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Monthly Shooting Assignment - Jan/Feb 2014 - Cheap camera challenge!

TheToadMen

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I haven't contributed anything yet, because of the lack of time. My work is fun but killing at the moment. And I have exams for "Lean Management Black Belt" in a week so I have to study ... (I'm not complaining, just stating the facts).

I hope I'll find some time after that since I already have a plan for a "cheap shot" to win this months MSA.
I saved the skin (in 2 parts) of an avocado (after eating it) as a prop for a still life setup. I want to make some nice negatives for alt-photo processes like carbon, salt and albumen printing.
But for this MSA I want to turn this avocado shell into a camera. By reusing some old duct tape and some tin foil of a yogurt can I want to make it into a pinhole camera.
I have some very old B&W photo paper ($1 for a whole box of 100 sheets) and left over developer (from developing sheet films) for making tiny panorama paper negatives.
So, total cost of my investment would be 2 sheets of paper ($0.02) and a day of tinkering and testing ....
But the lather I don't have yet. Would be a perfect contribution to this MSA, though.
Well, maybe in a weeks time?
Bert from Holland
 

TheToadMen

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WPPD 2014 is coming

BTW & OT:
Since we are enjoying pinhole images so much around here, check out this thread also:
(there was a url link here which no longer exists)
It's an open invitation to join the next worldwide pinhole day on Sunday April 27, 2014.
I'll be at the WPPD event in Amsterdam, The Netherlands that day. Hope to see some of you there.
If you don't have a pinhole camera, let me know and I'll bring an extra one for you.

And maybe we can pick pinhole photography as a theme for the MSA in March - April to celebrate the WPPD-day?? Would be fun

Bert from Holland

 

NedL

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Bert, thank you very much, I appreciate your thoughts very much! This is a little hard to explain, but I'm disappointed in the calotype itself: it has fog that makes it lower contrast, hides detail in the highlights and makes the shadows muddy. I don't think it would be possible to make a good print from it. But don't worry I'm not going to throw it away.. there are a lot of things I like about it too. I can't wait to make another one.

I am not disappointed overall, I feel encouraged and happy and like I'm moving in a good direction. The camera and lens worked ( after some work! ) the composition is what I hoped, and many parts of making the calotype went better than my first try. I thought it was probably too fogged for anyone else to see the promise in it, but I was obviously wrong about that. I think the same character of the picture that is catching your eye will become stronger when I get a clean, fog-free calotype.

P.S.
I'm already looking forward to WPPD and this year my daughter is going to make her own camera!
 

StoneNYC

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Ok everyone! I have a plan but I need a CHEAP 8x10 holder, even if it leaks a little light that's fine if it holds the film well. Anyone have a spare?
 

NedL

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Stone, can you improvise one or does it absolutely need to fit in a springlock back? Not 20 minutes ago I finished cutting the pieces to make two 8-1/2 x 11 holders and a ground glass holder. I used a 2'x4' sheet of 1/8" MDF which cost $3 at my local hardware store. These will be 1-sided single channel holders. In the channel will go: paper or film, followed by a window mat, followed by a darkslide. I'm going to try to seal the opening with felt or velcro material. Maybe you could make something out of matboard or foamcore? Or improvise a 1-shot setup and load it in the dark? Not sure if this is any help since I don't know what you're up to and it's probably a secret or at least a surprise....

Something like this:


Each holder will have one "window" one "solid back" and those strips around 3 sides. The fourth side will have felt or velcro. I'm going to cut up some stiff thin black plasticy stuff from a binder cover to make the darkslides. Got the idea from a fellow named Ray at F295, I think he's here at APUG too.

If you do use MDF, wear a dust mask when you cut it, that's important because it has resin and you don't want to breath that dust. Or matboard since you're doing a 1-shot deal...
 
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StoneNYC

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If I can't get a standard holder for spring lock backs, basically I'll tape a single sheet to a board or piece of cardboard and install it in the dark into the box camera... And do one shot... BUT it would be way more useful if I could take 2 shots, and re-load if necessary...

Seeing as I don't have a darkroom, my only option is to wait till night time and load it in the attic, it's too big to fit in any dark tent so I can only take one shot a day...

If I have a holder, I'll be able to change the film in the tent and shoot as many as I want per day.

Make sense?
 

NedL

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Definitely makes sense! I have a small closet I can use for my 1-shot cameras during the day, but of course I have to come home to do that! A film holder, as you say, can be swapped out in a changing bag. Good luck and have fun!
 

micwag2

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First time participating in the MSA. Here's one I did with my Kodak Brownie Flash i bought for a quarter. Do i post it here or in the Gallery?
 

StoneNYC

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micwag2 said:
First time participating in the MSA. Here's one I did with my Kodak Brownie Flash i bought for a quarter. Do i post it here or in the Gallery?
View attachment 80933
Click to expand...

I find the thread is nicer for posting larger than gallery size images, but that for "deciding" it's nice for the judge to be able to look through the "MSA gallery" there's a specific drop down when you upload to put in the monthly shooting assignment area... In fact, to keep it fair, I BELIEVE this gallery is open to non-subscribers IIRC
 

MattKing

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Subscribers only in the galleries - all of them.
 

Paul Glover

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Mid 1920's Ansco Goodwin #2, HP5+. Exposed a roll of 8 and got this one which I really liked. This is direct from the contact sheet, which for this frame at least exposed nicely at grade 2. The film was developed semi-stand for a half hour in Ansco 130, 1:43 dilution with an inversion at 10 and 20 minutes.

