Tag Archives: motion

Inspiration Week of 8/22

This week for our inspirational post we’re happy to bring you something on the more experimental side. Playing with these techniques will usually give mediocre results at first, but with a bit of effort, the work will pay off. Once learned, I’d love to see how you apply these techniques to your own creative vision. Don’t forget to share your new work with us – here’s the submission guidelines!

No Title
[singlepic id=467 w=600]No Title, ©Vanesa Henseleit 2016[/singlepic]

Vanesa Henseleit is a talented and stylistically unique photographer from Santiago, Chile and she made this photo using partially overlapping multi exposures. It’s a wonderful example of the technique! Vanesa also dedicates a decent amount of her energy to her group, Lucky Pinhole, which conducts workshops, projects, and calls for pinhole work. I highly recommend you check out more of her work on her website.[spacer height=”20px”]

Scarecrow
[singlepic id=468 w=600]Scarecrow, ©David Stenström 2016[/singlepic]

David Stenström made this haunting image with a Robert Rigby 4×5 camera loaded with Fomapan 100. The exposure was roughly 2 minutes while the camera was pointed at a friend standing in a field of peas, whom David instructed to move slightly to bring the motion feel. David has some great work on his Flickr profile that is worth looking at![spacer height=”20px”]

Nite Flights
[singlepic id=466 w=600]Nite Flights, ©Andy Martin 2016[/singlepic]

Andy Martin has a great project on display at his website called Nite Flights, combining long night time pinhole exposures and motion to get a visual embodiment of chaos. You can find the rest of these images on his website by clicking here. He also has more great work on his Flickr page.[spacer height=”20px”]

 

Spring Wrap-up

After taking a months long hiatus, ƒ/D was roaring back this Spring with fresh pinhole imagery and artists. Here’s a quick recap of what we published:

Bronze Statue - Shikiko Endo - thumbInspiration posts – every week we seek to bring some fresh inspiration to help you see the world in a pinholy way. View all of them here.

 

 

Untitled, ©Jean-Christophe Denis

JC Denis’ Studies in Motion went in depth in how to look leverage pinhole with motion.

 

 

Martin Martinsson brought us into his Movements collection and showed his fantastic eye for space.Coloured Underpass - ©Martin Martinsson

 

 

Test-of-Time-11-thumbIn her Test of Time series, Corine Hörmann showed us how to take the long exposure to the extreme end, and the wonderful world we find there.

 

 

letting go of the cameraWe learned from Brooks Jensen‘s book: Letting Go of the Camera, and how to see more freely.

 

 

sd_pinhole_still_from_a_dream - thumbSteven Dempsey took us to a cinematic place in pinhole and showed us how to create tension in the imagery of transition.

 

 

The Southern Customs - thumb - Olle PursiainenFinally, Olle Pursiainen brought us to his native Finland and inspired us with his images of the rural landscape near his home.

 

 

We hope that you’ve enjoyed all of these wonderful works this Spring as much as we’ve enjoyed bringing them to you! And we look forward to bringing you much more in the months to come!

Studies in Motion – Jean-Christophe Denis

One of my favorite features of the pinhole camera is its blurring of time. In other photographic pursuits it is not unusual to see motion blur used creatively. However in pinhole, it’s nearly a constant aspect of the resulting image, which results in us having to always consider the passage of time as an unspoken subject of the images.

Jean-Christophe Denis is a French artist from Strasbourg who wields his pinhole camera to bring us some unique representations of motion and time. He describes himself as “keen on alternative photographic techniques. [His] world carries us off into dreamlike images, or staggered delicate portraits. By constantly pushing [his] practice of photography into a corner, [he] reveals [his] vision of the visible.”

The following images are a sampling of a couple avenues of approach that Jean-Christophe (or JC) has explored. First are some of the “staggered delicate portraits” which show the beauty of human movement in stutter-step detail. The second are from a stunningly energetic series of self-portraits while riding his bike.

He provides the following intro to the “Ride My Bike” self-portraits:

“For someone hidden behind a camera it is not easy to find yourself on the other side, the first self-portrait of a photographer is full of meaning, Hippolyte Bayard, the pioneer of photography represents suicide in his first staged photograph.

While integrating egocentric codes of contemporary society, like the  selfie and Gopro phenomenon, I nevertheless take the opposite view of technology with the aim of building an image to fit into my time, my way.”

I hope you enjoy the following selection from JC as much as I have! To discover more of JC Denis’s excellent work, head over to Flickr or check out his personal website – he has more great pinholes and other photographic works.

