I picked up a negative holder—Lomography’s Digitaliza—to aid in this scanning project. It’s a help, for sure: no worries about scratching the film, unlike the cardboard-and-tape versions; sturdy, seemingly well-built; no complaints. But it’s not the solve-all that I had hoped for. I still need to build a rig to keep it sturdy and slide along.

I’m thinking balsa wood, maybe: light, fairly easy to work with, reasonably sturdy, reasonably inexpensive. But I’m also thinking that might be overkill a bit.

That said, the first several cardboard things I constructed didn’t quite work: trying to build a box around a cylinder is tricky. (I forgot that I had a square with a hole cut in it that I made last weekend before I ran out of time… that might make it easier: something to try if I have time later today, InshaAllah.)

But this is fun, for sure, and with current materials and a steady hand, I can almost fill the frame with one negative: GoGo.

In other news, after watching a couple of excellent how–to videos on Ted Forbes‘s Art of Photography podcast, I picked up chemicals, some brown glass jugs, a developing tank, darkbag, and other stuff to try my hand at at-home C-41 development. With 5 rolls exposed and waiting, and 3 film cameras with film at various stages of exposure, I’ll get around to some of that soon, InshaAllah.

All in all: good times. Continue reading “Getting closer…”