outoutbriefcamera

_DSC5218, originally uploaded by lotusduck.

Shot a bunch with this ridiculous Sony that turned off at random before I returned it, because hey, kind of a sweet camera with lots of problems is better than no camera at all. When you know you won't be able to do long exposures very soon, you do long exposures, is what you do.

tychofelldown

PICT0221, originally uploaded by lotusduck.

My drive fell down and got unplugged when I was uploading, and during recovery I found a lot of messed up and oddly recropped photos that I LOVE yes I have mentioned this before.

flickrspam

PICT0350, originally uploaded by lotusduck.

Since getting people I adore watching my photostream, I've stopped just dumping whatever's in my archive or camera right onto flickr. There's a process now, but I miss just throwing up everything I shoot and getting weird snippets of nothing get 'wow' comments or favorites. A little surprise that's a reward for the good photographer habit of shooting everything a hundred times without ceasing.

UPDATE I still have the most fun when I have no idea what I'm doing

conser 02, originally uploaded by lotusduck.

I still want a big beautiful DSLR, which is still weird to me, since I spend most of my time totally destroying the high quality capture of what is literally before the camera. I like surprises, like this ridiculously overexposed roll of 400 used in a pinhole (NEVER put 400 in a pinhole during the day, I cannot stress this enough.)

Multiple moonset failure

 

I like Picasa's photo editor, the cheesy focal black and white, and even the automatic multiple exposure.
It's paradoxical to want more control over fake multiple exposures, since there's very little control in a real multi-exposure using film.
I never want to delete any photo, the maxim still stands that putting garbage into a process means you'll get garbage out of it, but there's a versimilitude in using bad photos when going for an 'accidental' aesthetic.

Interview by Zeitguy

lyr 08, originally uploaded by lotusduck.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/38275128@N00/

1. Do you give much thought to how much your photo resembles something you have seen before, or think you have seen before?

Yes!

I start with a cliche like 'long exposures of water' and I learn how those work, making mistakes along the way, then I try to relate it to my experience, of those pretty misty long exposure water on the rocks shots, have I ever seen one of flooding around picnic tables? Of a duck pond with a sofa in it? So I usually go out to shoot with twin goals, pretty photos to emulate, and something I feel is lacking in most of those, otherwise I'm just not motivated enough to do it.

When cropping or not cropping I tend to think of movie formats, square frames for the intimate films of the 1950s, standard format for the hyperactive or grandiose forms of widescreen.

Back up fell down while uploading, spontaneously generated a gallery

 

peep eye again

PICT0003, originally uploaded by lotusduck.

Are your photos not looking ridiculous enough? Stick a tube over your lens, and put a five dollar apartment security peep eye on the end! Your automatic focus will do the rest.
I have for the moment abandoned the war against purple glare halos. I surrender.

Extreme hand held

DSC03578, originally uploaded by lotusduck.

This is an idea that can work, I swear. It almost does in this picture, I just don't like the computer screen and I'd like more diversity in the spacing of the fish, but it's kind of neat.
I realized that flash stencils don't require a tripod for the lighted image part of it to work, so they're a great way to get out that 'blurry nonsense' compulsion, when using a long exposure capable camera.

Helicopter trails

DSC03643, originally uploaded by lotusduck.

I live near a small airport and not far from a large one, so a big crazy aircraft light trail picture is on my 'wanna do' list.
It's a long list.

Task today: Throw together big new 'version' of the writing I've been doing. Or, to put that off for later, laundry.

Twin Lens Lyre player

lyr 11, originally uploaded by lotusduck.

The length of this exposure was one song. It seems like the less I know about what I'm doing, the better the picture turns out. Maybe this means that I like hinky pictures.
Coffee developer, 120 format film.
This camera was a joy and a half to borrow. Beautiful thing.

color holga 01

color 01, originally uploaded by lotusduck.

I'm scanning at the library today. It's usually about this fun.
We had an exceptionally productive planning session for the July class, and learned that we may have time for holga film loading like this.
Monday July 11 in Mears Park!

NEW SKILL SHARE class

DSC03487, originally uploaded by lotusduck.

Free class in the twin cities!
I'm doing it in Saint Paul, but if there is demand, we can do stuff in Minneapolis.
We'll be assembling flash stencils, like this, but with more materials, textures, etcetera.
However, the subject matter will be driven by participant interests.
Mondays in July, but not the 4th! Friday open labs for people interested in digital processing

http://www.excotc.org/class/stuff-thats-tricky-to-do-with-a-camera

Blurry long exposures

DSC03665, originally uploaded by lotusduck.

Blurry long exposures are probably best contrasted with a clear image within the same shot, accomplished by triggering a flash, particularly an aimed external one.
But aside from capturing something that exists clearly, something more like this is a part of the fun as well.
Photography comes from the greek for 'light writing' of course.