Darkcloth arrangement for studio cameras.

[Peter De Smidt]

I'd like to build a darkcloth setup for my Centuery No7. 8x10. If you lay fabric over the camera, you then have to take it off to load a film holder. In shooting portraits, being able to move quickly is a good idea. I was looking at Hurrell's Hollywood Portraits today. With his Century camera, he had a wire frame that when up, over and back, if that makes sense. The frame was tall enough that you could easily load holders under it. I suppose I could make a wooden frame to do the same thing, clamping it to camera table of the stand. Thoughts?

[Tin Can]

I have experimented with folded matboard U shaped supported by spring steel wire.

Of course only usable in studio.

[Peter De Smidt]

Good idea, Randy. Yeah, this is only for the studio. I can't find the picture of Hurrell's solution online, but I'll keep looking.

[Tin Can]

Good idea, Randy. Yeah, this is only for the studio. I can't find the picture of Hurrell's solution online, but I'll keep looking.

That would be interesting, to see.

[Jac@stafford.net]

In another thread someone pointed to thin, lightweight modular fiberglass poles with metal ends from which a frame can be made. It seems most promising, and yes fastened to the stand.

This type interests me: http://www.macsports-store.com/Fiberglass-Pole-for-QST-102-Tent-p/part-qst-102-pole.htm

[Tin Can]

In another thread someone pointed to thin, lightweight modular fiberglass poles with metal ends from which a frame can be made. It seems most promising, and yes fastened to the stand.

Yes, but his massive aperture lever is way more cool than showing off ones musckles. :)

[Jac@stafford.net]

Yes, but his massive aperture lever is way more cool than showing off ones musckles. :)

Yes, that is very interesting, too. Hurrell often had an assistant loading the film while he stood beside or in front of the camera. Very handy thing.

[Peter De Smidt]

https://www.dropbox.com/s/tc34x2z68d32plu/Dark_Cloth_Setup.jpg?raw=1

[Peter De Smidt]

Interesting, Jac. Thanks!

[Tin Can]

https://www.dropbox.com/s/tc34x2z68d32plu/Dark_Cloth_Setup.jpg?raw=1

Very cool. Hot lights! Baking the model. Perhaps hot lights gave some Karsh models that greasy look, or enhanced it as I read he would Vaseline their skin.

Notice his lens shade, I have also used mat board in a similar way for lens shade.

One advantage of mat board over dark cloth is it removes and installs faster with one hand.

I use it on my Linhof and C1 which both came with wire hoops for the purpose.

I have seen a few Centuries with elaborate lens shade designs. In picture only...

[Peter De Smidt]

I'm ok with lens shades, at least for everything but the big Verito. My lenses fit on Sinar boards to mount on the Sinar shutter. The mounting system has the Sinar bellows rod holder, and so I can use a Sinar bellows as a shade. (I also have a Fuji shade that fit's on lenses less than 82mm in diameter.) I suppose making something out of black foamcore would be the easiest for viewing....

For some of his very early work, Hurrell used baby oil on his models' faces.

[Tin Can]

I'm ok with lens shades, at least for everything but the big Verito. My lenses fit on Sinar boards to mount on the Sinar shutter. The mounting system has the Sinar bellows rod holder, and so I can use a Sinar bellows as a shade. (I also have a Fuji shade that fit's on lenses less than 82mm in diameter.) I suppose making something out of black foamcore would be the easiest for viewing....

For some of his very early work, Hurrell used baby oil on his models' faces.

Johnson's Baby Oil please! :)

I hate that stuff.

[mdarnton]

I bought a set of barn doors with four clamp-on set screws for one of my small lights; I think they cost me around $8. They looked to be about the same size as the front of many of my lenses so I bought an extra to use as a lens shade. Then I got my 11.5" Verito, and they were a perfect fit, so I took off the flaps and taped a Packard shutter to the remains of the barn door mount. It works perfectly. I imagine that what I got would be too small for a larger Verito, but there's probably some larger size of the same type of doors.

[Mark Sawyer]

I'd like to build a darkcloth setup for my Century No7. 8x10...

Given the age of the old studio cameras, I'd be tempted to go with a solution that has the dark cloth cover the bellows during the exposure. No accusations towards the condition of your bellows in particular, of course... :rolleyes:

[Peter De Smidt]

Good suggestion, Mark. I used to do that with with my D2. In this case, though, Camera Bellows made me a new one last year.

Michael, it'd be interesting to see a picture or link.