Tag Archives: zero image

Artist Feature

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]

 

 

 

Artist Feature

Dikal – Space

One of the things that makes the pinhole camera special is the infinite depth of field it provides. Dikal uses that infinite depth of field to his advantage when working with symmetry and geometric shapes. There is something special in the way the shapes are drawn out as they fit into the frame view.

Using his Zero Image pinhole camera and Fuji Acros 100 film, Dikal creates incredibly dramatic scenes with great contrasts. Dikal found himself bored of the images that have become our norm these days, with “too perfect digital cameras”, and started poking around with many other types and styles of cameras. It was when he found his way to the pinholes, like so many of us, that his creativity blossomed and the, “Dreamlike atmosphere… Atypical framings… No viewfinder, lens free, no mechanism, just a hole and a film holder,” drew his curiosity and spirit. Dikal spent six years pushing his boundaries and finding his voice with his photos. And while he says, “I don’t pretend to take beautiful photos”, we disagree and we know that you will too.

Dikal, your photographs are a great respite for me. They transcend me from the chaotic space that I live in and deliver me to a place where space, contrast, texture and shapes make sense. I can breath a bit easier when I look upon your work and I am very grateful that you have decided to give yourself the space and freedom that comes with the unknown treasure hunt that your vision provides.

ZI Suffocating
[singlepic id=218 w=600] [/singlepic]

 

British Museum
[singlepic id=213 w=600] [/singlepic]

 

Solitude
[singlepic id=217 w=600] [/singlepic]

 

Come to Me
[singlepic id=214 w=600] [/singlepic]

 

Inner Vision
[singlepic id=215 w=600] [/singlepic]

 

m
[singlepic id=216 w=600] [/singlepic]

 

=^=
[singlepic id=219 w=600] [/singlepic]

 

_^_
[singlepic id=212 w=600] [/singlepic]

 

We encourage you to head over to Flickr to check out more of Dikal’s amazing pinhole photography

 

Inspiration

Get Inspired – 10_4.5_p

Take in today’s featured pinhole in a place of quiet beauty.

10_4.5_p
[singlepic id=167 w=600]10_4.5_p, Zero Image 4×5, FOMA fomapan 100, ©De Ferschter 2015[/singlepic]

De Ferschter made this quiescent scene using a Zero Image 4×5 with a single frame added for a focal length of 50mm, with Fomapan 100 film. The way these trees stand apart, like 5 good friends, makes for such a strong composition.

You can find more of De Ferschter’s work on Flickr.

 

Inspiration

Get Inspired – Crazy ’bout a Mercury

Today’s featured pinhole photo absorbs us in a time gone by.

Crazy ’bout a Mercury
[singlepic id=165 w=500]Crazy ’bout a Mercury, Zero Image 6×9, Portra 160, ©Collin Orthner 2015[/singlepic]

Collin Orthner made this wonderful image while traveling through Alberta. It has a great backstory from Collin himself:

This old Mercury truck was found on an old farm south of Brooks, Alberta, near Rolling Hills. It was a creepy place too! My travelling partner Michael Chesworth went exploring the old farmhouse and discovered old bank deposit slips from the early fifties,  and an old shot up television that had only the original dial that let you choose one of thirteen channels. I remember being a kid watching our old B&W TV that had this same sort of dial, unfortunately, we couldn’t even make use of the dial as we had the luxury of getting only one channel! So, if we didn’t like what was on we were back outside riding our bikes or playing hockey on the local rink, depending on the season of course. Anyways, back to this farm, there was no sign anywhere at the start of the dirt laneway indicating “No Trespassing” so we felt OK checking it out. This truck was one of three in the yard and the one I liked making images of the best. I made a lot of close-ups of the patina of the metal with my digital camera, but really felt a pinhole image would add a sense of being in a dream and also would give some indication of how I was feeling in this farmyard. It really makes you think about who it was that lived there and why it was left in the state it was. Someone had a full life here and we only got to see a few remnants of it. I would have to think it wasn’t a creepy existent either, but just the way things have gone since whomever it was departed, left us feeling a bit unsettled. This image was made with a ten minute exposure with my camera mounted to my tripod and awkwardly arranged just inside the cab of the truck. I thought my meter was out to lunch indicating such a long exposure, but here you are, and it was rather dark in the shadows of the cab. An hour or so later we hit the highway to a new destination still heading further south.

