Introduction

 Sometimes in life, a lightbulb is turned on, and you find the pathway is clear, as to what you want to do, possibly for the rest of your life. Me, it was a few weeks before Lockdown, when I read about the CHROMA CAMERA company in Liverpool, UK that made 4x5 cameras to order, in a variety of colours. That was it, there was no going back. I withdrew some cash from a pension fund and placed an order for a yellow-based 'Adventurer' model, designed and built by Steve Lloyd, owner and founder of the company.

Then, disaster (as we all know), a virus first discovered in China, had spread its evil tentacles worldwide and we were all confined to barracks, for months on end. Steve, through no fault of his own, couldn't get the camera to me until October, but in fairness, he regularly informed his customers of the situation. When I did get it, I was completely overjoyed with the quality of the build and the beautiful design. 

In the meantime, I purchased a 'pinhole' lens from a company in Germany (more about that another time), and I was ready to shoot. I already had three 4x5 film darkslides, so I loaded them with Ilford Multigrade paper and set about making images. Most of them were made indoors at first, as I was still busy documenting the various stages of the Lockdown. The images made in our house, eventually became an exhibition, staged at The Chapel Gallery, Leicester in the late summer of 2021. The title was 'A Society Corralled' and was generally well received.

Since that time, I have used the camera more and more, and these days, it's my camera of choice for many long-term projects. This blog has been set up to describe my personal relationship with what is without a shadow of a doubt, the best camera I have ever had or used. please feel free to leave comments, and to get in touch with any questions you may have.

Tony Shelley, July 28, 2023.