The Paper Negative Portrait
Bringing Analog Portraits Back In A Big Way
A personal project made with an antique 8×10 camera — and a slower way of seeing.
Some portraits are about how you look.
This one is about how it felt to be there.
This project uses a vintage 8×10 large-format view camera and light-sensitive paper to create a one-of-a-kind paper negative — a process rooted in the earliest days of photography.
It’s slow.
It’s physical.
It’s imperfect in the best way.
And it creates something modern photography rarely does anymore:
a quiet space where people can be seen.
A Portrait Made the Slow Way
The roots of this process go back to 1835, when Henry Fox Talbot made early paper negatives that could be contact printed into a positive photograph.
Today, nearly everything in photography is designed to remove friction:
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faster cameras
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instant previews
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unlimited frames
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perfect consistency
This project does the opposite.
Not because I’m nostalgic.
But because I’m fascinated by what happens when you remove speed.
When you slow the process down, the portrait changes.
And the person in front of the camera changes too.
Why I Keep Returning to This
Photographing with an 8×10 view camera is not efficient.
The setup takes time.
The focusing is slow and deliberate.
The paper is extremely insensitive — roughly 1/16 as sensitive as ISO 100 film or digital.
Everything takes longer than it should.
And that’s exactly why it works.
That extra time creates something rare:
a pause.
A moment where the subject stops performing.
Where they stop “trying to look good.”
Where they simply settle into themselves.
That’s when the portrait begins.
The Third Actor
In every portrait, there are usually two people:
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the subject
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the photographer
But with this camera, there’s a third presence in the room:
the camera itself.
People react to it immediately.
They lean in.
They get quiet.
They slow down.
They realize something is happening.
Not a quick photo.
Not a casual snapshot.
A sitting.
A moment.
A record.
And that changes the energy of the portrait in a way I’ve never seen modern equipment replicate.
Uncertainty as a Tool
This process has no instant preview.
No perfection.
No guarantee.
Sometimes the negative comes out exactly as hoped.
Sometimes it surprises me.
Sometimes it fails.
And that uncertainty is part of the point.
Modern photography has removed almost all risk.
This brings it back — not as a flaw, but as a creative tool.
Because when the outcome isn’t guaranteed, you pay attention differently.
You work with more care.
And you learn more.
The Camera
The camera I use for this project is a Deardorff 8×10 view camera, manufactured in Chicago in the late 1960s.
I came to it while helping dismantle an old commercial studio just north of the Merchandise Mart — a place that felt like a museum of photography.
This Deardorff was the last usable camera in that space.
Before the digital revolution, I used it for real client work.
And even now, decades later, it still feels like the most honest camera I own.
It came with two Kodak Commercial lenses — 12 inch and 14 inch — which I still use today.
The shutters no longer function, so I use what I jokingly call an “Armstrong shutter” — a velvet-covered paddle that blocks the lens until the moment of exposure.
It’s not elegant.
But it works.
And it forces me to be present for every frame.
A Personal Project — With a Familiar Purpose
This is not a service page.
It’s a personal project.
But it’s deeply connected to why I make portraits at all.
Because in every family I photograph — whether it’s a newborn, a senior, or a full family session — the same truth shows up underneath the reason they called:
Someone in the family is feeling time move.
This project is one of the ways I keep sharpening my ability to recognize that moment — and photograph it with care.
This project is a reminder: portraits don’t have to be rushed to be powerful.
Would you like to sit for a session with this camera?
I am always looking for those who are interested in sitting for the big camera. Portraits with this camera are part of a personal art project and are not part of our regular portrait offerings. Click the link and fill out the form to let me know if you would like to sit for this camera, and I can tell you what is involved.
Thanks, Rob
Some BTS
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