More of Collin’s work can be found on his personal website.

 

Inspiration

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.

 

Inspiration

Get Inspired – Pinhole Closet View

Today’s featured pinhole image basks in some warm window light.

Pinhole Closet View
[singlepic id=141 w=600]Pinhole Closet View, Zero Image 6×6, TMAX 100, ©Tim Lowe 2015[/singlepic]

Tim Lowe is an American living in Colombia and, while well versed in photography in general, is relatively new to the world of pinhole photography. He made this image with his Zero Image 6×6, and is anxiously awaiting a 4×5 – the pinhole bug is a vicious one! Tim also works in alt process printing, especially cyanotype. He expressed some great seeing when he recognized this quiet scene!

You can find more of Tim’s work on 500px or Flickr.

 

Inspiration

Get Inspired – MV Coho

Today’s featured pinhole photo is ready to set sail for the weekend.

MV Coho
[singlepic id=139 w=600]MV Coho, Zero Image 4×5, Paper Negative, ©Kier Selinsky 2015[/singlepic]

I made this image after a long joyful day in Victoria, BC. The MV Coho is the ferry that connects Vancouver Island to Port Angeles, WA. It’s a high style trip that I recommend if you have the chance, especially when the tulips are in season. Here she is moored and awaiting her passengers for the trip back to Washington.

You can find more of my photos on Flickr.

 

Inspiration

Get Inspired – Pinhole 970, Bridge

Today’s featured pinhole sends us into the abyss.

Pinhole 970, Bridge
[singlepic id=126 w=600]Pinhole 970, Bridge, Zero Image 2000, Fuji Reala, ©Darius Kuzmickas 2015[/singlepic]

Darius Kuzmickas provides this wonderful perspective of the St. Johns Bridge in Portland Oregon. He used his Zero Image 2000 loaded with Fuji Reala to capture the way the fog blankets the scene in typical Pacific Northwest fashion.

More of Darius’s work can be found on Flickr, 500px, or his portfolio site. In addition, we highly recommend you check out his project, Camera Obscura, Outside In(n).

 

Inspiration

Get Inspired – 1961 VW Bug

Today we feature pinhole’s take on an iconic car.

1961 VW Bug
[singlepic id=124 w=600]1961 VW Bug, Zero Image, Kodak Ektar, ©John Thomas 2015[/singlepic]

John Thomas produced this pleasing capture from the interior of a 1961 VW Bug using his Zero Image pinhole camera loaded with Kodak Ektar. It’s a combination that seems meant to be – the notorious palette of Ektar, soft focus of pinhole, and vintage perfection of the Bug – I wouldn’t want this any other way!

You can find more of John’s work on Flickr.

 

Inspiration

Get Inspired – Blue Lake

I want to sit by the edge of this small lake all day…

Blue Lake
[singlepic id=122 w=600]Blue Lake, Zero 45 w/Graflex 23 back, Kodak Ektar, ©Moni Smith 2015[/singlepic]

Moni Smith made this wonderful capture at Blue Lake, Portland, Oregon – a city that surprises with so many quiet places of understated beauty such as this. She made this shot with her Zero Image 45 in the 25mm configuration and a Graflex 23 back loaded with Kodak Ektar 100. For a long time I’ve shot Fuji color, but something about the tonality of Ektar these days has got me rolling in that direction now.

More of Moni’s work can be found on Flickr, her personal blog, and her pinhole blog that she runs with some friends, Pinhole Obscura.