The ChromaGraphica Double Dry Plate Holder, available in three large-format sizes, gears up to be the first mass-produced dry plate holder in decades.
Over a year ago we learned about Jason Lane and his own hand-coated glass dry plates, and the New Hampshire-based dry plate photographer is back with a new project. After spending the last year collaborating with Steve Lloyd of Chroma Camera, they’re now ready to present the result of their hard work. The ChromaGraphica Double Dry Plate Holder, available in 4×5, 5×7, and 8×10, is now up for grabs for large format photographers via Kickstarter.
Apart from serving as an alternative tool for large format photographers, Lane and Lloyd also have a big goal at hand for their creation: they’re eyeing it to be the first mass-produced dry plate holder in decades. For this project, they did a lot of prototyping, testing, and applying lessons to push the design forward as far as possible. With those ticked off, they now need the support on Kickstarter to finally get production up and running.
According to the creators, the ChromaGraphica Double Dry Plate Holder will feature ergonomics very similar to sheet film holders, accommodating two dry plates on the front and back. The plates also load from the bottom. The dark slide handle is white on one side and black on the other to indicate exposed and unexposed plates. Apart from these, the plate holder was also designed to have a loaded plate indicator, one for each side. This unique feature allows photographers to determine at a glance if a plate is loaded.
Shooting with sheet film instead? The ChromaGraphica Double Dry Plate Holder can also accommodate sheet film adapters to allow use with conventional sheet films.
Interested in supporting this project and getting a ChromaGraphica Double Dry Plate Holder for your large format camera? Single holders are available as rewards for pledges of $54 (4×5), $75 (5×7), and $108 (8×10). Check out the Kickstarter campaign to find out more and show your support.
Photos from the ChromaGraphica Double Dry Plate Holder Kickstarter campaign