Below is a picture of the lenses I currently (June 2009) am playing with:
This is a listing with the lens descriptions. The top two are the aperture blanks. The others are numbered from the top left to the bottom right.
June 9, 2009
January 26, 2009
Solargraphy In Photoshop
Up front, let me say I that I do not like Photoshop. People take pictures that look exactly the way the scene was in real life and then screw them up to satisfy friends, judges, and whoever else’s idea of what it should have looked like. Heavy contrast, blown out gamma, frizzy super sharpening, color curves all askew, exposures ‘adjusted’, etc. And that is not even mentioning the horrors of HDR!
Anyways, this is to let you know that I am a hacker with photoshop – crop, brightness, contrast is about all I do. So, when I started to do some of my own Solargraph images, I was perfect for the job. No preconceptions to stop me from blundering all over.
The ‘recipe’ I do is fairly simple (and I am sure many people do it many ways) is to first make sure my scanner will take the whole image in one pass without the lamp stopping while the software catches up – this causes bars of overexposed image where the lamp pauses. I use a piece of paper as a test. Some scanners, like mine, will not work correctly unless the preview finds a contrasting section from its own background to use as an edge. By adjusting the scanned DPI you can arrive at the best resolution that gives a single continuous pass.
Then remove the paper quickly from your camera, don’t pause, pass go or take a look, slap it in the pre-warmed scanner, put the cover down and quickly scan the paper. OK, so you looked, there was nothing on the paper, so you took it to the window to look closer, maybe help it up to a light fixture for good measure. Too bad you did that, the image is probably there, just too faint for the human eye to see it. The scanner will however. So put it in anyway and remember the next time not to peek.
The scanned image will look like it is blank with perhaps a few squiggly lines here and there. Don’t panic – yet. This is a negative image. Don’t blow your mind here- accept it. Put the image in Photoshop or a clone thereof, invert the image and play with the exposure and contrast. (You will notice an abundance of technical details here). If there is anything that looks like what you were hoping for then just keep at it. I’ve had to occasionally solarize, convert to mono, convert to B&W (NOT all at once !) depending on the length of the exposure and the paper itself. If the colors are whacko thats the way it happens -accept it, if you can’t live with them, change it to mono or B&W. I have good luck with using a B&W Photoshop add on filter with the red filter option checked.
If there is nothing there and you in fact had the pinhole open, the paper facing the right way, no light leaks in the camera, or other not so obvious things (perhaps someone moved it for a few days and then put it back facing another direction) then accept that it just didn’t work. I have found, after all else failed, that the paper I was using doesn’t work for solargraphy. I have no idea why, it just didn’t – time after time. I then changed to an old outdated Kodak B&W paper and it started working for me. Also, Ilford works well. The paper has to be true B&W photographic paper- the type used in a darkroom and processed with chemicals. Not color paper that was designed for B&W images and certainly not ink jet paper.
Remember, you are using a lensless camera with photographic paper that was not designed to be used this way. Some experimentation will probably be needed.
Have fun, I am.
December 29, 2008
Popcorn and cocoa pinhole camera update
Along with doing the solargraphy canister loading and re-loading, I also put B&W paper in the popcorn can camera (8×10) and the cocoa can camera (5×7). I have placed them inside the house, facing out of two windows. This is an experiment to see how an image looks without the Sun’s path being evident. What started this was a thought that I had regarding the ‘color’ that manifests itself on the B&W paper after prolonged exposure in a pinhole camera. Basically, are the UV, IR, and all the other wavelengths emanating from the Sun necessary for the colors to appear? I faced one camera NW and the other NxNW to cut down on direct rays from the Sun reaching the pinhole. Further, our replacement windows are untinted, double pane UV resistant coated. I will leave the cameras in place for at least a week before I try opening them.
Solargraphy Update
Above is an example of a Solargraphy photograph showing the Sun’s path over a long period of exposure.
Yesterday I took down the four 35mm canister pinhole cameras that Tarja sent to me from Finland, removed the exposed B&W paper, and reloaded the canisters along with the six cameras I made for myself. Then I placed my own cameras outside in different places to experiment with a one week exposure period. Her reloaded cameras are going to Cancun, Mexico with me in early February; hopefully they will make the trip both ways without customs opening them. Actually, I think I will take a lightproof envelope with me with extra paper as a backup.
