Today I got a late birthday present from my wife. It came in this box. What could it be, Tovah?

Why… it’s a… er… I dunno either. Let’s take a closer look!

Why it’s a 4×5 view camera!

It’s a Calumet. That’s all I know. We bought it from a friend who’s mom was selling it on behalf of his uncle. it was a great price and she wanted me to have it because she loves my photography. I’ve never had the opportunity to play with a large format or a bellows camera of any kind, so this whole thing is 100% new to me. I’m gonna dig around and try to find instructions online to figure out how to make this thing take photos. I’ve figure out how to change the aperture and shutter speed. Composing’s going to be interesting as with view cameras you are composing upside down. So your top is on the bottom, the left is on the right and to focus well you’ve gotta stick a black sheet over your head and look at the screen through a loop.

I can’t wait to get started! I’ve got some polaroids and some sheets of film, but I don’t know how to use them, so any help is greatly appreciated. Let’s rock this thang!