Photography

in , ,

I began my vintage camera collection in 2004 when I found this 1920’s Kodak vest pocket camera on a photography site similar to ebay and was shocked to find out that it still worked. It had just one owner who took very good care of it.

It arrived in perfect timing for an upcoming trip I had planned to Montreal and was going to be a great opportunity to experiment with the settings. I had no idea how any of the pictures were going to turn out, but it didn’t stop me from have so much fun playing around with it. It’s strange to work with a film camera after using an SLR or a phone where you can see, adjust and delete pictures immediately. Older film cameras really force you to rely on your natural composition skills in framing each picture. Then, there is the dreaded wait time of one week or so for the pictures to come back. To my surprise one of the picture that turned out was the one below from the most beautiful street in Old Montreal. I was in disbelief (I may have whimpered or cried a bit, but whatever) at the sight of this picture. It reminded me of “camera obscura” photos. Camera obscura refers to early photography with obscura meaning “dark chamber.” The camera, a dark box had a pin hole for light to enter which would cast a foggy haze over a picture and along the edges. In college, I had a failed attempt at making a camera obscura, I made the box and put the pin hole in just fine but then I used printer paper like a dodo head. My friend Joey Checchia, an amazing photographer and artist, shook his head and was way too kind to me. I deserved a little verbal beating for that one. Oh well, lesson learned…the hard way yet again.

You definitely do not need to be a professional photographer or wealthy to learn and experiment with cameras from any generation. My advice is to purchase used camera bodies and lenses. I love the idea of taking pictures today with something that was made so long ago that still functions with the results combining both worlds. Too hippy dippy? Eh, it’s okay, most people have a dirty little hippy living inside them just waiting to burst out and have some creative fun. Let em out, I say!

Here is a link to learn more about early photography. I’ll share pictures of my tin types along with the other vintage cameras in my collection in another post.

Old Montreal, Canada taken with 1920’s Kodak Pocket Camera

Old Montreal, Canada taken with 1920’s Kodak Pocket Camera

Framing

in , , ,
F05865BD-B1EB-4309-9853-4BBB880A85DC.jpeg

Seattle, WA

Three Principles of Composition…

Movement, Space and Balance are three of the seven plus principles of composition that draw the eye to an image.

Composition helps to tell the story of an image. Seeing the suggestion of movements like wind, the ocean, a person or animal walking, a wheel or even facial expressions. The mind through the eye knows what to expect as if you were standing right there in the photo.

Space is everything within the frame for the scene that creates depth and perspective or lack-there-of in a flat graphic black and white image.

The balance of elements large or small, natural or manmade add visual weight to an image. Symmetry and asymmetry are achieved through the balance of the focal point of an image. Think of weighing scales with the one of the left having a sack with a pound of flour on it. The left side will be below the right creating a disruption to the mind and eye as something is out of balance. This is intriguing to the eye and creates visual movement and subliminal weight to the image.

Take a look through some of your photos and make note of the ones that attract your eye. Put those in a separate folder while adding new photos to this folder as you take them. In a short time, you will see a commonality throughout your photos. Try to find some of the principles of composition in your photos that you naturally understood just by finding a scene you liked, pointing and tapping or clicking.

Some other principles of composition are; Contrast, Pattern, Repetition, Contrast, Proportion, Movement, Space and Balance…

Here are eight examples of composition from my own picture. I look for graphic shapes (natural and manmade) that carve out a space against the sky.