'Take Your Box Camera To Work Day' 2020

Yesterday's Take Your Box Camera To Work Day was mostly overcast and rainy throughout; appropriate to the lighting conditions, I shot two rolls of cut-down medium format Ilford HP5 Plus. I used my Baby Box Tengor again, both for its portability and that the 'half-frame' 127 format gives 16 frames on a roll. I pushed the film one stop in development in an attempt to compensate for the low, diffused light of the overcast day; given the lighting conditions, shots taken on the instantaneous setting were still a little thin, while many of the frames shot on the 'B' setting were somewhat overexposed, rather different from my results on last year's equivalent day with much better light. I was more daring than I tend to be with long exposures: without using a tripod, I balanced the camera on available (horizontal) surfaces, but also braced it against windows, and, in the last shot below, the side of a bus stop; some of these results are not especially sharp, but extended the possibilities for shooting with the limitations of a simple box camera.

Friday February 28th is 'Take Your Box Camera To Work Day' 2020

Having not participated for a couple of years, and with four weeks to go, Friday 28th February is this year's 'Take Your Box Camera To Work Day'. Having previously defined it as the last week day in February, that is falls on a Friday this year may be an additional inducement to take part. As ever, there are a number of considerations around shooting a box camera in a work environment: not all work situations are amenable to such behaviour; and, with most work generally being inside, the fact that box cameras are designed for exterior daylight shots, one needs to adopt strategies for achieving a decent exposure, often involving either using fast film (or push processing), or 'B' settings for long exposures, or both (and, additionally, the weather in February -at least in the Northern hemisphere- might also provide rather low light levels for exterior shots).

For those posting on Flickr, in the Box Camera Revolution Group or elsewhere, including Twitter, using the tags 'TYBCTWD' and 'TYBCTWD20' will help identify shots from the day. Having taken it upon myself to promote the day, I won't adjudicate if photographs were shot at work, or on the day itself, still less to define what precisely constitutes a box camera (or, indeed, even 'work'): the spirit of the day is what counts for anyone willing to participate.

'Take Your Box Camera To Work Day' 2017

'Take Your Box Camera To Work Day' 2019

The 28th of February, this year's Take Your Box Camera To Work Day, although warmer than usual, was more typical of the season than the previous couple of days, with record high temperatures for a February in the UK. There was some fleeting sunshine during the afternoon on the day, but it was mostly overcast; I had chosen to use my Baby Box Tengor (both for its compactness and number of shots on a roll) and, appropriate to the lighting conditions, a single roll of cut-down medium format Ilford HP5 Plus, subsequently developed in RO9 One Shot. I had removed the taped-in yellow filter from behind the lens: the film was fast enough for most of the photographs to be shot on the 'instant' setting, including well-lit interiors (just a couple of frames used the 'B' setting for longer exposures). The results demonstrate some problems with light leaks - the back of the camera does not always sit flush, working itself loose on the opposite side of the body from the catch which is supposed to ensure that the camera back is secure. A couple of frames showed up some issues with film flatness too, which may be related to the back not being secure, but the Baby Box Tengor was a good choice, providing generally good results given all its limitations, with the latitude of HP5 Plus making up for the variability in lighting conditions throughout the day.

28th of February is 'Take Your Box Camera To Work Day'

A camera-related day that I've often taken part in in the past, Thursday 28th February is 'Take Your Box Camera To Work Day 2019'. Like the related 'Take Your Box Camera To Play Day', this is simply an excuse to get people using box cameras - and in an environment that one might not necessarily take such a camera. Many box cameras are still eminently usable, taking 120 medium format film, or with a little consideration, 620 film, and modern, faster emulsions make the situations one might use a box camera in more diverse than once was the case - although, in the past, I've often used long exposures on such days, for interiors, rather than instantaneous 'snapshots', easier to do in daylight, outside - obviously this very much depends on the working environment. I did miss it last year, but I'm keen to shoot on the day and promote it once again in 2019.
Box cameras above, from left to right: Baby Box Tengor; Lumiere Scout Box; Kodak No.2 Brownie; Kodak No.2A Brownie; The Midg Falling Plate Camera