Photographer wins major monochrome award using massive 95-year-old wooden camera. 'The camera itself weighs 45 pounds / 20kg'
New York City-based photographer and antique camera restorer Joshua YeheNara used a Deardorff 11x14 studio camera to capture his Exposure One Award-winning frame.
New York-based photographer Joshua YeheNara has claimed victory in the 2026 Exposure One Awards, a prestigious international monochrome contest. YeheNara's impressive achievement is all the more remarkable considering he utilized a massive, 95-year-old Deardorff studio camera, weighing a substantial 45 pounds.
The 11x14 Deardorff Studio Camera, also referred to as S11, was produced by the L.F. Deardorff Camera Company in Chicago between the 1930s and 1980s. Designed as a robust large-format rig for professional portraiture, commercial illustration, and wet-plate collodion photography, the camera features an interchangeable back component, allowing for different film sizes.
YeheNara exclusively used Ilford Delta 100 black-and-white film for his award-winning images, mounted within a 10x14-inch back. He owns three Deardorff studio cameras, with the S11 being one of them, along with two custom-made panoramic cameras (8x20-inch and 11x28-inch). These panoramic cameras were tailored to YeheNara's needs by the previous owner.
Deardorff studio cameras are exceptionally rare, with YeheNara estimating fewer than 350 having been produced. YeheNara's acquisition of three of these cameras is a testament to his passion and dedication for large-format film photography.
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