Posts in Photography

Photographer Justin Quinnell created these eerily beautiful photos with a pinhole camera fashioned from a soda can. Each image represents a six month exposure. Incredible. For the top one, Justin affixed the camera to a telephone pole where it sat quietly soaking in the view for half a year. The arc created by the sun is amazing, the time lapse gives us such a clear perspective on nature’s orderly design. Check out some more pinhole shots here.

On a side note, these images instantly reminded me of the Niépce Photograph (first ever photograph) which in turn got me thinking about the first photograph of a person (lower left, getting a shoe shine) and the Gorskii stuff (very early color photographer). It’s all so intriguing, like you’re seeing something you’re not supposed to.

Source Householdname Via Deru

Until now I had no idea that a laser could cause damage to a DSLR, but apparently it’s possible. In the video you can see the laser beam across the sensor of a Canon EOS 5D Mark II leaving a burn. It would be a big shame for it to happen to any of you so I just wanted to make you aware if you weren’t already.

Here is an excerpt from the International Laser Display Association:

“Lasers emit concentrated beams of light, which can heat up sensitive surfaces (like the eye’s retina) and cause damage. Camera sensors are susceptible to damage, similar to the human eye.
For large scale shows, such as on a televised concert, laser show producers work with clients to avoid TV camera locations and video projectors (ILDA Members, see this page for details). However, it is not possible for laser show producers to be responsible for all cameras and camcorders which might be at a show.
Therefore, if you attend a show as an audience member, you should take reasonable precautions not to let a laser beam directly enter your camera lens.”

If this isn’t convincing enough, here is another video.

Sourced via Planet 5D

I posted on Neil Krug a while back (original post link) but I stumbled on his Flickr again today and was pleasantly surprised by some great new work he’s posted since then. From what I’ve heard he uses expired Polaroid film to get that vintage look. I think someone needs to forward Neil’s portfolio to Tame Impala’s manager.

You can check out more of Neil’s work at his Flickr.

httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOoGjtSy7xY

Lee Morris from Fstoppers did a fashion shoot using only an iPhone 3GS. As you can see, the results were nothing short of incredible considering the equipment being used. But I think this is less about the camera and more about how powerful quality lighting can be in photographic work. Of course, for a phone, the iPhone has an exceptional camera built in, but with good lighting a great photographer can make any camera take good pictures. Which takes us back to the idea that you shouldn’t ever blame your equipment, just ask this guy.

I personally don’t buy whole-heartedly into this concept. Yes, a professional with the right equipment and a lot of knowhow can get great output from almost anything. But better cameras do make a difference, they make it easier to get good results and many times are just easier to use from an interface / usability standpoint. I think this is all the more important for those of us who are primarily graphic designers. We often don’t have the budgets to hire professionals when we need photo work for projects. But we also might not have the background and expertise that a full-time photog would have. A camera like the 5D or D700 put professional results within the grasp of us mere mortals, because I’ll tell you right now, not in a million years could I get a iPhone to output the stuff you see above. But I shot a 7D last weekend and got the best pictures of my life in a living room under natural light.

But seeing Morris’ results definitely makes you think the whole thing over again.

One of my favorite posts I’ve written here on ISO50 was on Asako Narahashi. I recently bought the book, which I would highly recommend if you enjoyed her photos. Like all photo books I buy, it’s hard to resist the urge to cut out and frame all the pages, as opposed to letting them all live together in their intended format. A friend of mine has his Richard Misrach On The Beach book adorning his walls and it looks great.

Anyway, the point is that Narahashi’s photos were one of my favorite things I’ve found scouring the internet for the blog. The photos above remind me of her series half awake and half asleep in the water, with the obvious addition of human beings. I prefer her photos (the absence of humanity gives them their distinctive mood), but these are still captivating in their own right.

In order the photos come to us from CeeMarie, and two from Domino Island.

If underwater housings for the 5DMKII weren’t SO EXPENSIVE I would be out in the bay right now shooting my own version.

If the word ‘melancholy’ does not appear in this post, I am not doing my job. Sure the photographs of Garmonique are a little on the gloomy side, but that doesn’t stop them from being absolutely gorgeous. The color and composition of each is tremendous. (Can color/composition be described as tremendous? Probably not, but these shots are great enough that I willing to bend any vocabulary rules you might subscribe to.) He captures a very specific mood. I feel lost and lonely — but in a good way. Mysterious, dark and yes, melancholic indeed. That one image of the ocean reminds me a lot of the Hiroshi Sugimoto shot used for U2’s last album cover.

