Tag Archives: clouds

Nils Karlson – Earth Stands Still

Friends –
I feel I’ve let you down. You see, I’ve known for a few weeks now that Nils Karlson’s book, “Earth Stands Still”, would be coming via crowdfunding. I’ve known this whole time that it was going to be a triumph of pinhole minimalism. But due to some travel and a mixup, I’m getting this announcement out a few days late. To say the book is flying off the shelves is an understatement, and I’m so happy to see that Nils’s work is being received so well. So for those of you who miss out, I apologize!

You have to check out Nils’s work. What follows is the ƒ/D interview with him, along with some sample imagery. Have a gander, and then head over to his IndieGoGo – and fast! There’s barely any copies left, and it is a limited printing.

All photos ©Nils Karlson 2016[spacer height=”20px”]

ƒ/D: How did you discover your passion for photographing coastal areas in this impressionistic way? Is it a vision that you had been searching for? Did you start with some happy accidents that developed into something more? Something else?
NK: It started out with a rather usual approach, trying to record the scene as it appeared in front of my eyes. But I have never found a true connection to my subject by this. This changed when I stumbled over an excellent book – „Liquid Light“ by Fabien Baron – at the photobook exhibition in Cologne 2014. It featured the most minimal and quiet photos of the seascape I have ever seen: All long exposure images, featuring the horizon dead centre in a vertical frame. This became my starting point for this leg of the journey, and several concepts in respect of technical approach evolved from here.

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What influence has the shore had on other aspects of your life?
As long as I can remember I was drawn to the sea. We used to spend summer vacations at the North Sea, and I was always fascinated by the view, sound, scent, and feel. Today, I love the vastness, when you can see for miles and miles. In the densely populated area I live in, you will not find that. There will always be some kind of obstruction. Also the light has a unique character, especially in the very early or late hours. I travels through a lot of atmopshere, where it gets scattered and incredibly soft. Fortunately, my wife loves the sea, too – and it is a great place to bring our dogs!

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These sorts of minimalist impressionist photos leave so much space for the viewer to explore their own feelings in the scene. What do you find yourself getting from them?
The answer lies within he question – it is space what I am looking for. Vast spaces, where the eye can wander without obstacles. Silence is made of vast spaces bare of distraction, and silence might be the most profound factor i am searching for.

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You quote lyrics from the band No Omega in your book, a passage questioning modern society’s priorities. The photos in the book are like an epiphany of calm, while No Omega is anything but. Can you talk about how you relate this harsh music to your nature photography?
That’s a long, and probably confusing story, but I will try to make it somehow cohesive. Ever since I can remember, I had difficulties to filter sensory impressions, especially noise. This put a lot of stress on me, and the first device to control all these impresions was sister’s first walkman. Wearing headphones, I was able to control sound from the outer world as well as the crippling voice of self­soubt (latter one only to a small degree). This brought me to music, and to the drums when I was about eleven. The more ferocious and noisy the music, the better it works as a shield – bury the sound under another sound. It was a progression from bands like Iron Maiden, Deep Purple and Jethro Tull over Anthrax, a lot of bay area thrash and death metal. As I found the lyrics of most bands well beyond cheesy, I expanded my vocabulary to hardcore and eventually lots of political grindcore and experimental bands. Listening to all that rather noisy music used to be my safety blanket. But after all these years, it started to wear off. When my wife and me had a vacation on La Palma (Canary Islands) in 2009, it was the first time I was confronted with silence. Actually, this trip was the foundation for pretty much everything I do in the photographic realm these days. Since then, it has become like a quest for me – seeking silence. I seek the most quiet dialogue with the landscape. When I crate these photos, I never listen to music. I don’t need to. The problem is that I do not find that silence where I live. That’s where I fall into old patterns and use music as a suit of armor. But still, I find the lyrical content of music to be a crucial factor, and I am always looking for bands who are passionate and authentic. No Omega is one of these bands, and I find myself in their music to a point which is beyond my means of written expression. Actually I have a quite braod taste in music, with a lot of Indie, old (and old­sounding) Emocore, and instrumental bands with a „cinemascope approach“ balancing the fury. I live in a constant state of contradictions existing simultaneously anyway, and I have stopped believing in the concepts of absolute truth. Embrace Ambivalence.

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There are many studies of the shore in this book, and I’m sure many many that didn’t quite make the cut. How do you choose?
Even in high quality photo books, I often miss a cohesive story, flow, and dramaturgy. My goal was to treat the book like a musical album. Have an Intro, build and release some tension, finish on a a strong, but subtle note. Creating an organic flow of light, colour, and atmopshere was the most time consuming aspect. A lot of strong and beautiful photos do not appear in this book, as they just did not fit into the flow. Other photos, which I found to be just „quite decent“ without context, proved to support the story, leading to a perfect sequence of images. Editing is hard though. Sometimes you have to push your favourite kid off the cliff.

