a photo with my digital camera. At least, that's the plan.
Right now I'm making something to load a GITD sheet without exposing it to soon to light.

I know it is going to work, sort of. I've tried it before with one of those plastic GITD stars taped to the ground glass and have it exposed for a day. By the end of the day, I had a blurry shape of the tree I was trying to photograph. Probably because of the thickness of the star, the image became blurry. Or to long exposed. I don't know.

And now for my questions:
I've got GITD clear paint. Should I paint the sheet black or white before I apply the GITD paint?
Does two or more coats of paint add to the loading speed?
How long does it take to load the paint and how long does the glow last?
And finally, has anyone ever tried this before or seen it done?

Updates will be posted here.

**Brian C. Miller** · 28-Jan-2013, 09:48

While that could possibly work, how about using Fuji Instant film and a PA-145 holder? You would get far better results, and it is possible to recover the negatives. It should also be possible to keep your kid out of the trash, and not eat the chemical goop.

**Light Guru** · 28-Jan-2013, 10:00

Sounds like a rather complex way to go about things. If your going to just photograph the resulting image with a digital camera yu might as well just use tht digital camera in the first place.

Yes you have a small child but it is not hard to develop film and keep the chemicals away from the kid. Locking the chemicals in a over head cupboard seems much more simple then your runs about way of doing things. Then just scan your negatives.

**C. D. Keth** · 28-Jan-2013, 10:15

Expect very long exposures to charge the plate enough to form much of an image. I'm definitely curious to see what you come up with.

**unixrevolution** · 28-Jan-2013, 15:45

My solution with a kid running around is to dispense with the processing malarky at home and do it at a friend's house, or else send it out to a lab. Certainly less trouble than this GITD sheet business, I'd think, though I'm interested in how the GITD sheet thing will work.

**Roger Cole** · 28-Jan-2013, 17:16

I'm all for innovation but a door lock does wonders. Most people have stuff under their sink or wherever they store kitchen cleaners and insecticides that's more toxic than the vast majority of ordinary home darkroom stuff. Do people move all their cleaners to the neighbor's house because they have a kid, or do they just lock the door to the darkroom or storage cabinet?

**Jim C.** · 28-Jan-2013, 17:36

That's a fascinating idea, I would love to see what your results are.
I did a quick google for GITD paper and there's a few places to purchase it,
if you camera can use a standard film holder ( 4x5, 5x7, 8x10, 11x14 )
why not buy a few sheets and load them as film, the film holders will
solve your 'exposure' problem, and the pre coated paper will solve your
needing to paint it on.
Here's one source -
http://www.papilio.com/inkjet%20glow...k%20media.html

**Steven Scanner** · 29-Jan-2013, 08:14

I have to admit, our 3 year old daughter is the least of my worries. It's the dark room, materials, chemicals. Not being able to go to a random store and buy the stuff I need. And frankly, since ninth or tenth grade school I haven't developed film. Not even 35mm. Courses and clubs about LF-photography and developing techniques are hard to come by these days. But the main reason is that (like others here have stated) it might be possible. And it's not about the destination, but more about the road you travel.

I have made the LF-camera for a previous project, the scanner camera. The dimensions of the back is based on the flatbed scanner I have. Anything standard like PA-145 holder or standard film holder has to be made or ajusted to the camera.

To paint you a picture of what I'm working with, let me run by the materials I used for the camera: Body made from surplus wood I had laying around in the garage, mostly whitewood. The lens is a plastic 8cm magnifying glass I got at a Euro (you might call them Dollar) store. The bellow is black cardboard, hand foulded. At the time of the scanner camera, I held the scanner into place with elastic bands. I have made a mechanical iris out of plywood sheets and black plastic from a folder. The ground glass is a glass plate from a photo frame and I frosted it with a sheet of baking paper. All non conventional materials, but it works, kind of. Total costs, a few bucks. Right now it's just for fun and experimenting.

Yesterday I've painted one coat of GITD paint on a plywood sheet. I have found out that it takes about 15 seconds to load and it lasts for about half an hour. I have to do it again and apply an even coat, because it shows the brush strokes right now. If I have some spare time this evening, I might give it a try.

As for my questions in my first post, I think I have to figure it out myself. But, let's say it works and I do get an image out of it, how can I scale the sensitivity value? (Equivalent of ISO/ASA) I probably need this for calculating the exposure time, apeture size.
I also wonder if you have a way of using a GITD image to create a print. It should be a paper to paper, positive-positive technique. Something like anthotype, but faster.

**Brian C. Miller** · 29-Jan-2013, 10:06

Oooookay, now it's starting to make more sense! I had thought that you had a standard (i.e., commercially manufactured by somebody) view camera. Something that would take a normal film holder and all of that other stuff. So the upshot is that you've created your own beastie. That's not bad, it's just that you've built your own boat and set a course for a distant horizon.

Developing sheet film yourself isn't that difficult, and chemicals can be ordered from a number of places, like B&H Photo-Video or Freestyle. I use my bathroom as my darkroom, and I had to black out the window. Unless you want to develop your film totally in the dark with either trays or hangers, you'll need a tank of some sort. There is the Jobo tank and reel system (recommended), the discontinued HP Combiplan, the Yankee tank (not personally recommended), or the near-unobtainable Nikor stainless steel tank. There are also methods of using the Patterson reel tank with sheet film, including an insert (the name escapes me right now). You'll still need to load the film in the dark, so a closet or big changing bag is a requirement.

If you do decide to get a commercially manufactured camera, there are a large number of them for really cheap. Post a WTB in the For Sale section, and state your price point. Calumet/Cambo/Burke & James 4x5 monorails are available very cheaply, and a lens and shutter that works is also really cheap. Then you can use normal film holders and things like the Fuji PA-145.