A bunch more on his Behance.

Yes, both of those passports are mine. The first thing that was said to me upon my arrival in Narita was “Do you know Interpol?” I answered yes and was lead into an interrogation room where I sat for about 45 minutes. Periodically someone would come explain that my passport was stolen. I would explain back to them that it couldn’t be, as it was right there in front of us. In the end I was told to go to the American Embassy and get a new one (hence the two above). So now I have two passports and a unique knowledge of the underworld at Narita Airport. That was at the beginning, much has happened since then.

Since my last update I have been out mining for cool things. No more tourist attractions (besides the Ramen Museum in Yokohama. My Mom already made fun of me for visiting a noodle museum, so don’t start). I am happy to say that I have been successful in my searchings for all things weird and wonderful. Most of my time has been spent in Aoyama, Harajuku and Naka Meguro (with some Daikanyama too). It’s been hard to decide what to focus on; clothes, housewares, interiors, music, games, food…I could easily spend all of each day bouncing between all the different shops in those areas. One place I literally had to leave because I was afraid I might buy too many things (Sempre). I also found a hair salon that was having a yard sale. Their three items for sale were a replica M16, faded porn, and a Twitter sign. Awesome.

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I spent today walking around Aoyoma, a fairly upscale shopping district near Harajuku in Tokyo. One of the more distinctive features of the area is the Prada building, designed by the Swiss duo Herzog & de Meuron. It was really hot walking around it and staring up at the sun, but I couldn’t resist the opportunity to shoot such a cool looking structure. The way the glass warps the interior while simultaneously reflecting the exterior makes for some really interesting compositions. From immediately below, looking up at the sky, the building kind of resembles bubble wrap, or perhaps the bottom of an almost boiling pot. My favorite part is the color contrast of the cross sections, between the black of the edges and the off-white of the supports. The attendants inside kept tossing me suspicious glances, once they figured out I was *not* there to buy anything.

I passed by this evening as well and the building looked awesome in a completely different way. Kind of like a 24 hour bee hive. Unfortunately I didn’t have my camera; I would have really liked to round out the photo group with a few night shots. On an unrelated note, I didn’t have my camera because I was on the way to a Mike Stern concert at the Blue Note. If you are remotely into progressive jazz guitar at all, check out his music. He and the band (especially bassist Richard Bona) really tore the roof off the place tonight.

Above are some beautiful examples of Jake Sargeant’s photography. I’ve been following Jake’s work for a while now; you may recall that I used some of his textures in the Analog Visions print. At the time he said he had just purchased a Canon 5DMKII so I was really interested to check back in after a while to see what he’d come up with. He didn’t disappoint. His Flickr is full of breathtaking imagery that shows what a skilled artist can do with proper hardware. One caveat: I’m not entirely certain that all of these photos were taken with the 5D, but most seem to have that feeling. Jake, if you’re reading this perhaps you can fill us in on how things are going with the 5D in the comments.

Update from Jake in the comments:

Hey Scott & all….I’ve been shooting with the Canon 5DMII for just under a year now and really love it for still shooting and need to keep shooting more video with it. Everything over a year old on my Flickr was shot with a Canon 40D.

My main go-to lens is the Canon EF 24-105 f4 L IS. I also love shooting macro with my Canon 100mm Macro 2.8L IS.

Jake Sargeant on Flickr | MN8 Studio (Jake’s portfolio)

Right now I’m packing for my trip to Japan tomorrow. I will be in Tokyo for 10 days, exploring and adventuring around with a photographer friend. It will be my second time visiting Tokyo (I went by myself for two weeks in 2008). Since I’ve been before, my to-do list this time is quite different from the last; I plowed through about three guidebooks worth of tourist attractions last time. With this trip, I am going to try and stay off the beaten path and explore parts of Tokyo I either missed or hadn’t heard about yet.

I’ll also be focusing a lot more on my photography. I was shooting from the hip with my D40 two years ago (gallery) — this time I’ll take a little more care and consideration with my shots. I’ll be carting the MKII with me everywhere and will be posting periodic pictures and travel updates. My Twitter should also be fairly active with Tokyo related musings.

I’ll definitely be on the lookout for all sorts of design related artifcats and thingamabobs. If anyone has any Tokyo recommendations along these lines, I am all ears.

Related: Scott’s trip from 2008