Haré Pola
[singlepic id=263 w=600]Haré Pola, ©Jean-Christophe Denis[/singlepic]

 

Untitled
[singlepic id=270 w=600]Untitled, ©Jean-Christophe Denis[/singlepic]

 

Untitled
[singlepic id=271 w=600]Untitled, ©Jean-Christophe Denis[/singlepic]

 

Ride My Bike
[singlepic id=269 w=600]Ride My Bike, ©Jean-Christophe Denis[/singlepic]

 

Ride My Bike Front Back
[singlepic id=268 w=600]Ride My Bike Front Back, ©Jean-Christophe Denis[/singlepic]

Ride My Bike 3
[singlepic id=264 w=600]Ride My Bike 3, ©Jean-Christophe Denis[/singlepic]

 

Ride My Bike 4
[singlepic id=265 w=600]Ride My Bike 4, ©Jean-Christophe Denis[/singlepic]

 

Ride My Bike 5
[singlepic id=266 w=600]Ride My Bike 5, ©Jean-Christophe Denis[/singlepic]

 

3 Beers Later
[singlepic id=262 w=600]3 Beers Later, ©Jean-Christophe Denis[/singlepic]

 

Ride My Bike Color
[singlepic id=267 w=600]Ride My Bike Color, ©Jean-Christophe Denis[/singlepic]

 

June Recap

June 2015 saw some great pinhole action at ƒ/D! In case you missed it, here’s what happened:

 

Marko Umicevic - Leaning-towers - smallJune 3: We covered Marko Umicevic’s paper negative process for enhanced tonality.

June 5: We brought you Tina Rowe’s wonderful representation of movement.

June 10: We published Todd Schlemmer’s overview on 3D printing pinhole cameras.

June 12: We travelled to Alaska with Eddie Erdmann and his serene panoramic captures.

June 17: We covered the benefits of using some very feature packed apps on your phone for pinhole photography.

Pascal Grandet - _^_ - smallJune 19: We got deep in symmetry with Dikal’s pinhole photography.

June 24: We stirred the pot and looked at motion in a new way as we discussed controlling depth of field in pinhole photography

June 26: We shared Csaba Kovács’s exploration of fog and converging lines.

Finally, we’ve been delighted to continue promoting some of the best pinhole photography available:

[nggallery id=12 images=35]

All images on this page are copyright protected by the respective artists.

Technique: Controlling Depth of Field in Pinhole Photos

In this article, I’m not going to show you anything new. Rather, my goal is to help us think of an existing technique in a new way.

I imagine the knee jerk response to the title of this article is a chorus of befuddled pinholers worldwide shouting in unison, “CONTROLLING DEPTH OF FIELD IN PINHOLE PHOTOS?!?!”

Yep, we’re diving in, with incredulous abandon. But rest easy, we’re not going to change the physics of light. Rather, we’re going to discuss how we can leverage composition to “shorten” the depth of field in a pinhole photograph. Got your attention? Read on…

[singlepic id=228 w=300 float=right] [/singlepic]First, what is “Depth of Field”? Wikipedia defines it as “the distance between the nearest and farthest objects in a scene that appear acceptably sharp in an image.” Note that in that definition, there’s not a single mention of bokeh, aperture, or even Circles of Confusion. That’s kind of liberating, no? So, we shall free ourselves of the technical aspects of the customary understanding of depth of field, and let’s focus on the aesthetic.

Let’s pick apart the definition of Depth of Field, from an aesthetic perspective, for just a moment. We have “the distance between the nearest and farthest objects in a scene” – that’s classic 2D art composition: a foreground, middle ground, background. And then there’s “appear acceptably sharp in an image” – well that’s just a matter of being able to distinguish what those objects are, right? So, Depth of Field is, at it’s simplest, choosing what objects, if any, will be distinguishable in the foreground, middle ground, and background.

How do we control which objects will be distinguishable in these planes of the finished pinhole photo? In a word: motion! In a few more words: the relative motion between the camera, the subject, and the background. The closer that background motion is to your subject, the shorter your depth of field. The further away, the deeper your depth of field. Got something in motion between the camera and your subject? Even better – you have a foreground depth of field effect.

Of course this isn’t something new, right? Any of us that have looked at pinhole photography long enough have seen sweeping clouds over landscapes, moving objects in the foreground, wisping trees to and fro. This is not a new effect. But, this is a change of mindset.

Portrait photographers have long since figured out that a portrait can be made *that* much more dynamic through careful use of depth of field. Want to take a great pinhole portrait? Consider a windy day with foliage in the background. Or you can get playful, the way Darren Constantino did his photo, Pinhole Seesaw.

