Instant Box Camera

An Instant Box Camera photograph taken on RA4 colour paper outside with reversal process. Using RA4 paper with sunlight poses a lot of challenges due to the changing light conditions. Working in controlled studio light makes it much easier.

Meet Andrew – an artist and art history lecturer from Adelaide who built his first large-format box camera in 2013, tailored for collodion wet plate photography. Since then, he’s crafted two smaller versions, lovingly named Ugliboi, for portraits and tree landscapes. Andrew’s portrait work is growing, but his deep connection to landscapes – and the mindfulness they demand – remains central to his practice. With each plate, he captures not just an image, but a moment fully lived.