Amateur Photographer – 30 August 2019

24 24 August 2019 I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I subscribe 0330 333 1113

DeWestelinckSmithBelgium

http://www.dewestelinckphotography.com;

Instagram@dewestelinckphotography

‘Filmphotographygivesmeroomtobreatheandmakesme

feelasif I ama witnesstoa scene.Large-formatphotography

takesthistoanotherlevel– particularlynow,whenI’m

workingona projectwithchildrenin strange,moodysettings.

‘I boughtthe5x4inMk2afterstumblingacrossit onthe

internetwhileresearchinglarge-formatcameras.I always

shootonlocation,soitslightweightis a plus.However,

sometimesit’snotassturdyasit couldbe.Overall,though,it bringsa new

dimensiontomyphotographyandit feelsasif thecamerahasstrengthenedthe

imagesI make.It bringspeace,butalsonervousness,joy,doubtandcontradiction!

‘WiththeimagesI create,preparationis key.Location,model,narrative,colours,

styling,composition,light...I havetoprevisualisetheimagebeforetheshoot,and

seeit cometolifewhileI’mtakingit.’

Lucia

Intrepid5x4inMk2,Fujinon

150mmf/5.6,KodakPortra 160

©

DE

WESTEL

NCK

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BEHIND THE SCENES AT THE INTREPID CAMERA WORKSHOP

Casing for enlarger timers being cut on the CNC
router, a computer-controlled cutting machine

Wooden camera parts from the CNC router

stacked on shelves in the sanding room

Hugo hard at work, fitting the focus plate to an

8x10 camera

and outdoorsy, so the name did
nicely for that, too.’
Max went on to start a Master’s
degree, but didn’t finish it. ‘My
Instagram and Facebook pages
morphed into being about the
cameras, and they gained quite
a following,’ he recalls. ‘But I
launched the Kickstarter campaign
on a bit of a whim. Around the
time – 2012 to 2014 or so – the
phrase “You should chuck that
on Kickstarter” was bandied
around a lot. So I did, and it went
a lot better than expected.’
Launching in October 2014, the
campaign had a target of £27,000.
By the time it closed 30 days later,
its 495 backers had pledged a total
of £63,158. At this point, Max
ditched the Master’s degree and
found himself a workshop. Or a
garage, to be precise. ‘I thought I’d
sell a few, but not that many,’ he
says. ‘Initially, I thought I’d do a lot
of the production by hand, but I
soon realised I’d need machinery
and staff. And I definitely over-
promised. But all those first
cameras eventually went out and
people are still using them today.’
In that first year, he recruited four
staff – a number that increased to
eight the following year.
That original 5x4in body is now in
its fourth incarnation. Max admits
the earliest model was ‘a little over
engineered’, and included a number
of bells and whistles that turned
out to be unnecessary. Such features
meant it wasn’t quite as lightweight
and portable as it was intended to
be. ‘We increased the functionality
but reduced the weight and number
of parts,’ explains Max, ‘so we’re
doing more with less.’
What also became clear
before long was the desire and
potential market for a 10x8in