Finally, here’s a little write-up of the last ACA event, which took place on Sunday, December 12th, at MK.ateliers — ACA headquarters for lectures, photo sessions, and workshops.
This time, the focus was on film scanning, “Roast my frame” feedback, experimenting with flash, and making portraits in a mobile studio. And the cherry on top: participants got hands-on experience with a 4×5 large format camera.
So, how did I come up with the topics for this ACA event? Some of you know that I manage a dedicated WhatsApp group for analog enthusiasts. With over 200 members, certain topics keep coming up again and again — like how to scan negatives at home.
Since I like to organize events that run five to six hours, I needed more than one topic. Digging through my scattered notes, one idea really stood out: “Roast my frame.”
The concept comes from a 2022 ACA event, when we ran a feedback session that only allowed positive comments. The idea was simple: participants would share their frames and receive constructive feedback — but in a friendly, encouraging environment.
Longtime ACA member Jascha brought his mobile studio setup, which is always a hit with participants. This time, Henrique, our new Dutch resident, brought his 4×5 Linhof camera, gave a short but informative introduction, and let participants try it themselves. He also shared his film scanning workflow, sparking plenty of questions and discussion.
The day kicked off at a relaxed 11:00 AM, with participants slowly walking in and checking the WhatsApp for last-minute updates. We started with three lectures on home scanning negatives:
Douwe, ACA’s “Professor,” explained the various scanning options and shared insights from his own home setup.
Henrique demonstrated the Valoi 35mm scanner, a compact solution perfect for home use.
Ro Antia wrapped up the session with tips on what to look for during the scanning process.
After a short break — and a quick note about the nearest supermarket (we still need to find ourselves a food sponsor) — everyone gathered for the “Roast My Frames” session.
The concept was simple: during registration, participants who wanted to join uploaded two photos each. I shuffled the photos into a random order and displayed them in a slideshow. Out of 58 registrations, 12 brave participants shared their frames.
Here is the slideshow:
ROAST MY FRAMES SLIDESHOW
Mobile Portrait Session
Since the event took place at MK.ateliers, we also ran a mobile portrait session, thanks to Jascha, our dedicated ACA member who brings the studio to each event.
This time, participants were lucky: Henrique brought his 4×5 camera and guided attendees through hands-on large-format shooting. Everyone also learned how to use flash in a mobile studio, both with their own cameras and the large-format setup.
On-the-Spot Film Development
Meanwhile, Ron was busy shooting analog frames and developing 35mm film on the spot.
Looking Ahead
For 2026, expect more lectures, more mobile studio sessions, and — yes — even more “Roast My Frames” events. Any questions of suggestions, please leave a comment or hit me a DM on instagram.
About the Presenters
– Ro Antia is a photo/graphic designer who makes tools to solve their problems. They will be sharing some investigations around camera scanning and (color) negative conversion.(www.roantia.design)
– Henrique is an analog photographer and gear enthusiast that likes to tinker with different formats and processes. He’ll be showing his film scanning workflow for 35mm using the Valoi Easy 35 for camera scanning.(https://guax.net/)
– Douwe (Eindhoven, 1983) is a concept-driven maker and photographer creating images that combine graphic design influences with female portraiture. (https://www.cyanotypist.com/)
– – Jascha is an analog and digital photographer that started out photographing action sports and is making his way towards portraiture as well. With his flash photography setup being mobile, he likes to introduce people to flash photography in a studio setting.(https://www.instagram.com/fullmetalcanister/)