I spent an alarming amount of time thinking about masking dimensions while creating my Omega C700 Negative Carriers. Why even have a mask? Sure, it needs to hold the negative, but what if you want to line up two frames side by side? Masking makes it easier to work in the darkroom, to print cleanly without the fuss. But then… OMG, what about the sprockets?!
Every film format has a “standard” frame. A 35mm frame is 24×36mm, that wondrous 2:3 ratio. A 120 6×6 gives you a square at 60×60mm. But there’s always more information hiding on the negative (clearly always way better than what’s in the frame). And everyone learns to shoot a little wide, anticipating the crop.
Constraint and freedom are the two muses of creativity. Form follows function, but too much form breaks the rule of cool. Masking is a constraint, and that constraint changes how you shoot. It makes you check your framing, think ahead, slow down, align your horizon. And maybe that means you miss your next shot. Slow photography doesn’t catch a UFO. So what then? To hell with function—free all constraints! You control your destiny! Vive la France!
And then I’m back in the darkroom, twenty minutes deep into aligning my negative, wondering why I thought I was so cool. Just fit, damn it.
As in all things, moderation. When pondering the why of why I started this endeavor, I think about creators, artists. I want to help them. And we’re a picky bunch. Above all, it has to work. Every time. If it doesn’t, it’s out. Or I can grab a hammer and make it work.
So my job, as a maker of tools, is simple: make it work, make it sexy, and make it last.
The standard masks, constraints included, are available now… AND I’m working on a glass carrier—one that removes every constraint. No more hand-holding. Full creative freedom.
If you need an Omega C700 Negative Carrier for your enlarger, head to the store, or just push the link.