Special features of the Ansco Goodwin #2 include a selectable aperture (choice between settings of "no idea" and "haven't a clue"), a shutter, uncoated 1-element glass lens, and plenty of black electrical tape inside and out to keep light from straying too much.


 

StoneNYC

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Ok, haven't taken a picture yet with it (paint drying...) but, talk about CHEAP!

ULF Pinhole!!!!

11x14 x-ray film ($30 for 100 sheets= $0.30 per image!!)

Cardboard box, tape, flat black paint, FREE courtesy of my parents.

20cc's of Rodinal ($13/ 500ml bottle = $0.52 per image!!).


$0.30+$0.52= a whopping $0.82 camera!!! In 11x14!!!!!!

Beat that!!

Now I just need to actually take a picture...

In the mean time...






This is my first pinhole camera so I hope I did the calculation right, it's a bit confusing to "simplify" for a guy like me...

 

ajmiller

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Might be cheap Stone but your effort is priceless!
Good luck with the picture and look forward to the results.






 

StoneNYC

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ajmiller said:
Might be cheap Stone but your effort is priceless!
Good luck with the picture and look forward to the results.
Click to expand...

Thanks, it really only took 2 hours to make.

I didn't really go off of any design, I made it up as I went "well I need a board (since I couldn't get someone to sell me a cheap one) so I'll make this cardboard and tape the film" ok good, "now, what if I move the camera and the board falls over? Better make side supports to hold it steady" hmm "what if it's on the ground, I'll want to elevate it slightly for a good view, so let's add this raising board and move the pinhole to match the higher board position" hmm "it's cardboard but it still might reflect light, especially that shiny tape, guess I'll have to spray paint it flat black"

So that's where I am now.

I'm the first non-engineer in 4 generations, so... I tend to find ways to make stuff happen even as an artist that kind of thing comes in handy...
 

NedL

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Looks good! You might be surprised at the detail in an 11x14 pinhole. Have fun!

( BTW I finished building those simple MDF filmholders, and almost finished the camera they go in. The camera itself was inexpensive/free but it has a nice lens so it won't be for this MSA )
 

StoneNYC

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Thanks, that's assuming the calculations are right... I've seen a lot of pinhole images and I wasn't paying much attention but most seem to be in the 1-2 hour long exposure...

But this one is only 6 minutes... According to the chart thing I found...

assuming the reciprocity failure of x-ray film is similar to Tri-X...

Well, here goes nothing!





Hope I didn't miss any light leak spots...

Hope the paint fumes don't kill it either LOL
 

StoneNYC

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OMG OMG OMG!!!! I feel like a girl from the 50's seeing the beetles for the first time!

We have an image!



(Sorry to drag along the MSA through my epic journey but I'm excited).

It's definitely not sharp though, or doesn't seem to be. I still have to let it dry, then strip one side, then wash and dry again, THEN I can see how it looks, but fairly certain it's a little fuzzy.

Not sure if that's the pinhole size or my measurements, or the wind... Will have to read more.

But whoa! That neg is huge! I'm officially an Ultra Large Format Photographer!!!!!
 

TheToadMen

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Hi Stone,
That sounds like a challenge ...

I posted in the pinhole thread an answer to your question about the calculations.
One other thing: there is a lot of plastic tape inside the box. This might cause some severe reflections at long exposures - even if painted black. You could get some black paper to cover the tape up.
Good luck and welcome to the pinhole world !!!
BTW: make contact prints with your paper negative instead of scanning it.
Bert from Holland
 

StoneNYC

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Well, it Ain't pretty....

Cropped to 5x7 ratio because it was scanned in 2 parts and merged (took me an hour to even figure out how to do that and still the scanner only does 10 inches so I was off a bit and had to cut the top and bottom.

Also, my aim was off, I meant to expose more of the river and less of the snow...

ALSO the image is totally out of focus... and has what appears to be uneven development? and also tons of scratches (many I think happened when loading the film into the holder in the dark bag). Help! so much to correct! anyway what the heck, submitting this shitty photo... ironically the river exposed properly-ish but my aim was off.

11x14 cardboard Pinhole camera - X-ray film - Rodinal 1:50 for 6 minutes in rotary cibichrome tube, rear emulsion clorox bleach stripping after development, scanned, merged, a mess, but done.

 

sly

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Another couple, already in the gallery. Taken with the Holga WPC (wide pinhole camera)
These were taken during our recent indulgence, a week on Maui. I shot a couple of rolls of B&W, but mostly colour.

When I went to the local store (that will be sending the film to Custom Colour in Vancouver) and poured my little pile of 120 film on the counter, the woman behind the counter, who is my age, and has worked at the photo finishing counter for years and years, looked startled - "what are THOSE?" Luckily the manager was close by, had a few dozen more clues than she did, and stepped in.
It'll be a week or more, before I get those back. I'll share whatever's worthy.

It was a blast to have such a fun and lightweight camera while holidaying. The WPC, gorilla pod, and Pentax digital spot meter, all fit in my pockets, and weighed much less than the towel and lunch in my bag.

The Bee Tree


Princess Pool
 
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sly

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Thanks Stone! I like the pool too. It was big enough to swim in - almost as long as the community pool here. They have been having an usually dry winter, so the falls were just a trickle.

Here's another one. We were staying on the wetter, more jungly side of Maui. The tourist strip, is on the drier and more deserty south west. That's where I found a field of aloe vera, in Makena Park.

 
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