Making the Traditional Wet Plate Camera

Book excerpt: - I made wet plate cameras for quite some time, shipping my handmade cameras all over the world. To see some of my work, visit my website by googling "Guillory Cameras." - This is a very comprehensive book on building a historically-correct bellows camera for plate photography. It takes you through all the basic stages of the base, standards, bellows, plate holder, inserts, etc; and also touches upon other aspects such as folding tailboard, rise/fall, tilt, and swing. 3D diagrams and color photos help you to visualize the process. - The book follows along with the build of a 5"x7" camera. Also included are the critical measurements for cameras from half plate up to 8x10. - I aim this book to the experienced woodworker who is familiar with some traditional joinery. Some of the joinery such as the hand-cut dovetails may be substituted with box joints or finger joints. Mitered spline joints may be used in place of the mortise & tenon joints used in the books. Though aimed at the experienced woodcrafter, I feel that those with limited experience may be able modify the methods and techniques to fit their needs. - Measurements are listed in mm at the bottom of each page and the diagrams are repeated in mm in the rear of the book.