Every year I spend 4 days at a large "agricultural fair", compete with pioneer village, rodeo, sawmill, and all sorts of things reminiscent of the early 1900s. Over the past 15 years, I have run steam engines, exhibited the 1/2 scale steam threshing outfit that I built, and last year I took my 4x5 wooden camera, dressed in period clothing, and made like a 1900's photographer. I have to say that doing "old fashioned photography" attracted a LOT of attention from the tourists.

Unfortunately, the pioneer village does not include a photographer's studio (or darkroom) but I have been thinking of a way to take peoples pictures and offer them a 4x5 contact print later the same day.

I can load and unload film holders in a dark tent in my motorhome (old school bus) and I can load my Combi-Plan in the dark tent and develop B&W film. I can make a contact printing frame but . . .

What I haven't figured out is how to expose the contact print without an enlarger (as a light source) and how to develop the paper without a darkroom. I am used to watching prints develop and judging the development time by eye.

Does anybody have any ideas how I could produce B&W contact prints "in the field"?

Thanks gang!