#1038 Web Distractions

We’ve been away from the blog while we recharged batteries over the holidays.
Thanks for the fun last year.
Welcome back!

Thanks to you we have a whole new slate of web distractions.
2013 in Pictures
Felix offers this look at 2013 in photos.

Find a darkroom worldwide
Dave Andrews offered this link – need a darkroom while traveling?

Fabulous photos
Ginny Fobert posted this link about photographer’s favourite photos.

Death of Photography
Yan H. offered this interesting read on the future of photography.

• “The photography teacher nobody wants
Claude Brazeau suggested this link exposing the finest teacher of photography. I agree.

Keep the links coming – hope to see you soon!

#1033 Web distractions

It’s time for more of you web distractions – thanks for sending them in!

Perfect Timing – about the Lee Harvey Oswald Shooting
Thanks to Yan Huckendubler for sending us this video featuring Pullitzer Prize winning photojournalist Bob Jackson about his famous shot of the murder of Lee Harvey Oswald – charged with killing President kennedy.

Social Documentary – Bedrooms from around the world
Lou Truss sent us this link to some eye-opening photos showing the variety of sleeping conditions!

Powerful Photos of 2013
We learned about this post from Victoria’s Brian Pridham. Thanks Brian!

Death of the DSLR?
We read this online article thanks to CAPIC!

• Photo Tips
Read our latest photo tips.Thanks for your contribution!

We’re always looking for photo tips and web distractionsSend us your best.

Photo tips

Photo Tips – Make a fast car seem faster by using a slow shutter speed like 1/15th of a second.

#1025 Web Distractions

It’s time for more of you web distractions – thanks for sending them in!

Behind the Scenes of an Apple Photo Shoot
Jeffrey Furry sent us this link through a member “online photo program” discussion on the complexity of “getting it right straight from the camera”

Low-Tech, High Impact
Theresa Hannah shared these amazing photos she found on the web captured using low tech camera equipment. Interested? See our Simple Studio Lighting Workshop.

Social Documentary – Lost Tribes
Jackie Donaldson sent us this link of amazing photographs from around the world…

Amazing Film – not CGI!
Dino Sotos posted this amazing Volvo ad shot live – not in the computer. I admire work based on tactile photo and physical skills!

A Tip of the Hat to the Impact of Photography
Murielle Cassidy offered this news piece that shows the impact of photography or not.

• Photo Tips
Read our latest photo tips.Thanks for your contribution!

We’re always looking for photo tips and web distractionsSend us your best.

Better Pics

Photo Tips – Better Portraits

#1020 Web Distractions

It’s time for more of you web distractions – thanks for sending them in!

Speedy Shooting
Steve McConnery sent us this link to an amazing National geographic documentary
on capturing the speed of the cheetah.

• Disappearing Worlds
Lou Truss provided this link to an amazing collection of work.

Ansel Adams Story
Allan Cameron offered us this glimpse of the life of a master photographer.

better pics

Photo Tip – Look up!

Rebound of Stock
CAPIC posted this article on the rebound of prices and integrity of stock photography.

• Photo Tips
Read our latest photo tips.Thanks for your contribution!

We’re always looking for photo tips and web distractionsSend us your best!

#1011 Large Format Camera Building

A long while back I talked about using ‘small’ large format cameras.
A shorter while back I talked about building a bigger large format camera.

Well, it’s almost done.
All I need are a few bits to allow it to mount onto a mega tripod (thanks Jim) and a couple of other holes drilled to keep the back pieces aligned around the ground glass and film holder.

home made 8x10 field camera

Building the large format camera – thanks, John, for your help.

Thanks…
A big, BIG thanks go to my distant neighbour John who helped make production as precise as it needed to be. What I thought may take an hour or two turned into 10 hours of design modification, precision cutting, routing, gluing and clamping.

Buying a new or used Large Format Camera would’ve been easier, way more expensive but less rewarding.

