retro camera lmages

terri · Jul 31, 2006

Fer cryin' out loud, Charlie....this is one of the nicest images yet, and you leave those clips in the frame? :irked:

Did you run this image through some gimmicky "action" - or is this really fabulous textured paper? It looks awesome. :thumbup:

mysteryscribe · Jul 31, 2006

Im tricky and the clips are supposed to be there... Haven't you figured me out yet lol..l
Gimmic crap I dont do paper at all anymore.

terri · Jul 31, 2006

mysteryscribe said:
Im tricky and the clips are supposed to be there... Haven't you figured me out yet lol..l
Gimmic crap I dont do paper at all anymore.

I figured you left them there, but eww. Such a nice shot.

I like the end result, the texture thing looks great. :thumbup:

mysteryscribe · Jul 31, 2006

please to note miss terry how close they are to the bottom. Cropping is everything.

Besides I should have been hanging upside down from a trapeze.

terri · Jul 31, 2006

mysteryscribe said:
please to note miss terry how close they are to the bottom. Cropping is everything.

Besides I should have been hanging upside down from a trapeze.

You'll never convince me. :mrgreen:

mysteryscribe · Jul 31, 2006

lol have to anchor the vase somehow.....

JamesD · Aug 2, 2006

You know what, Charlie? I've been thinking for a while about getting a nice, cheap vase or two and some flowers or other stuff, and doing some shots like this for practice. I think you've just convinced me to do it. This is some nice work! Now that I've reclaimed my dinner table from my computer monitor.... I'll have to try.

mysteryscribe · Aug 2, 2006

still life like that is where you learn about what light does and about composition. You start by setting it up and making only one shot so you want everything as perfect as you can.

If you see the shot and it didn't work, you go back and do it again. But only one at a time. Takes days to get it right sometimes./ But the lessons learned that way are hard to forget.

It's how I was taught back in the old days.

Don't tell a soul but I finished a 4x5 version of my view camera today. Just need to paint it and I'm good to go.

terri · Aug 2, 2006

Are you going to put black clips in your vase pics, too, James?

...all right Charlie....where are the pics of the new 4x5? I expect to see a tarted-up red 'ho looking thing. :lol:

JamesD · Aug 3, 2006

I might. Or, I might put tarted-up red 'ho-looking clips in it. Of course, with paper negatives, they'll look black.... Unless I bust out wid the Panalure! Oooh! Aaaah!

Seriously, though, like charlie said, it's all about the lighting, and 4X5 PN, with PNs' short exposure latitude, would be ideal, forcing the lighting to be exactly spot-on... That's one reason I was thinking about doing it. I need to learn lighting.

First, if I'm going to do one shot at a time, though, I need to either finishe the view camera, or rig up a box-camera using the lens. Hmm.

Where is my drawing-board....? -digs under his monitor-

mysteryscribe · Aug 3, 2006

The box camera is having a new re awakening on some of the retro sites. I have given some thought to making one myself. You are allowed to use a film holder type back as well as the simple box.

My 4x5 is actually on the same design as the 2x3 I built. It just has a bigger back on it. Still has the same yoke design but the pivot point is closer to the center of the lens. It's a nice simple design using a cheap camera frame and really simple inexpensive parts. I promise you can build one in a day. But alas nobody wants to use the humble polaroid carcus except me and a couple of other weirdos.

Ps I'm gonna shoot a paper neg in the new one today. Most likely this one will be from the studio.

Yes if you shoot one negative you need to get your lighting the way you want it first. If you are shooting a big negative on a smallish object, you can crop it with your paper cutter. Assuming there isn't much to crop. You can trim it, center it on the sheet you plan to make the contact print from and have your own lil built in border. Then of course you can whore up the black border to make a little built in matte. You know draw sea horses in it lol.

mysteryscribe · Aug 4, 2006

whored up print from the ugly 4x5... I think it needs a different lens but it might be ideal for a pinhole since the shutter only opens and closes at the moment. Nonetheless here it is

JamesD · Aug 4, 2006

This is an interesting shot... Do you use real flowers, Charlie? I'm curious...

mysteryscribe · Aug 4, 2006

this is silk... I bought it when i was still in the business. Had if to little girls to hold.(retching sound in the background) Now my vinegar bottle holds it when it isnt filled with stop bath solution.

mysteryscribe · Aug 5, 2006

I don't know if I posted this before or not but I thought it was interesting and belonged here. There is of course no photo shop tricks on this. It's all in the camera.