Posts in Photography

Reuben Wu put together a breathtaking collection of photos from his 6,000 mile road trip across the US.

Just wanted to preview some new work here and write a quick post about an opening I’m having tomorrow night at Subtext Gallery in San Diego, California called Anium.

The show is split into two parts, still and motion. There will be 24 print pieces on display and 4 video installations. I’m really excited about the video installations but they’re still being wrapped up, so you’ll have to drop in to check them out. The goal was to create short moving posters with no related theme. There will be 3 small 27″ screens that we’ve rehoused and one 8 ft monolith with a 50″ screen.

If you’re in the area or close, come on by! It’d be great to meet some people from the blog!

The show will be up from September 13th – October 13th at Subtext gallery in San Diego. Click here for the Facebook event. If you can’t make the opening or are interested in checking out the show online, here’s the full preview of the show and ways to purchase prints.

Meet the Minox Riga, the first true, subminature spy camera that saw actual use for espionage throughout the WWII and the cold war. 

Invented in 1936 by Walter Zapp, it was the first to use itty bitty 8x11mm film (a little smaller than your pinky’s fingernail), making it tiny enough to hide in the palm of your hand, but powerful enough to take high resolution photographs of your enemy’s top secret documents.

The Riga was a true marvel of design & miniaturization in it’s day, a time when even 35mm, then a newer format, was widely considered “super compact” in comparison to the 6×9 & 120mm type cameras people were more accustomed to. Holding it up to a normal sized camera then would be like comparing an iPod Shuffle to a vinyl record today. And boy is it a dream to hold. Small, heavy, and perfectly smooth. Later versions, made of aluminum instead of the original brushed steel, even included a built in light meter. Bond-worthy for sure.

Operating the camera

To make this thing go, simply pop in a film canister, pull the camera open to arm the shutter, and click. Advancing to the next photo is as easy as collapsing the camera, then reopening it in a shotgun-like fashion, making a strangely satisfying sound as the gears spin and click into place.

You can apparently still find these cameras in working order on eBay… that is, if you’ve got 1000 bucks laying around. Regardless, it’s a wonderful example of industrial design to feed your camera nostalgia.

One of my all time favorite photographers, pilots, and a personal hero. You can find his blog here, or follow him on Instagram.

Alexander Kopatz is a biologist and wildlife researcher from Svanvik, Norway, who I’ve been following for sometime now through his blog, GO 70° NORTH. I love the way his nostalgic and subtle tones match the stark and expansive landscapes he works in. Highly recommended that you follow him on his blog or updates through his Facebook and Instagram.

Posted by: Owen

Object autopsies from Todd McLellan’s book Things Come Apart. No idea how he got those exploded views but they’re incredible.

Via Wired

Lovely colors & photographic sense for capturing small, fleeting moments from this rather unknown Flickr user known as “iamthechanster.” I can’t seem to find her first name anywhere, and she seems to only shoot as a hobby, but i’d certainly hang one of these on a wall. Whoever you are, please keep shooting.

Like Jakub mentioned in a previous post, here at ISO50 we try to share what we feel are interesting and worthy Kickstarter projects, so when I came across ONDU’s beautiful handmade Wooden Pinhole Cameras, I felt not only the need to share this on the blog, but pledge as well.

THE CAMERAS

ONDU 135 PANORAMIC PINHOLE
This camera combines the best of both worlds. It can shoot the regular Leica format in 36 mm x 24 mm or panoramic double frames at 72 mm x 24 mm image. It also hosts a 0,20 mm pinhole size and a focal length of 25 mm and a standard tripod mount. Great for taking amazing panoramic shots with a field of view of 113°.

ONDU 6X12 MULTIFORMAT PINHOLE
This is a multi-format all-in-one camera that can take 6 x 6, 6 x 9, and 6 x 12 images. It produces similar looking results as the ONDU 135 Panoramic but with much greater clarity, thanks to the 120 roll film. The camera has a pinhole size of 0.30 mm, a focal length of 40 mm and a standard tripod mount.

ONDU 135 POCKET PINHOLE
One of the smallest and lightest cameras around, this camera is still durable enough to outlast any of its digital counterparts. The ONDU 135 Pocket Pinhole camera is great for when you are shy on space and want to take it anywhere with you! It has a pinhole size of 0.20 mm, a focal length of 25 mm, and it comes with a standard tripod mount.

ONDU SLIDING BOX PINHOLE
A camera for the collector enthusiasts. It’s made with two sliding boxes that hold the paper in place for the exposure. This way, a single image is produced before heading to the darkroom or changing the paper in a changing bag. It uses a paper format of 12.8 x 18.7cm, has a 0.3 mm pinhole and a 50 mm focal length.

ONDU 4″ X 5″ LARGE PINHOLE
If you already know a thing or two about pinhole and large format photography, this is the perfect camera for you! It uses a standard 4˝ x 5˝ film holder that is secured snugly on the back with strong magnets. The camera has a 0.30 mm pinhole, a focal length of 60 mm and a standard tripod mount.

ONDU 6X6 POCKET PINHOLE
A tiny camera, given the fact that it uses 120 format film to expose an image! Like 135, it’s small enough to take it anywhere with you but takes images with a greater resolution. The camera has a pinhole size of 0.20 mm, a focal length of 25 mm and a standard tripod mount. Because it uses 120 film, the negatives on this camera are 56 mm x 56 mm, and the angle of view is an astonishing 115°.

Support ONDU Wooden Pinhole Cameras at Kickstarter

As seen from the International Space Station. The atmospheric color bending & light play is crazy amazing. Found on the Nasa Goddard Flickr account here.

[vimeo 63821261 w=450]

In celebration of their comprehensive re-engineering of Dieter Rams’s 620 Chair Program, the Vitsoe shop in New York will be launching the ‘620 Reading Room’ with a party tonight. This will continue through Monday, with books curated by neighbor Dashwood Books, and free Intelligentsia coffee pour-overs by Gasoline Alley Coffee.

If you are in New York for ICFF this week, this will offer quite a contrast to the usual ICFF grind and noise.