Visual Departures' Shadow Box is a
safe and comfortable way to load film holders and magazines on location
or if you don't have access to a darkroom. Its self-supporting tent-like
construction provides a spacious, light-tight film handling environment.
Photographer John Sexton loves Shadow Box's legendary light-tightness,
and here's why: The white exterior reflects light to keep the inside
cool. Its access sleeves have dual elastic gathers for light-tight
insurance. The shell and liner are constructed separately; all seams
are taped with a binding material to cover needle holes, then joined
at the corresponding seams. This makes it practically impossible
for any rip or perforation of the outside shell's seams to cause
the same damage to the liner's seams.
Shadow Box is available in three sizes. Model 22 is designed for
4x5 and smaller film formats, and features a working area of 22x22
inches and an interior height of 15 inches. Model 30 is primarily
for the 8x10 inch format, and has a working area of 30x30 inches
and an interior height of 20 inches. Model 3040 is for motion picture
magazines, and features a 30x40 inch working area and a 21-inch
interior height. Each Shadow Box comes with its own stuff sack.
"When I first got the Shadow
Box, my assistant and I took it out on a hot, sunny Carmel Valley
summer day to see if it was really light-tight. To simulate the
effect of fogging on film that has already been exposed in the camera,
I had slightly preexposed some 4x5 Kodak T-Max 400 to a gray card–making
it even more sensitive to light. We set up the Shadow Box in direct
sun, stuck the box of film inside it, and zipped it up. Then my
assistant slipped in his arms, opened the box, and began to handle
the film. We left film out of the box for periods of up to fifteen
minutes, even holding it near the sleeves and seams. Then we sealed
it back in the box, took it inside, and processed it. I was convinced
that at the very least we'd get fogging on the film we'd left out
for 15 minutes. Much to my amazement, there was none! That was in
1991, and I've taken my Shadow Box on every field expedition since
then." |
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•
Provides a spacious, cool, and light-tight film handling
environment.
• Self-supporting
structure keeps fabric away from hands, film, holders,
and magazines, for safer and easier loading.
• White
shell reflects light to keep interior cool and hands
dry, even in direct sun.
• Rip-stop nylon
liner is lint-free, protecting film surfaces.
• Dual
elastic gathers in each access sleeve ensure light-tight
interior.
• Sets
up in less than one minute.
Film-changing
tent supported by two shock-corded aluminum rods held
in place by external channels and a fabric loop at
each corner of the base. (Each rod folds in half for
easy storage.) Film and holders (or developing tanks)
are placed inside through a double-zippered opening
with an opaque cloth baffle; each of the two access
sleeves has dual elastic gathers. Shadow Box walls
feature three layers: an opaque white exterior, a
dense black cotton middle layer, and a black rip-stop
nylon interior. Inside pockets can be used to store
tape, pens, and empty film boxes away from work surface.
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