Month: July 2006

Anti-photo hysteria spreads to Oz

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Prime Minister John Howard says a ban on taking photographs at a shopping complex in Melbourne is over the top.

Melbourne’s Southgate complex has banned people taking photos as part of heightened security measures.

…

Ms Peck acknowledges that some may say it is a win for those who wish to curb Australia’s freedom but believes the policy is justified.

The article does quote sane people as well:

Liberty Victoria’s president, barrister Brian Walter, says the centre’s concerns about terrorism are unjustified.

"What a load of rubbish. Give us one example in Australia where taking of photography has led to a terrorist attack," he said.

"There’s just none and people take a lot of photos every day, and to suggest that you can somehow make that link in a rational way is absurd," he said.

Continue reading at ABC News Australia.

Via dessabel

Contact photography show at Outrageous Look, NYC

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Outrageous Look press release:

BROOKE WILLIAMS says that her work "is intensely personal and always involves using the photographs to make some kind of record of an experience, to try and make memories more permanent. I was never that good at keeping journals, but I do have a photographic record of experiences I’ve had, glasses of OJ I’ve consumed, shoes I’ve owned, cars I’ve driven, etc. This piece, then, can be seen as a visual diary of the various people with whom I’ve come in contact over the past several years. And they range from my closest friends, to colleagues I work with, to the UPS man… The one underlying principle—the only hard and fast rule of the piece besides the format (833 SX70 Polaroids)—is that I have had some kind of interaction or experience with the people that belong to the hands in the photos."

Freud uses the term "isolationism" to refer to the way the thinking mind interferes with the "possibility of successful contact." Williams sees this project as a "way of visually battling my own ego"—hoping to become enriched by the process of forgetting the self in the endless repetitive con- templation of the other. Brooke Williams lives and works in Williamsburg.

TOM BURKE‘s lyrical black & white photographs show us the sublime aspect of everyday objects and places. He lives and works in Tokyo, Japan.

In one of the two pieces by SACHAR MATHIAS, a sculptural transcription of a melody becomes an instrument of its own, while the other offers us a different mode of musical performance. She lives and works in Williamsburg.

The show runs through 17 August, 2006 at Outrageous Look, 103 Broadway, Ground Floor Brooklyn, NY 11211 (J, M, or Z to March or L to Bedford). Gallery hours are Thursday–Monday, 12–6 pm.

I’ve been following Tom Burke’s work on Flickr for a while. I usually stare, drool, try to think of something coherent to say about it, fail, and try to pick my jaw up off the floor. So, you know, I think it’s, like, really good. Check it out.

Wavycam pinhole camera by Steven Taft

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Homemade Wavycam pinhole camera by Steven Taft (photo used with permission)

Photographer and camera hacker extraordinaire Steven Taft built this wavy film plane camera. He writes:

…the latest is a "planomorphic" box with shower door rollers to guide the film along several wavy paths. I ran 2 rolls through it yesterday, and discovered a few light leaks and an exposure issue I had worried about. When the film is loaded along a path with deep bends, the single pinhole leaves dark bands down the middle of the image. One solution i had considered before the tests was to go with a multi-aperture system, but i would like to solve it as a single first. I designed this to make the rollers relatively simple to move, so i think i will try placing the film path in more of a convex arc, with the canisters towards the front of the box.

…

…it was never a very reliable/easy camera to use (hard to load, light leaks, film might jump the tracks). New version needed.

Even though the design needs some tweaking, this is a great idea!

See the results and more photos of the camera itself in this thread at f295.

Glazer’s Camera pinhole/Holga photo competition

Nicolai Grossman 2 Comments

Paul Beard of A Crank’s Progress blog writes:

You’d think they might mention it on their website, but alas, no.

Anyway, they’re running a contest from July 1 to August 12 [2006]. Any Holga or pinhole images is acceptable (need not be a modded Holga—not that that stopped me from grabbing one of their kits: $25 for a Holga, 2 rolls of film, and a few feet of gaffer tape on a 120 spool).

Call Brent @ 206 624 1100 for more info.

Via the f295 Pinhole Forum

Photography masterclass w/ Alan Knowles, Christchurch, NZ

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Alan Knowles will give a two-day Masterclass in Christchurch in conjunction with his exhibition, Biscuits, at Canterbury Museum. His presentation will be aimed at photographers with some experience who are working on documentary projects or wish to get into this area. Topics to be covered will include: choosing themes, planning projects, sponsorships and funding, gaining access, obtaining consents, editing the photo essay, negotiating with editors, working with writers, finding a publisher, planning an exhibition, photo agencies, getting paid and annotating and pricing photographs as art.

The Masterclass will be held on Sunday 13 August and Monday 14 August 2006, 9.00 am – 4.30 pm at Level 1 Annex, Canterbury Museum, Rolleston Avenue, Christchurch. The two-day Masterclass will cost $430. Places are limited and bookings are essential. For more information contact Rachel Vavasour, Canterbury Museum’s Education and Public Programmes Manager, telephone 03 366 9429 ext 738 or e-mail rvavasour@canterburymuseum.com

Via GRINZ

Japan Pinhole Photographic Society group show

Nicolai Grossman 2 Comments

The Japan Pinhole Photographic Society (JPPS) was founded as an organization in 2005 to promote the art of pinhole photography in Japan. Its purpose is to offer information on pinhole technique and camera making, organize workshops and events, hold informal pinhole photo taking gatherings, and yearly members’ exhibitions.

This event includes the member’s exhibition, a beginners workshop on Saturday, and a symposioum and general meeting on Sunday August 27.

The show runs Wednesday, 23 – Sunday, 27 August, 2006 at Koto-ku "Bunka" Center, 4-11-3, Toyo, Koto-ku, Tokyo, Japan

More info at the JPPS site (in Japanese, though the Gallery link is in English)

Via Pinhole Visions

Fuji to discontinue bulk 35mm film

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Remember the saying "film is cheap"? Those days are gone—or at least going. Fuji has announced the end of production for Neopan black and white films in 100-foot (30.5 meter) bulk roll format, scheduled for March 2007. The films will continue to be available in pre-loaded cassettes, and of course other formats like 120 and sheet.

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Will future photography students bother to explore film when the cost of a roll of 35mm black and white film may approach $10?

Continue reading at The Online Photographer

Interview with pinhole photographer Edward Levinson

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Pinhole Visions‘ Gregg Kemp interviews pinhole photographer Edward Levinson about Levinson’s new book, Timescapes Japan – A Pinhole Journey [book blogged previously]:

Gregg: Has the experience of preparing this book caused you to re-examine or take a fresh look at your work, or at your life in Japan?

Edward: That is an interesting question. In selecting the images for the book, one thing I noticed is that it was often the earlier images that seemed the freshest or at least seemed to have the most impact.

Read interview at pinhole.com