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What technologies did you use to shoot these photos? Were they all pinhole?
For seascapes, I love to work with long exposures, whether in a normal camera or lensless.

In Earth Stands Still, one of the three chapters is dedicated to the vision of the pinhole camera. Isn’t it amazing how the very stripped down to the bare bones concept of the pinhole camera yields such atmopshere and mystery? Throughout the few years I am using pinholes, I have tested a lot of different cameras. The difference in the way they render a photo is stunning, having each a distinct characteristic on their own, just like some lenses. Also, I find it to be fascinating to work without any kind of finder – everything is more of a guess, from composition to the inaccuracy of the manual exposure. The pinhole rules out all the „merits“ of the technical revolution, and becomes much more a part of the person using it.

Another technique I use to depart from the scene in front of my eyes towards the image inside my head, are intentional camera movements. These are inspired by Australian photographer Steve Coleman and other artists he featured on his blog. Ethis technique benefit from happy accidents, though I also practiced different movements with a small digital camera before transferring the knowledge into the realm of film.

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Csaba Kovács – Out of the Fog

One of the earliest concepts that many of us photographers learn is the power of lines in a photograph. Most often, this concept is demonstrated with a shot looking straight down some train tracks or maybe rows of crops in a field. It’s a powerful effect, and easily reproducible. Therefore, if a photographer makes converging lines a significant portion of their body of work, they better be damn good at it.

Csaba Kovács is a Hungarian photographer who is damn good at converging lines. He’s based in Budapest, a city that has a firm grip on his heart, where he roams looking for interesting places with what he calls “pinhole eyes”. Csaba has a love for analogue photography, reveling in the “magical world” of the silver-based process. Like many pinhole and analog photographers, he’s attracted to the opportunity to get away from the precision of digital and focus on the unique aesthetic of pinhole photography. He’s been practicing pinhole photography since 2013, and uses a Zero Image 2000 primarily.

Many of the compositions below will feature multiple converging lines. In addition, you’ll note that Csaba likes to get out into the city in the early hours of the morning, when the fog is still thick. This blanketing provides, for many of his compositions, a transmuting background which allows for his subject to come forward with a simple clarity.

After enjoying the images below, we encourage you to check out more of his work at his personal website.

Business Center
[singlepic id=230 w=600]Business Center, ©Csaba Kovács 2015[/singlepic]

 

Elisabeth Bridge
[singlepic id=231 w=600]Elisabeth Bridge, ©Csaba Kovács 2015[/singlepic]

 

Foggy Liberty 1
[singlepic id=232 w=600]Foggy Liberty 1, ©Csaba Kovács 2015[/singlepic]

 

Foggy Liberty 2
[singlepic id=233 w=600]Foggy Liberty 2, ©Csaba Kovács 2015[/singlepic]

 

Megyeri Bridge
[singlepic id=234 w=600]Megyeri Bridge, ©Csaba Kovács 2015[/singlepic]

 

Paris 1
[singlepic id=235 w=600]Paris 1, ©Csaba Kovács 2015[/singlepic]

 

Paris 2
[singlepic id=236 w=600]Paris 2, ©Csaba Kovács 2015[/singlepic]

 

Secret
[singlepic id=237 w=600]Secret, ©Csaba Kovács 2015[/singlepic]

 

Up
[singlepic id=242 w=600]Up, ©Csaba Kovács 2015[/singlepic]

 

Triangles
[singlepic id=240 w=600]Triangles, ©Csaba Kovács 2015[/singlepic]

 

Simple Symmetry
[singlepic id=238 w=600]Simple Symmetry, ©Csaba Kovács 2015[/singlepic]

 

To The Nothing
[singlepic id=239 w=600]To The Nothing, ©Csaba Kovács 2015[/singlepic]

 

Under The Sky
[singlepic id=241 w=600]Under The Sky, ©Csaba Kovács 2015[/singlepic]

 

 

 

Get Inspired – Week of June 15

Today’s post represents the first in our new format change. In case you missed the announcement and the reasons why, you can catch up here. Every week, we at ƒ/D are going to strive to bring you the best we’ve found in the world of pinhole photography. We scour the archives of Flickr, 500px, Behance, personal submissions, and other sources to find great work being done.

This week we feature some great photos from all corners of the world. The photos below represent some great examples of the fun, the fantastical, and of paradise. Enjoy!

Islands and Islets
[singlepic id=203 w=600]Islands and Islets, Holga-120 WPC, Kodak Ektar, ©Peter de Graaff 2015[/singlepic]
Peter de Graaff made the capture for Islands and islets during winter 2014 at North Head in the Murramurrang National Park near Batemans Bay, on the south coast of New South Wales. The Tollgate Islands are visible in the distance and some islets nearby. The sand on the beach here is incredibly orange and was mostly deserted except for a few kangaroo tracks.

More of Peter’s work can be seen on Flickr and he’s a regular contributor on 52 Rolls. Peter can also be found discussing photography on Twitter.