So what’s my fascination with Large Format Film?

• It’s big.
Full Frame SLR covers about 1.5 square inches of film/sensor space. A Graflex (lovely camera) covers 20 square inches of film. My new camera covers 80 square inches of loveliness.

‘Big’ helps you print big, very well, but it also has a lovely tactile feel to it. Looking at big slides/negs lets you see something you don’t get on a monitor or under a loupe.

8x10 view camera

Large format camera 8×10 hand made

• It’s slow.
That’s a good thing in some cases. The process forces you to slow down and get it right.

Modern photojournalist-based cameras boast a firing of speed of 11 frames per second. An 8×10 camera could get you 2 frames a minute if you’re FAST.

I’ve been experimenting with one process and I was getting one frame every 2-10 hours. It makes you think your shot through when a mistake costs you a whole day.

Ahem, last week, on a test shot, I forgot to take the dark slide out (equivalent of the lens cap.) Oops, that wasted a three hour almost-exposure.

And at $25 for film and processing one sheet of E6 film (a traditional slide) you want to make sure you’ve set the camera correctly! There’s not much room for winging it.

• There are no upgrades, obsolescence or menu screens.

I love my DSLR.
I do.

But there are many, many variables, menus and choices.
When I bought it (Nikon D800) the file sizes bogged my laptop computer’s speed. Photoshop and Lightroom needed updates to support the new camera’s raw files and my data crunching machine (Mac tower) needed a newer operating system to operate the software upgrades. Sigh, the dear Mac tower couldn’t run the new OS…

One camera purchase created a huge technology domino effect in my office.

Large format camera

Tom from the CameraTradingCompany.com. Big Camera

• Low Tech
With the large format camera there’s one piece of film, a focusing screen, one lens, a shutter to set and an aperture to decide upon.

There are no upgrades, ever.
It’s simple, mechanical genius. In school, I was never excited about science but this camera has had me excited about focus theory, flange distances and chemical properties related to Caffenol and UV light. Mr Deussing wouldn’t know what to make of me.

The simplicity is refreshing…

Who Used / Uses  Large Format Cameras?
Yousuf Karsh
Ansel Adams
Richard Avedon
Weegee
And even current photographers:
Edward Burtinsky
Andreas Gursky (whose photos sell for $millions!)
Tom from the CameraTradingCompany.com

Stay tuned….

#1010 Web Distractions

It’s time for more of you web distractions – thanks for sending them in!

Red Bull Photo Contest Winners
Theresa H offered this group of amazing photos from the Red Bull photo contest. Red Bull? It’s a highly caffeinated drink that promotes big adventures!

Totally Cool Hallowe’en Camera Costume
A big thanks to Mimi for sending us this amazing WORKING digital camera Halloween costume. It has plans and everything to make it work!
Wow.
What are you going to be for Hallowe’en?!

Better pictures

Photo Tip #271 LESS computer time. More photo time. Please…

• Michel Campeau: Icons of Obsolescence
&
Robert Burley: Disappearance of Darkness
A reader who prefers to remain anonymous suggested these two links from the National Gallery of Canada featuring exhibitions around the declining world of darkrooms and film photography.

Photo Tips

Photo Tip #278 – Notice the value of leading lines and where they can take your viewer…

Place Hacking” and Photography
Hold the Press!
We just got this link from Lois about the dangerous ‘sport’ of entering forbidden areas for fun! Often with cameras…
Be careful out there!

Photo Tips
Read our latest photo tips.
And somebody that likes our Facebook page this month will win a free three month membership in our Online Photo Program.

… We’re always looking for photo tips and web distractionsSend us your best!

#1006 Web Distractions

Welcome back! – we have more web distractions from our readers (thanks!)

Mistakes and their value
Daphne Gray Grant of the Publication Coach posted this link in her weekly newsletter. I LOVE the video. I’ve been preaching about the lovely potential of mistakes for a long time.

