World Toy Camera Day 2013

"WTCD 2013"
October 19th 2013 was once again World Toy Camera Day. The day originated quite a few years ago by Becky Romotowski. This image was shot on some expired film with my Lomo Sprocket Rocket Camera.

Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day 2013

 

"Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day"
April 28th 2013 was this years worldwide pinhole photography day. Got out to shoot a roll of film thru my Holga 135PC camera.

Chess Army

"Chess Army"
Holga 120 CFN camera loaded with Ilford XP-2 Super 400 film.

Pick A Card

"Pick A Card"
Holga 120 CFN loaded with Ilford XP2 Super 400

Heaven or Hell

"Heaven or Hell"
Holga 120 CFN camera. Ilford XP2 Super 400

Holga 120 Pan at Point Pleasant NJ

"Holga 120 Pan"
A few new shots using the hefty Holga 120 Pan camera. Check out Holga 120 Pan for my full review

Debonair camera samples

"Debonair Samples"
Some sample shots using the newly acquired Debonair camera.

Lomo Fisheye Baby 110 Part 2

"Lomo Fisheye Baby 110"
Some more samples from this new Lomo camera. Shot on Lomo Orca 110 film. See previous post for full camera review. Developed and scanned by the good people at http://www.oldschoolphotolab.com/

Lomo Fisheye Baby 110 Camera Review

Lomo Fisheye Baby 110

Manufacturer: Lomography

Date: 2012

Format: 110 film

Price: $39.00 basic version, $59.00 metal version

Summary: Plastic 110 film fisheye lens camera

Technical Details:

 Aperture F8

 Shutter 1/100 and Bulb

 Lens 13mm diameter

Attributes:

 Blurring

 Lens flare

 Distortion from fisheye

Field Notes:

  The Lomography group is at it again. They are still making new film cameras despite the totally saturated digital market. To top it off, they have brought back an old film format to boot. Their Orca film is the first black and white 110 film to be produced in years. The Fisheye Baby 110 is a fun camera to have on you at all times. It little size makes it truly pocketable. The basic camera comes with a storage back installed. It is basically for looks. It does have a frosted plastic screen, much like a ground glass, that allows you to preview your shot. This can only be done in bulb mode and with no film loaded. To take pictures, you have to take off the storage back and install the film transport back. There is a small slide switch that makes the switch fairly easy. Unless you want to use the camera as a shelf sitter for display, I see no real reason to use the storage back. Once the film transport back is on, you can now load a 110 film cartridge. First rotate the frosted plastic pressure plate clockwise. Slide the 110 film in place, and rotate the plate back to hold the film. Rotate the thumb wheel to advance your film, and its ready to take a photo. The Baby doesn’t have a shutter lock, so it is capable of taking multiple exposures. You have an N (normal) shutter speed of 1/100 of a sec. or bulb mode to select prior to taking a photo. A thumbwheel is how you advance your film and there are no focusing controls. The viewfinder is fairly decent and with most fisheye lenses, the closer you get to your subject, the more distorted they appear. Since the lens is plastic, expect some lens flair when shooting towards the sun. One unique thing about 110 films is that since it’s contained in its own cartridge, you do not have to rewind the film. For my first test of this camera, I used Lomography’s Orca b&w film. Normally 100 films have a frame counter window on the back to let you know what number photo you are on. The first batch of Orca film did not have it. I was told because there was no backing paper on this batch of film and that the open window would cause massive light leaks. If you use the Orca film, best to keep track of what frame you are on. If you don’t want double exposures, I would suggest you always advance the film after each shot so you don’t forget. When done shooting, just take the film out and have the lab develop. Don’t forget, most labs will have to mail this film out. I used the good people at Old School Photo Labs http://www.oldschoolphotolab.com/ This crew knows film and specializes in toy camera stuff. The negatives are super tiny (17mmx13mm) so don’t expect to make huge enlargements. If you want to also save some headaches, have the lab scan your negs for you. You can imagine how much fun it will be scanning these tiny things! Lomography also has another version of this camera called Fisheye Baby 110 Metal. This version offers some metal trim and a pc flash adapter and they just introduce a new 110 color film called Tiger 110.   

C. Gary Moyer

Clowns on Bikes

"Clowns on Bikes"
Shot during last years Clownfest in Seaside Heights NJ. Holgamods camera.