 

Austria
[singlepic id=204 w=600]Austria, ©Csaba Kovacs 2015[/singlepic]
Csaba Kovacs is a talented Hungarian photographer that we’ll be doing a more in depth feature on in the near future. He has a wonderful eye for pattern and shape. Csaba can be found on Flickr and on his personal website.

 

Encounters
[singlepic id=205 w=600]Encounters, ©Phil Chapman 2015[/singlepic]
Phil Chapman’s image was inspired by the indie game limbo, and his goal was to make something that had that atmosphere and feel. He constructed the scene out of black card ( the robot ) and ripped black sugar paper ( the trees) with layers of tracing paper creating the fog and distance. The toy figure is from resident evil 2 and is another video game reference.
Phil’s camera is also homemade and the exposure times were roughly 2 minutes per shot. More of Phil’s work can be found on Flickr.

 

Pinhole 60
[singlepic id=206 w=600]Pinhole 60, Zero 2000, ©Katharina Korn-Sippel 2015[/singlepic]
Katharina Korn-Sippel’s still life of fruit has that perfectly peaceful feeling that has attracted many eyeballs to still lifes over the years. More of Katharina’s work can be found on Flickr.

 

Synchronized Swinging
[singlepic id=207 w=600]Synchronized Swinging, Diana Pinhole, TMY, ©Kyle Wilcox 2015[/singlepic]
Kyle Wilcox made this stunning capture with a 2 or 3 second exposure on TMY using a Lomo Diana Pinhole camera. While he sat on a swing next to his son and tried to match his speed while he braced the camera on the chain and opened the shutter. More of Kyle’s work can be found on Flickr.

 

Get Inspired – Carrick 6

Take in the craggy harshness in today’s featured pinhole.

Carrick 6
[singlepic id=143 w=600]Carrick 6, Zero Image 6×9, Ilford FP4, ©Dave Symonds 2015[/singlepic]

Dave Symonds photographed this harsh scene with his Zero Image 6×9 on Ilford FP4 film. The long tonality of this scene from Carrick Bay South West Scotland helps to really bring you into the vastness of what the harsh processes that brought this area to be.

You can find more of Dave’s work on Flickr and his personal site.

 

Get Inspired – Steam Locomotive

This pinhole photo arrives with the force and grit of the Industrial Revolution.

Steam Locomotive
[singlepic id=123 w=600]Steam Locomotive, Homemade camera, Ilford HP5+, ©Anatoly Tankov 2015[/singlepic]

Anatoly Tankov captured this powerful scene in the Siberian region of Russia with his homemade pinhole camera loaded with Ilford HP5+. The low angle and sweeping clouds do well to compliment the imposing nature of the steam engine. Well done!

More of Anatoly’s work can be found on Flickr.

 

Get Inspired – Whitby Abbey

Today’s featured pinhole photo is rather awe inspiring.

Whitby Abbey
[singlepic id=86 w=600]Whitby Abbey, Zero Image 2000, Rollie IR 400, ©Alastair Ross 2015[/singlepic]

Alastair Ross produced this wonderful image using his Zero Image 2000 loaded with Infrared (IR) film. IR pinhole is a very powerful combination, especially for subject matter such as this. The feelings of movement, and a broody darkened sky, bring about a sense of foreboding around a house of God. Quite the delightful composition, I’d say!

You can find more of Alastair’s work on his blog, Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, or Flickr.

 

Get Inspired – Blick auf Alster II

This moody pinhole photo of the day comes Germany.

Blick auf Alster II
[singlepic id=52]Blick auf Alster II, Bomboo pinhole camera, Fuji Velvia 50, ©左眼對焦 (Cheng-I Chien) 2015[/singlepic]

This wide angle water scene was produced by Cheng-I Chien in the waters of Hamburg, Germany. The choice of Velvia, which normally has a blue cast in longer exposures, is perfect in the way it brings out the subtle marks of red on the boat.

More of Cheng-I’s work can be found on Flickr.

Get Inspired – Sunrise on Biloxi Bay

Today’s pinhole inspiration is provided by Eddie Erdmann’s amazing capture of a spectacular sunrise on Biloxi Bay.

Sunrise on Biloxi Bay
[singlepic id=3]Sunrise on Biloxi Bay, Reality So Subtle 6×17 pinhole camera, Fuji Velvia 50, ©Eddie Erdmann[/singlepic]

For this image, Eddie used his Reality So Subtle 6×17 camera with Fuji Velvia film. Eddie captured this stunning scene while standing at the top of the Biloxi Bay Bridge, which connects Ocean Springs and Biloxi, Mississippi.

We chose Eddie’s image for this piece of inspiration because it is a fantastic example of the unique movement and color that can be captured with a pinhole camera. The subject matter also plays perfectly into his choice of an ultra-wide format camera.

Eddie can be found on Twitter, Flickr, and his website.