Close-up Pinhole Photos

One of the greatest qualities of a pinhole camera is it's unlimited depth of field. Everything from very far away to close up is in relative focus. This opens up all kinds of possibilities for close up work.

Because our cameras were created out of cardboard cylinders, you will notice a lot of distortion in the images. I think it adds a special twist to the images. Click on the images to see them a bit larger.

 Nicole Seit

 Marissa Burke

Gabrielle Cantamessa

Abigail Bunyea,

 Emily Trotta

Katherine Dorovitsine

Dylan Bellofatto

Student Pinhole Camera Sculptures

This years classes were extremely creative when it came to decorating their pinhole cameras. Here are just a couple of examples. I hope to post examples of student work on a regular basis. Keep checking in!

Cheers,

Mr. B

Samantha Valdes

Denise Tenenpaguay

Lauren Czerniewski 

Ashley Bass 

Burke, Marissa

Elena Rossi

Mary Galente 

Shannon Browne

First Digital Assignment

Hi Photography 6 and 8,

Today you will start the digital component of your class. Each of you have created a "Photo" blog where you can post your digital assignments. I will view, comment and grade your work. You may also add comments and criticism to the photos of your classmates as well. (be respectful)

Your first assignment is Money! 

Yes it's an open ended subject, but thats the whole idea. I want you to think about a creative visual solution to this topic. Closeups, money being passed, banks, some serious "bling". You get the idea. Here is my shot. I desaturated it in Photoshop and increased the contrast to give it more impact.

Write a short paragraph about your concept.

"My photograph explores the concept of being "blinded" by wealth and prestige. Some value money above all things....but you can't take it with you. The ancient Greeks buried their dead with coins on their eyes, a toll payed to be carried over the river Styx. Are we paying too high a toll in this world. Do we amass wealth at the expense of things of higher value. There is so much value in the simple act of living.

Your digital camera should have a closeup feature. Explore how close you can get and still get a focused image. Read your camera manual for more information on this feature. Each camera is different.

Read  Macro Shots, What is that Flower Icon? to get some ideas on the use of the "Macro" feature.

Copyright Infringement

Do a Google image search and you'll find hundreds of great images. The first instinct is to think that these photos and graphics are in the public domain and can be used freely. WRONG!! Copyright infringement  is illegal and can bring heavy monetary penalties to those who violate them.

Any image on your blog must be your own work!

 

Roni Loren, a teenage romance writer, learned the hard way what can happen when you violate copyright law.  Read Blogger Beware: You CAN Get Sued For Using Photos You Don't Own on Your Blog. 

I reserve the right to request your original file. If you can't produce it, you will be given a zero for that assignment. Do the right thing, shoot and post your own work.

All the best,

Mr. B

Developing your First Roll of B&W Film

Preparing Chemicals

The Chemistry should be at about 68 Degrees. 

Pour the chemistry into pitchers and place them in front of each labeled bottle.  This ensures you don’t accidentally use the wrong solution.

1. Film Developer.  Mix  ILFOSOL 3 concentrate at 1 to 9.  You will need at least 30 oz. of developer, or 3 oz. of concentrate to 27oz. of water.  Mix with paddle.  This is a one shot developer and is disposed of after use. (In large container).
2. Stop Bath – Premixed by teacher.  Check the color.  Yellow is Ok.  A violet color means the stop bath is exhausted.
3. Film Fixer – Premixed by teacher.  Place one drop of Fix-a-sure into the fixer.  If a white cloud develops and remains the fixer is exhausted.
4. Photo-flo – Mix 40 oz. of water with one cap full of Photo-flo.

Go over the Processing Steps before beginning!

Developing

Fill the tank with developer, then start the timer. Bang the tank against the edge of the sink a few times to dislodge any air bubbles (this is especially important if you're using a large tank). Agitate the tank for 10 seconds every minute by rocking the tank back and forth.

Develop for 7:30 minutes.

When the development time is finished, pour the developer in the large plastic tank.

Stop Bath/Wash

Pour stop bath into the tank. Agitate constantly for about 10 seconds.Let sit for 25 more seconds.  Return the stop bath to the bottle.

Fix

Pour fixer into the tank, and set the timer for 5 minutes. Agitate the tank 10 seconds every minute.  When the fix time is finished, return the fix to the bottle. 

Wash
Remove the lid of the tank, and place the reel into the film washer. Wash for 5 minutes. Make sure the water is reaching the top and then emptying. (Sometimes it sticks and you must knock the side of the washer).

Photo-Flo
Place reel in photo-flo.  Agitate for 20 seconds. Squeegee film.

Drying
Hang the film to dry.  Clips are under the sink.  Use a weighted clip at the bottom of the roll.  Normally, a roll of film will take about three hours to air dry completely. 

Important: always handle wet film by its edges only! Fingerprints and dust on the film during drying are very difficult if not impossible to remove later.

Remember, Dust is the Enemy!

Digital Restoration

Digital Photo Restoration

The early photographs taken during the American  Civil War were often made on glass plates. This image of General Sheridan was borrowed from the American Memory Collection for my students to practice with. Photoshop has a host of tools that allow the photographer to rejuvenate old or damaged images.

The Healing Brush Tool is extremely useful for correcting small imperfections like wrinkles or acne.

The Clone Stamp Tool allows for the creation of "patches" where whole sections of the photograph are missing.

Un-restored Image of General Sheridan

Restored Image

Sepia

Sepia

You may remember the horrible smell that chemical sepia toning created in our room. Photoshop allows you to accomplish the same task in a few seconds.

How to do it:

1. Duplicate your restored image and name it Sepia.
2. Image/Adjustments/Hue/Saturation
3. Click on the "Colorize" button and use the following settings. That's it!

Sheridan in Color

Colorizing

Before the invention of color photography, the only way to get a color photograph was by hand tinting. This artistic process had the photographer paint with transparent oil color paint over the photograph. The resulting images had a soft but pleasing look. (Nothing like today's vibrant color.)

Colorizing with Photoshop is easy in concept. You use the paintbrush tool (with a low opacity) to cover areas in color. The application of color in  a realistic manner requires some skill and patience. Large areas can be selected and filled globally using Edit/Fill.

Vignette

Vignetting is the reduction of an images brightness or saturation at it's edge.  Sometimes vignetting is the result of poor optics (toy cameras). Often it is used to draw attention to the main subject. (As in a portrait).

How to do it: 

Selection Tools

1. Make an elliptical selection with the Elliptical Marquee Tool. 
2. Inverse the selection.
3. Select/Modify/Feather. 15 (or more) pixels.
4. Fill the selection with white.

Vignette