Touching remembrance
Peter Handley brought our attention to this link about many lives lost on a Normandy beach.

Who’s Doing What in Ottawa Photography
This is our weekly roundup of Ottawa photo fun…
Fun photo projects and work …

Better Photos

Photo Projects…

Wedding Oops 
Denine Wrixon mentioned this slightly comical but slightly dark wedding video. ALWAYS, speak to the wedding officiant before shooting a wedding. Always…

Beauty in Everyone
Debbie sent us this link about your beauty.
Beautiful.
Thanks.

• Prime Photo Tips
And we bring you some of the latest photo tips with guest posts from Justin Van Leeuwen.

Ahem, somebody that likes our Facebook page of photo tips this month will win a free three month membership in our Online Photo Program.

… We’re always looking for photo tips and web distractions. Send us your best!

Better Photos

Photo Tip – Take time to stop and observe!

#1004 Building a large format camera.

I’ve chatted about large format cameras before and have been shooting on medium and large format film for years for Watershed and other work.

Small Big Format
My current large format camera is a 4″x5″ Graflex Press Camera – it’s cutting edge technology from the 1930’s. It was THE camera for photojournalists back then.

In the scope of large format cameras the Graflex is small.
4×5 is massive compared modern SLR cameras. But, well, it’s not big, really big.
I want big.

Large Format Prints

Watershed Exhibition @ Ottawa International Airport – Large Format Prints

Benefits of BIG
Big is nice because it’ll allow BIG prints. Yes, yes, good, big prints can be made by modern digital cameras. I have a giga-mega pixel camera that I use commercially (and I love it.)

But what I really love is the process of BIG. It’s slow and forces you to be precise. And instead of looking at hundreds of teeny previews on the back of your camera or monitor you get to look at a few large, beautiful transparencies or negatives – the way photography was intended to be seen.

Lovely.

8x10 Camera

Camera Building

Building Big Cameras
I’ve been looking for an 8×10 camera and while there are hundreds/thousands out there, it seems most people refuse to part with them. New is nice but, erm, pricey.

So, after hours of internet snooping and talking to people, I decided to build one.
It’s well on it’s way, thanks to John, friend, neigbour, engineer and grade 7 classmate.

I’ve also been excited about trying two new things that haven’t been done much.
Fun and exciting for Harry.
Stay tuned.

#998 Web Distractions

Welcome back – this collection of web distractions comes from many people (thanks!)

Good news for film!
First up Peter Handley (link opens to his course) & Dave Andrews both brought my attention to good news in the film department! Ilford is opening a black and white film lab in California based on the success of its lab in the UK. That IS good news.

Overused photo tricks
Steve Gerecke posted this fun – overused photo tricks…

• Prime Photo Tips
And we bring you some of the latest photo tips at PrimePhotoTips.com.
Ahem, somebody that likes our Facebook page of photo tips this month will win a free three month membership in our Online Photo Program.

Photo Tips

Photo Tip #241 Look for ways your background can support your subject:

Tips for sunset photos and drops…
Nancy Belanger found some fun photos and tips on:

Liquid Art

Milky Way photos
Carol Halls (link opens to her business) of Sutton, Qc offered us this fun Facebook page of Deep Space photos!

Photo Tip - add some motion!

Photo Tip #254 Add some motion to your photos!

#987 Web Distractions

A big thanks to readers for this week’s set of fun photo links to the web!

The “A-Z guide to street photography.”
Ron L sent us this link from DazedDigital.com with 26 tips to street photography.

Too much equipment, not enough clicking…
Wayne S
sent us this article about buying too much gear and what’s really going on!

Colouring Classic Black & Whites
And Mimi G offered this link showing some coloured interpretations of classic imagery.

Photo tips = Better Pictures
Finally, take a look at these photo tips – simple and fun!

As always – send us your favourite photo distractions from the web!!

Photo Tips = Better Pictures

Photo Tip #229 Learn from your child’s perspective.