There are a lot of cool things to see at this year's Photography & Video Show, but this has to be the coolest of the lot: an enormous cardboard construction taking over the entirety of a stand that is actually a fully functioning camera.
Created from a ramshackle collection of cardboard tubes and boxes, all held together with gaffer tape, it's the brainchild of photographer and camera creator Brendan Barry, who will take your portrait with his madcap contraption then invite you inside the camera to see your image developed in front of your very eyes.
It's based on a camera obscura. The life-size image of the portrait sitter is projected onto a sheet of photographic paper inside the camera, which is then developed into a negative, and a positive print created.
Brendan focuses the image by moving a screen inside the camera back and forth until the upside-down image of the portrait sitter, projected by a repurposed copy lens, is sharp. He then slides a sheet of photographic paper onto the screen, gives the sitter a '3… 2… 1…' countdown before opening a cardboard 'shutter', firing a powerful array of studio flashes to light the subject, and then closing the shutter again.
The sitter is then invited into the camera to see their image develop. Under the dim red lighting inside, the photographic paper goes through a series of trays of various chemicals to first develop, fix and wash the negative image. After hanging the paper to drip-dry briefly, Brendan places a second sheet of photographic paper on top of it, carefully presses them together and squeezes and scrapes out any air, and then exposes the image by shining a light at the rear of the 'positive' print for anywhere between 10 and 30 seconds; it depends on the darkness of the subject's clothes and the setup and intensity of the studio lights, explains Brendan.
The positive print goes through the same develop, fix and wash process of the negative. Brendan checks the print for exposure and problems such as 'soft' areas caused by air bubbles, and creates further prints, adjusting the exposure time until he's happy.
The process takes about 20 to 30 minutes, but is well worth sparing the time for. It's free to have your photo taken, as the installation is sponsored by the Photography & Video Show organizers, and the papers and developing chemicals are provided by film experts Ilford. The print won't be ready until the next day as it requires an overnight wash and dry, but if you're unable to revisit the show to collect it then Brendan will send it on to you for a small fee to cover postage costs.
Brendan has created cameras from all manner of unlikely objects, as demonstrated by the collection of cameras made from accordions, mannequins, lego and tree logs that sit outside his giant cardboard camera, and if you check out his website you'll even see a caravan/camera hybrid!
The Photography & Video Show 2025 is at the Excel London exhibition center and runs March 8-11, 2025, open 10:00-17:00 daily.
• GET YOUR TICKETS TO THE PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEO SHOW
See our exhaustive show guide for everything you need to know about The Photography & Video Show 2025, including a comprehensive guide to what's on, a full exhibitors' list, must-see speakers, and the free talks and demos you can attend.
The Photography & Video Show is presented by Future plc, which is also the parent company of Digital Camera World.
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