The cameras were in place from November 22 to December 28, 2009.
Today I mailed the four photographic papers to Tarja along with a CD with the digital pictures of the mounting of the four cameras and a ‘normal’ view of the pinhole camera’s FOV to facilitate her developing of the images.
I am looking forward to hearing from Tarja as to whether or not I was successful.
Background:
Tarja is looking for ‘can assistants’ from anyplace in the world. She will send you, free of charge, pre-loaded canisters. You simply place them securely facing the Sun’s path in the sky, wait from a week to six months, remove them and send them back (the only expense to you). She will ‘develop’ the images and email them back to you.
The ‘film’ is B&W photographic paper. There is a certain ‘magic’ here. After a long exposure to light in a pinhole camera, an image in pseudo color appears on the paper. Tarja scans this image and manipulates it. The result is such as is seen above.
See the following website for information. This has been a fun, very inexpensive (~$5USD in postage) and painless project.
Tarja Trygg
Licentiate of Art
University of Art and Design Helsinki TAIK
School of Art Education
Hämeentie 135 C, 00560 Helsinki
December 8, 2008
Use that old 620/616 camera
In my constant quest for the different, I ran across this item at an auction site. It is an adapter to let you use 35mm film in the old 620 and 616 format cameras and also available for the 120 format. It costs $10USD! Finally, someone who knows how to merchandise! Instead of selling it for $49.99 and not getting any takers, it is priced in the LOMO style – cheap and fun.
The images show the sprocket wheel holes as the entire width of the film is exposed and the format is panoramic. There are pictures on their Flickr site, the addy is on their website.
See the website below for information. Now I have to CLA the Kodak Duaflex IV that is in the drawer, the shutter is very sticky.
I had a hard time deciding whether to place this post here or on my other blog where I have information using unmodified equipment, as this is not an invasive modification. Since the idea of sprocket holes appearing as an integral part of an image is more in keeping with this blog- well, here it will be.
Update: I received the package from the website. It is simply a pair of wooden dowels modified to be press fit on the 35mm canister and then placed into the camera. I figure it would take me a couple of hours of fiddling around to copy it, so the price is reasonable. Now, if I could only find the package – hope it didn’t drop in the trash can. Further Update – It is March 2009 and the package is still missing – I’ll probably have to re-order.
A Second Yashica A
This weekend I ran across an online auction for a Yashica A that needed CLA (clean,lubricate,adjust) with just an hour + left to run. The bid was around $10USD. I put in a bid of $13.98 on a whim and won it for just over $11. With S&H it came to ~$18USD.
So, I will be doing the modification to a second Yashica A as I have covered on my photographyhacks.org website and in the pages to the right under the same name. The website has a couple of pictures that I didn’t carry over.
This modification was the most gratifying so far in that to a casual looker, it appears to be an original camera. The only difference being the lower lens is now a pinhole. That plus the aperture and shutter still work afterwards. The photographs taken so far are above my other cameras in detail. Do a tag search on Yashica for the original post with photo.
Update March 2009: The camera still sits here. The ‘leather’ is flaking off, so it will be a project for outside to cut down on the mess of complete removal. Maybe I’ll go to Tandy Leather and get something neat to re-cover it.
October 29, 2008
A Website Very Much Worth The Time To Visit
If I could only do 10% of what he has done, I would be satisfied.
Old cameras, old lenses on new cameras, pinhole, etc.
Update: 03/16/2009 I have started to copy some of the techniques found on this website. Do a blog search here for VPK.
GO LOOK !
October 22, 2008
Catching Up
NOTE POSTED 04-17-2009 – I have been trying to get a handle on the cross slit project since this was originally posted here. At this moment, and I don’t see my mind being changed, I am abandoning any further work or time. I believe that simply put, since there are two distinctly different focal lengths there will always be one plane that is stretched out of proportion. I am planning to continue into the world of old manual focus M42 lenses and even older lenses from folders on my Canon XTi. Of course, there will still be occasional side trips into pinhole land.