Want a pinhole photo of an object that really pops? Put that object in motion and lock the camera to that motion, such as what James Guerin did in his Twilight Cycle diptych. Artūras Meškauskas also leveraged this technique very effectively in his photo, 1+4 (bottom of linked page).

Again, this isn’t a new technique, just a different mindset – something to keep in mind when you’re afield and are considering how to make a subject really stand out. How have you leveraged this technique? Tell us in the comments!

Self Portrait with Guitar
[singlepic id=229 w=600]Self Portrait with Guitar, ©Kier Selinsky 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 – Pinhole Seesaw

Editor’s note: The daily pinhole photos are curated and shared to inspire and elevate the pinhole photography artform. Do you have a photo you’d like considered? Tell us about it.

Today’s featured pinhole photo will bring out the kid in you.

Pinhole Seesaw
[singlepic id=170 w=600]Pinhole Seesaw, ©Darren Constantino 2015[/singlepic]

To make this fun pinhole photo, Darren Constantino mounted his camera to a seesaw as his sister Sharon rode the other side. The result is a wonderful example of how the constraints of pinhole photography can drive us to dig deeper in our creative psyche.

To catch more of Darren’s work, check his Flickr page.

 

Tina Rowe – Movement

Pinhole cameras carry great variances with movement.  Whether it is the camera moving or the world around the camera, only certain aspects will be picked up.  It all depends on two things: the length of exposure time and the amount of movement that accrues before the photo is finished being exposed.

[singlepic id=175 w=300 float=right] [/singlepic]Tina Rowe’s photographs are a wonderful example of movement in pinhole photography.  She began focusing on this aspect with a long exposure of a restaurant in Paris (photo right).  “A 45 minute shot I had taken in a busy restaurant in Paris.  Although people were blurred, they still stayed in their own little pools in the final image, the blurring increased the colour palette and I am pretty sure that there was some colour shift on the film from the long exposure.” This photo is where her path to experimentation with movement began.

[singlepic id=178 w=300 float=left] [/singlepic]As Tina’s experimentation grew, she found a love of movement on transportation.  It started with a train ride on a rickety train in Brazil (photo left), when she took a couple of photos and came away “impressed with the way the long exposure, coupled with the movement, made the colours mix and accentuate each other while the length of the exposure meant that I ended up with an average of the forms being captured.” She had stumbled on something now – an abstraction that brought more detail of emotion than physical form.

The camera movement captures a bustling feeling.  Tina brought home these lessons of energy and movement. During some forays into the heart of London, she applied her technique to the city buses, making exposures of 5 to 10 minutes as the buses rambled through town. With these handheld photos, She’s produced photographs that recreate the movement of both the bus and it’s rider.  Her photographs are designed to take you on an unfamiliar ride in the seat of a bus.

[singlepic id=176 w=600]From Bus, ©Tina Rowe 2015[/singlepic]

 

[singlepic id=173 w=600]Balls Pond, ©Tina Rowe 2015[/singlepic]

 

[singlepic id=177 w=600]Middle Bus, ©Tina Rowe 2015[/singlepic]

 

[singlepic id=172 w=600]38, ©Tina Rowe 2015[/singlepic]

 

[singlepic id=174 w=600]Bus Back, ©Tina Rowe 2015[/singlepic]

 

More of Tina’s photography is highlighted on her website. She can also be found on Twitter and Flickr.

Get Inspired – Joeri Takes a Spin

Today’s featured pinhole is a dizzying perspective!

Joeri Takes a Spin
[singlepic id=140 w=600]Joeri Takes a Spin, Diana Pinhole, Earl Gray 100, ©Ralph van der Geest2015[/singlepic]

Ralph van der Geest made this image using a Diana Pinhole camera loaded with Lomography Earl Gray film. The camera and subject were both set on a record player at 33RPM and sent for a 30 second spin. The effect is an absolute standout, and ƒ/D will be running an article exploring motion further in June!

More of Ralph’s work can be found on his Flickr page.

 

Get Inspired – Twilight Cycle – Diptych 2

Today we turn the notion of motion capture a bit on it’s head.

Twilight Cycle – Diptych 2
[singlepic id=90 w=600]Twilight Cycle – Diptych 2, ©James Guerin[/singlepic]

Often times in pinhole photography we see motion used to bring an inescapable sense of drama to an image. For this image, James chose to mount his pinhole camera to the very object in motion. The result, as I’m sure you’ll agree, is absolutely wonderful. Well done!

More of James’ work can be found on Flickr. Notably, James is the man behind the Reality So Subtle pinhole cameras – a brand that has gained quite a bit of notoriety (and has been used to great effect on some of the images featured on ƒ/D as well).