Crafting the 32×48″ Ultra-Large Format Camera
Built by hand to record what time is washing away. A mechanical monument for the Anthropocene.

To document the fading grandeur of our changing planet, mass-produced modern tools are inherently insufficient. The profound weight of the Anthropocene—an era defined by human impact and vanishing landscapes—demands a medium of equal gravity and presence. In response to this calling, I dedicated eight months of solitary, meticulous labor to design and build a 32×48-inch ultra-large format camera from raw wood, metal, and fabric. It was not created merely to take pictures, but to serve as a physical monument to patience and a sacred bridge to the very roots of photographic history.

In my artistic philosophy, the act of creation begins long before the lens shutter opens; it begins with the physical birth of the instrument itself. This handmade giant is a direct extension of that belief—completely un-plugged, fully manual, and entirely off-grid. In an age dominated by instantaneous digital pixels and fleeting virtual noise, choosing to construct a camera by hand is an act of deliberate resistance. It forces a radical slowing down, transforming the frantic, ephemeral energy of our modern existence into a heavy, tactile reverence for the material world.

Operating this mechanical monument amidst Canada’s shifting, unpredictable landscapes elevates photography into a ritualistic performance. The sheer physical demand of transport, assembly, and chemical preparation ties my body directly to the environment. When this camera opens its massive shutter, it does not merely record a landscape; it captures a visceral dialogue between human craftsmanship and the enduring, yet heartbreakingly fragile, eternity of nature. Every exposure becomes a shared breath between the machine, the artist, and the earth.

Ultimately, by capturing these fading landscapes on massive, fragile glass plates through an instrument built by human hands, the process itself deeply echoes the core theme of my Anthropocene Elegy project. The glass plate, much like the glaciers and ecosystems I photograph, is beautifully monumental yet incredibly vulnerable to destruction. This camera is my chosen vessel for a deeply personal, physical endeavor to freeze time—holding a mirror to both the timeless resilience of slow craftsmanship and the tragic, accelerating fragility of our world.

I made three cameras for my Wetplate collodion photography.

I made a 11×11 inch format camera and converted a Dodge caravan to a darkroom vehicle first.

then I made a bigger camera 32×48 inch format that needs three tripods for Standing and converted a 50 seats tour bus to a darkroom RV.

for a middle size option, I made a camera in 20×24 inch format.