Original text starts here:
I did receive the SD card I needed in order to test my digital stereo rig. As soon as there is a decent day I will be trying it out, along with some more shots with the homemade wood stereo camera and, of course, the newest toy – that double slit camera cap. The main problem for the rest of the year is the weather. With an annual snowfall of over 110″ per year combined with one of the lowest percentages of available sun received, the subject matter until Spring is mainly bare trees and snow. In fact, guess what was in the air just a half hour ago ?
October 2, 2008
Pinhole Stereo Camera Information
Here are some quick pictures of my homemade stereo pinhole camera.
The lens covers and the film index hole cover are super strength magnets; fender washers are glued to the wood body. I put some self stick camera light seal material on the backside of the magnets. This was part of a general camera light seal fix kit from an online auction site.
The level is from one of those dollar store assortments. I broke the holder off and glued it in a routed slot on the top. This is a very important item. Stereo images that are not level are very hard for your eyes and software to rectify.
The inside shows how I set the two images five inches apart (all measurements here are approximate). There are five compartments, The two end ones are for the film rolls; the middle one is for the staggered image; the other two are the pinhole compartments.
The white tape is some teflon tape I had around and used in an attempt to reduce friction on the film, The first roll shows some scratching of the negatives in every frame, so I have to rethink this.
The pressure plate is simply a piece of wood mounted on the back with foam weatherproofing tape. Foam tape was also used between the back and front as a light seal; a note here- I didn’t wait quite long enough for the paint on the wood to cure; and the tape was ruined in a couple of spots when I opened it up, after two weeks stored closed, for these pictures. I’d say wait a week or so or just store it unassembled.
So, I have two things to remedy – the tape scratches and replacing the damaged light seals. I am happy that there are not more problems.
As for the spacing of images on the film. As the roll is advanced through its length the stereo pairs are like this 1R.2R.1L.2L.3R.4R.3L.4L.5R.6R.5L.6L as they roll on the take-up roll. Six pairs per 120 film. Looking at the film back through the back hole the number sequence is 2.3.6.7.10.11 as the pictures are exposed.
There is a fold up/down viewfinder from an unknown folding camera to get a general idea of the framing.
There are three screw adjusters on the bottom of the camera. Since this is not exactly tripod friendly due to its width, I figured car tops, fences, chairs, benches, rocks, tree trunks, etc will be the normal resting place. These give me a way to level the camera. I do have a super reinforced tripod mount on the bottom, but unless it is a still day or indoors I’ll use a support as mentioned above.
Using hardware store parts I made spring loaded roller guides and roll winders. Whatever works for your plan – after all this is part of the fun – being conceptual artist, designer, engineer, fabricator, assembler, trouble shooter, and user. When the first roll comes back it reflects what you have done.
As with all my projects/hints – please read the Notice at the bottom of the right hand column .
September 28, 2008
Dollar Store Pinhole Cameras – An Update
Last night I spent three+ hours destroying one of these quality cameras trying for a simple way to make the shutter stay open when the release was held down. Nothing doing. Then another two hours trying to add a second push/pull shutter release. Too contrived and not what I was looking for. I covered the parts with a towel and left them there, in the dark, with no food or water, to come to their senses and tell me what to do.
After looking at a Blog on WordPress an hour ago, that I found using the Tag Search with pinhole as the search word, I had my answer. I was being much to mechanically minded on the project. I decided to just take the shutter mechanism out, leave the shutter release to serve the function of a film advance regulator and use …. drumroll ……… rimshot ………. duck/duct tape or black electrical tape !
http://johnsomerville.wordpress.com/
Above is the Blog where I found my inspiration. Thank you John ! My Bloglist widget has a link to his Blog.
I have made an early New Year’s Resolution – to take at least one picture a day with both my DSLR and a pinhole camera. I have been spending too much time at the keyboard and workshop. Winter is coming and the Fall colors are passing me by.
Just now I found a small blurb regarding the difference in developing 220 vs 120 film. The physical difference is there is no paper backing on 220 film, making it very sensitive to light. This comes into play when you load/unload the film. Also, if you have a camera that has a red viewing circle, there are no numbers and the light coming in through the circle can fog the film. This is probably old news to MF film users, but was news to me. I was planning on using a roll of 220 color in my homemade stereo pinhole camera to double the number of stereo pairs, this info saved me the price of a ruined roll of film.