Plastic Fantastic III Show

I have the following picture in the upcoming Plastic Fantastic III Show at the Lightbox Photographic Gallery. Show opens on June 9th in Astoria Oregon. Show info will be posted here soon http://lightbox-photographic.com/shows/plastic_fantastic_iii

Little Lady Liberty

"Little Lady Liberty"
Shot on Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day. Holga 120 WPC camera with the 6x12 mask.

World Pinhole Day: Workshop and Photo Walk at B&H Photo NYC

          April 29^th is known around the photography world as Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day  http://www.pinholeday.org/  Anyone, anywhere in the world, who makes a pinhole photograph on the last Sunday in April, can scan it and upload it to this website where it will become part of the annual Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day celebration's online gallery.

          This year, I signed up for a pinhole photo workshop and photo walk at B&H Photo in NYC. The guest speaker and pinhole photography expert was Tom Persinger of F295 fame http://www.f295.org/2012/  The workshop also had a representative from Ilford film who makes the Harman Titan camera http://www.ilfordphoto.com/products/product.asp?n=75   The agenda included a history of pinhole cameras, basic principles, camera types, pinhole photography works by noted photographers, and finished up with some info for the upcoming F295 Symposium http://www.f295.org/2012/

          Tom is definitely a pinhole and alternative photography expert. I found his talk informative and inspiring. One of his quotes from the workshop was during the talk on camera construction. He offered this advice- Once you make your first pinhole camera, any item you look at afterward you wonder if you can make a camera out of it! How true.

          The B&H staff was very helpful also. They had free film from Ilford, numerous cameras to check out, and an Ilford rep that was on hand to demo and answer questions on their newest camera the Haman Titan. The event organizer, Deborah Gilbert kept things running smoothly along with the help of Chris Gampat and Event Space manager David Brommer.

          The talk concluded with everyone preparing their cameras for the photo walk segment of the day. Was a very nice group and even Len Speier was in the house http://www.lenspeier.com/newyork/index.php 

          Next stop was Bryant Park where everyone set up their tripods and started taking pinhole photos. A lot of advice was shared and great tips. There were a lot of cameras available to test out along with some instant films. All in all it was a very informative and rewarding day. I highly recommend checking out some of the photo talks at B&H Event Space. They are free and they offer a whole range of topics. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/find/EventSpace.jsp

          I thought I would also share this little guide I wrote- Tips for Attending a Photo Seminar.

1.   Silence your cell phone!

2.   Be on time. Arrive at least 15 minutes early to allow getting settled and find a seat.

3.   Bring a notepad. The instructor will give out plenty of info, websites, and names you will want to remember.

4.   Ask permission if you want to record or take photos during the event. Chances are it will be OK, but be courteous.

5.   Do a little research on your presenter prior to the event. Great to be familiar with their work and background.

6.   Be quiet. Save networking with other attendees to before and after the presentation.

7.   Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Just follow the presenter’s protocol. Some will want to wait till the end of a talk so they can get thru their material. Others will answer on the fly.

8.   Make sure you read if there are any special instructions on your reservation. I.e. - bring film, tripod, etc.

9.   If you can’t make your reservation, please cancel to allow somebody else the opportunity to sit in.

10. If your event includes a photo walk, dress accordingly and bring all of your equipment that you may need.

11. Bring along a business card or even something less formal to exchange with other guests. Great time for networking.

12.  Be sure to thank your presenter. He has taken his time to share some great insight and info for you.

      Lastly, don’t forget to fill out a comments card if available. This helps for future talks.

T-Rex Revisited

"T-Rex Revisited"
One of my favorite statues at Seaside Heights boardwalk. SHot this time with a flipped lens Brownie Hawkeye camera. 

Flipped Lens Brownie- Seaside Heights-III

"Flipped Lens Brownie"
Another installment of the Brownie Hawkeye camera.

Flipped Lens Brownie- Seaside Heights II

"Flipped Lens Brownie"
More pics taken with the flipped lens Brownie Hawkeye camera.

Flipped Lens Brownie- Seaside Heights

"Seaside Heights"
More flipped lens Brownie Hawkeye action at Seaside Heights NJ.

Brownie Clownie

"Brownie Clownie"
Flipped lens Brownie Hawkeye camera. Ilford XP2 Super 400 film.

Flipped Lens Brownie Hawkeye- Part 3

"Brownie Hawkeye-Part 3"
More from the flipped lens Brownie Hawkeye camera.

Flipped Lens Brownie Hawkeye Part 2

" Brownie Hawkeye"
Some more images shot with a flipped lens Brownie Hawkeye camera. I also used a No. 13 Kodak Portrait lens on the last shot.