Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time
Sometimes, you come across a DIY film camera that’s just beautiful in its simplicity. The LIMES 120 is one such camera. Made from an old Hasselblad medium format film back, it shoots 120 roll film and sports either an Industar 110mm f/4.5 lens and a tea can, or a pinhole.
Created by photographer Daniele Sandri, a comparison of the camera was recently posted to the Branco Ottico website to show off each of the two lenses.
If you’re new to film, pushing and pulling it when developing is a bit like ramping the exposure slider up or down in Adobe Camera Raw or Lightroom. Except, here you’re doing it with a purpose when you shoot. Sometimes it’s for technical reasons. At other times, it’s purely an artistic choice. In this video, Jay P Morgan at The Slanted Lens tells us all about the how, when and why to pushing and pulling film.
Personal and experimental projects can be a lot of fun for both those who create them and those who view them. This particular project was created by Italian film photographer Mario Cipriano, and it’s definitely a little bit odd, but pretty cool.
He combines film photographs he shot with his Leica M6 with a sound recorder to capture the five seconds leading up to the shot being taken, and the five seconds following it. Each photo then has 10 seconds of audio to accompany it. It’s fascinating to watch played back in video form.
Have you ever wondered how some film cameras just know what speed ISO (or ASA) film you’re loading into it? Well, have you ever noticed those black and silver squares on the side of the roll? That’s called DX Encoding and that’s how the camera knows what film you’re using.
This video from photographer Azriel Knight goes deep into the origins of DX Encoding. He talks about how it was created, how it works, and how it was received when it was first introduced. And, no, it’s nothing to do with Nikon’s 1.5x crop cameras.
This is big news in Europe, however it has not made a big splash in the US and has flown under our radar. The very day after Photokina, Tetenal announced they’re in financial turmoil.
Due to some bad business practices from their suppliers, Tetenal is in a state of insolvency. We learn the film resurgence is real; however, it is still in a very fragile state. Their collapse could potentially decimate film photography industry.
Normally I create photographs. This time, however, the final product is a video where you can follow the change of crystals/salts from the collodion wet plate process.
I have started this project because at my workshops I am often asked what happens when developing, fixing or sensitizing the plates. Of course, I have often tried to explain it, but a picture is worth a thousand words. That’s why this video was made.
Although meters in digital cameras have come a very long way and become extremely advanced, metering with film often isn’t so simple. With digital, even if your camera’s meter isn’t that great, you can quickly and easily see the results on the histogram to know if they’re right and adjust accordingly. But for film, we need to be a little more sure.
In this video, Jay P Morgan at The Slanted Lens walks us through three ways of metering our shot when using film. Specifically, Kodak Portra 400, Fuji 400H and Portra 800.
Intrepid, the creators of the wooden 4×5 large format camera have now announced their new 4×5 enlarger. It mounts to the top of a tripod and is designed to be used in conjunction with the 4×5 large format camera you already own. This brings the cost down to a ridiculous £119 (~$155). It launched on Kickstarter yesterday and it’s already 300% funded.
Dora Goodman sure is doing some interesting things with 3D printing. First, there was the Goodman One, announced a few months ago, the 3D printable medium format camera you can make yourself. Now, she’s released a new 3D printing project. The Goodman Art Adapter.
The Goodman Art Adapter is a 3D printable depth of field adapter. It basically allows you to mount lenses intended for full frame cameras onto your phone, and still be able to get that full field of view and depth of field. And you can print it yourself.
The noise surrounding Ektachrome’s return has been quite fascinating. A lot of people are getting very excited, and also very impatient about it coming back. Originally announced at CES 2017 Kodak later said a “limited supply” would become available for testing with general availability in 2018.
Things are a bit behind schedule, though. And we’re only now hearing of the first test rolls going out.
You can find out more about John on his website and follow his adventures on YouTube and Facebook.
can change a lens mid-rappel, swap a memory card while treading water, or use a camel as a light stand.
To see more of his work please visit his studio website blurMEDIAphotography, or follow him on Twitter, 500px, Google Plus or YouTube.
JP’s photography is available for licensing at Stocksy United.
Find my work on My website or follow me on Facebook or My page
