From Pause to Play: The Next Chapter of Dora Goodman
Egyéb kategória

From Pause to Play: The Next Chapter of Dora Goodman

TL;DR – What’s Happening at Dora Goodman

  • We’re back after a long break—and we’re not going anywhere.

  • Small-batch production of wooden inlay cameras, Scuras, and custom Zones is returning.

  • All kits are paused for now; most products will be made to order.

  • We’re committing to sustainability in materials and packaging.

  • A new viewfinder for the Zone is in development, and we’re chasing the dream of a Polaroid back.

  • A print shop is coming by the end of summer, showcasing your best work.

  • We’ll feature analog creators in our shop—reach out if that’s you.

  • Classic camera collaborations may be on the horizon.

  • We plan to post updates twice a month.

  • Wanna help start a community Discord? Hit us up!

Hey you,

It’s been a while.

As we slowly trickle back and pick up the pieces, I can’t help but feel a wave of nostalgia as I look back at the road that led us here. Can you believe it’s been 9 years?

I know we gave everyone a little scare when we fell off the face of the earth (or disk, if you’re so inclined :D), but I’m here to assure you that we’re still around—and plan to be for a long, long time to come.

Things will be different.
Aren’t they always?

A New Chapter, the Same Spirit

Life requires a certain amount of death, and we have certainly shed parts of ourselves to be born anew.

For a while now, Dora Goodman has been known as the 3D-printed camera project—and what a fun adventure it was! But it was also completely coincidental. We set out to follow our curiosity: unbound, undirected, and guided only by the thrill of discovery. We’ve been many things already and will be many more, as we constantly evolve.

None of this was planned—and that might be at the heart of who we are. Life passes most people by while they’re busy making grand plans, so “fuck around and find out” has always been the most significant motor propelling us forward.

The funny thing is, I’m a planner and overthinker by nature—so this project has also been an experiment in mushing together seemingly opposite worldviews to see how they gel. Make loose plans, but let the in-between steps be free jazz. What do you know? It got us this far.

What Comes Next

The main reason I’m writing this is to share how we envision the next leg of the journey.

While many things will eventually change, we’d love to keep some of the Dora Goodman legacy alive.

  • We’ll continue making small batches of our wooden inlay cameras—an homage to our humble beginnings.

  • We’ll also craft small batches of Scuras, along with a few fully assembled custom Zones each month.

We don’t wish to lean so heavily into production anymore, so all kits will be on pause for a while. Apart from our small batches, everything will be made to order.

A Sustainable Shift

We also want to lean heavily into sustainability. This means:

  • Sourcing filament from durable and recycled materials

  • Using eco-conscious packaging, even if it means less “pretty” boxes

If I’m being a hardcore realist, I’ll admit that this kind of sustainability on such a small scale might not matter in the big picture. But this isn’t about realism. We’ll do it because we believe it’s right.

Small batches and made-to-order approaches will slow us down—but a slow life is exactly what we’re looking forward to embracing. It’ll also allow us to hold space and time for new things.

New Experiments & Ongoing Dreams

While we won’t lean so heavily into 3D printing in this chapter, new things will still occasionally come out of the woodwork:

  • We’re working on a new viewfinder for the Zone

  • The Scuras got a small functionality upgrade

  • And chasing our Moby Dick: the Polaroid back project

Don’t hold your breath, kids. This one might take a while.

Building a Community

I’d love for us to be more community-driven.

On the simpler side:

  • We’ll start regularly rotating featured photos on our site

On the bigger end:

  • We’re working on the tech + details for launching an online print shop, where your finest work can live on real walls again

We’d love to make this happen before summer ends, and we’d love to hear your thoughts.

We also want Dora Goodman to help elevate members of the analog community who are making something unique, useful, or just plain fun.

That means:

  • Making space in our store for special features

  • Helping you find an audience for your products

If you’re making anything cool—or planning to—please reach out. We’ll do our best to feature our favorites.

A Little Something Extra

We’ve also made some new friends in the elusive camera repair world, and the idea came up to collaborate—offering a curated selection of tested and serviced classic analog cameras.

Is this something you’d be into?

We’re still figuring things out as we go. Life and rules are made up anyway—and we want Dora Goodman to stay a playground rather than a “serious business.”

Personal Side Quests

On a personal note:
I’ve been learning about analog image transfers and might take a crack at painting cameras later this year. Not sure if it’ll ever intertwine with Dora Goodman, but it’s a fun adventure either way.

If you’ve got cool skills around analog enlargement, emulsion painting, or any other photography-adjacent tactile art and want to teach me—flood my inbox. 🙂

What to Expect Moving Forward

We plan to share updates about twice a month:

  • Some will be merch drops

  • But most will be life updates, behind-the-scenes fun, and creative rabbit holes

Help Wanted: Discord Dream

We’d love to start a Discord for DIY printing and other creative analog magic.

But realistically—I don’t have the time to build or manage it.
If you’ve got community management ambitions, let’s talk.

Until next time,
Much love!
Daniel

Ps.: Curious to hear your thoughts, and of course grateful if you share this to help us get the word around

Leave a Reply