“I had no idea what it would lead to,” says Aaron Parke of Camerakote about the first time he attempted to customise his beloved Spotmatic with a new coat of paint. What started as a personal project to spruce up his camera has now turned into something that has gotten him a steady stream of clients. He’s not the only one doing this in recent times. I spoke to three customisation experts specialising in giving old cameras a brand new look by overhauling their exterior. The personalisation possibilities are endless once you realise what these specialists are capable of doing to turn your beloved camera into a one-of-a-kind collectable. What’s amazing is that I contacted each of the three independently, but it turns out they’re all quite well connected with one another.

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When I began growing my vintage camera collection about six years ago, one of the cameras I couldn’t easily find back then was a working Polaroid SX-70. Some months later, I stumbled upon a working one on eBay for a half-decent price. However, upon closer inspection, I realised it wasn’t in the best cosmetic condition. The leather was peeling off many places, and a few corners needed a decent polishing. There really aren’t any stores in Dubai that could fix this, so I set about trying to find places online for a solution. And there it was on the 3rd page of the google search results – DIY cutout leather for my SX-70. Two weeks and some painful yanking off of the original tarnished leather, and my SX-70 looks like it came straight out of the factory.

I doubt I’d ever attempt anything more complicated than a reskin to give my beloved cameras a new look. Instead, I’d send my cameras to any of the below-mentioned companies if I ever wanted to revamp them. They don’t just re-skin, they repair and repaint your prized camera to showroom or possibly better condition. Got a colour you have in mind for a repaint? Chances are one of them has a very creative version of it. Want to add some unique texture? They’ve got the right tools for it. And from the conversations I’ve had with them, it’s pretty clear that your camera is in safe hands. They love what they do, and the pieces they present make you wonder why camera manufacturers aren’t this imaginative when it comes to colours and finishings.

Who are these expert customisers? Where did it all start?

Marc fell in love with photography at a young age.

Shueido Camera is the company’s name, and its founder Marc discovered photography when he was in high school. He started the company soon after that, in 2003, and began by selling used camera equipment. Shueido Camera is based in Taiwan with a studio in Japan. And producing high quality, visually distinct refurbishing and painting are what they specialise in.

Shueido’s camera customisation is probably the most unique that I’ve seen. It’s not just in the different styles of paints they have. They also have some interesting methods of finishing off the bodywork. Hammertone (seen in the picture above), Brassing, and Accenting are just a few of the finishes they offer.

He used to paint cars expertly. Now, he’s moved those skills onto cameras.

“In terms of applying liquids to a solid surface, there isn’t a lot I don’t know,” says Aaron Cooke confidently. “I was trained by a ‘Coach Painter’ a technician whose brush paintwork was like sheet glass. His attention to preparation details included greasing himself up for some of the higher-end jobs to avoid even a flake of skin departing from him and landing on the job.”

“I’m someone who enjoys capturing images, the process of composing and taking a photograph and believe I have a good eye. I am, however, far from what anyone would consider a professional. I am a qualified Mental Health Nurse, an Independent Prescriber and have worked in this profession for the last 18 years. Prior to this, I spent a good 20 years working in the mo...