six hour exposure self portrait

Erik Petersson · Dec 11, 2014

NedL said:
when I saw the title, I thought you were going to try to sit still in a chair for 6 hours for an indoor pinhole self-portrait. That would take some concentrated self-control! Neat idea. A similar idea would be to set up an intervalometer and take a flash multiple-exposure every 30 minutes or hour. You'd get your sleep positions superimposed, but still relatively sharp...

That's right, I'll change the title.
The flash idea is nice too, but I lack the right equipment here. I'm on a trip.

Edit: I can't change the title.

Erik Petersson · Dec 11, 2014

winger said:
By this point in time, I think nearly all ideas have been tried. Here's a sleep one - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/a...otographs-capture-couples-families-sleep.html

I still think you should do it, though, because yours might be completely different.

Wow. Maybe something like that, but just me.

cliveh · Dec 11, 2014

Erik Petersson said:
Dear friends, I am taking a photo class and our assignment is now to do a project. There is no fixed theme.

I thought I might take a photo of myself sleeping with six hours exposure./Erik

Some years ago I invented a small projector capable of projecting your dreams from the previous night. When you wake up in the morning, if you rub your eyes you will find small particles on your eyelids. If you collect these and insert them into a miniature heat pan at the back of the projector, as they warm up from the intense light of the projector, they will provide a moving image projection of your dreams in amazing full colour detail. I lent the projector to the MIT, but it has since been broken after several Nobel Prize winners tampered with the mechanism.

Erik Petersson · Dec 11, 2014

analoguey said:
At six hours, even with smallest aperture in 35mm, wouldn't that shot look quite bright? Indoors, w at least one lamp shining in?

I checked with my F3, and it seems to be EV -5 in my bedroom with lights out.

Alex Muir · Dec 11, 2014

I think you should just give this a try with whatever film and equipment you have. If you can bulk load film, you could make some short rolls for this project. Maybe shoot 3 nights at different exposure times and see what you get. Perhaps one, two and four hours at smallest aperture. I wouldn't worry too much about reciprocity effect as you're looking for a certain effect, rather than a perfect exposure. Orange streetlights may well be sodium lamps which might not have much effect on the overall exposure, dependant on their spectral output. Experimentation will tell. The one thing which could cause over exposure would, of course, be the sun coming up. I would aim to end your exposures long before that happens to be safe. I should have said that with making short loads of 35mm film I'm not suggesting only 3 frames per roll. I would think that 12 would be a sensible minimum for easy loading in a tank, and even development. With the F3, a long cable release and the 'B' setting may be your only route. I think you can get remote control equipment for it, but it works with the motor drive, and not the camera alone. For the F100 and some other AF models with the right socket you get a fairly inexpensive remote release that does timed exposures up to several hours. I presume you're going to use some sort of alarm to wake you in time to end the exposure? The most difficult bit might be falling asleep when you know you're being filmed!! Good luck with your project.

Alex.

blood · Dec 23, 2014

Really like the idea of this project, and I'm looking forward to the results of you experimenting with times and various films. Best of luck.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Erik Petersson · Dec 23, 2014

Hi,
the first try is ready for development already. Should be able to upload this week, if the camera registered something. Exposure might be way off. Thanks for your support!

TheToadMen · Dec 24, 2014

Check out this pinhole self portrait of eating out: http://pinholediary.tumblr.com/post/105878394969/8-13-14-lunch-at-lou-mitchells-chicago-4

Erik Petersson · Dec 31, 2014

Hello everybody,
I wanted to share the first result. This picture was exposed for four or six hours on Portra 400 and scanned by a photolab. It is a bit underexposed, as you can see. Ugly colour and uninteresting angle of view. I mean, only the bed sheets are visible. But now I know how to continue. I'll be moving home from Kyiv to Stockholm these days, so I'll do the series in my own apartment.
Thanks for your good advice so far!
and happy new year, or "З новим роком", as they say here in Ukraine!

/Erik

Erik Petersson · Dec 31, 2014

I think I'll put the camera on a tripod high up in a corner, so that I'll get the angle of a surveillance camera, and use a wide angle instead of 50 mm as above.

MrBrowning · Dec 31, 2014

Interesting results.
I think the idea of a higher vantage point and a wide angle lens in a good idea. I'd be interested to see more as you go along.

bvy · Dec 31, 2014

Tape a pinhole camera to the ceiling directly over the mattress. Sleep without covers.

Erik Petersson · Dec 31, 2014

Thanks for your interest. I'll keep posting, but next time might not be until a couple of weeks or so. Bvy, without covers would be cold this time of the year

Darwinean_John · Jan 21, 2015

Erik Petersson said:
View attachment 100380/Erik

Well done for getting an image Erik.
Like the Dutch 'Dreams of the Beloved' photographer, maybe black bed linen would be better.

What aperture did you use on the Nikon?

Erik Petersson · Jan 21, 2015

Darwinean_John said:
Well done for getting an image Erik.
Like the Dutch 'Dreams of the Beloved' photographer, maybe black bed linen would be better.

What aperture did you use on the Nikon?

Thanks!
I don't remember the aperture, to be honest. I measured the light with my Nikon F3, and then extrapolated to what might be a six hour exposure. A guess, of course, but it seems to have worked. I will do the same again, but maybe with a blue filter to cancel out the ugly light. Or in black and white. I have paused as I am moving back home.
/Erik

cliveh · Jan 21, 2015

Darwinean_John said:
maybe black bed linen would be better.

Good advice.

six hour exposure self portrait

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