Zero 45 experiments

I have been spending a lot of quality time with my Zero 45 lately. A few weeks ago I took it up to The Witches Castle in Portland and shot several frames with both 4x5 and 120 film. I thought it would be interesting to shoot the same scene, one with no extension frame (25mm) and one with 1 extension frame (50mm). I was actually quite shocked when I saw the results. It's crazy how wide the 25mm configuration is compared to the 50mm. In the photos below my camera is in the exact same spot. The only change was the extra frame. The photo on the left is the 25mm configuration. The photo on the right, the 50mm configuration.  I actually like the one on the left better. It is more interesting to me. 

I am pinholeing myself etching my pinhole camera at Rembrandt's house

One of the museums my husband and I visited while we were in Amsterdam was Rembrandt's house. It was one of the best museum experiences I have ever had and well worth the cost of admission. Usually they will have people doing demonstrations throughout the house of paint making and print making. Sadly, the day we went there were no demonstrations. however, the disappointment was erased when we went to the studio at the top floor and found an etching workshop! We made and etching of our own onto plexiglass and then made a print from our etching - all of which we could take home. It was a fantastic experience! 

I decided to draw a picture of my pinhole camera and make and etching and a print of that. And then as I was drawing it I decided it would be kind of awesome to open the shutter and make an exposure while I was doing this. The pinhole photograph isn't the best but it was a fun little experiment.

Here is a photo of a print of the etching that I made. I am not very good at drawing, as  you can see. But still, it's fun to do. Printmaking is another fascination of mine that I would like to explore in the future. it was kind of fun to mesh two of my interests together. 

My WPPD Entry

I am back from Amsterdam and had an unforgettable week there. I am still trying to process it all. I've been enjoying going through all of the photos I took. I thought I'd get back into my blogging routine by posting my submission for WPPD. Here is a shot of our group in the Jenever bar Inge took us to. This was exposed for about 30 minutes with my Zero 2000 using Ektar. It was hard to choose just one but I picked this one because for me the highlight of the day - and the trip - was meeting this fine group of folks. Pinhole people are the best! 

I'll write more about my trip in the coming days. I have lots of great photos to share. 

Alex wrote a great post about our day on his blog Pinholista. 

You should also check out the WPPD gallery from our group at the pinholday website. 

A good spot

Today's image is from Seaside, Oregon over Christmas. I enjoyed sitting here for a few moments while my husband explored the rocks. 

And this concludes my week of pinhole fun! I am about to board a plane for Amsterdam where i will spend Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day with some of my friends.  I hope you enjoy the day (Sunday) as well. If you are not a pinhole photographer, consider using this day to explore this wonderful form of photography. Check out the WPPD website on how to participate for the day. Also check out their resource page. 

Camera: Holga WPC (6x9 mask)
Exposure time: 5 seconds
Film: Kodak Ektar 100
Pinhole: 0.3mm
Focal Length: 40mm
ISO: 100
Aperture: f135
Dev: C-41 by lab
Scan: Epson V500

Candy Colored Sunbeams

Today's photo was taken last summer at another of my favorite places, Trillium Lake. I used my Zero for this and probably Ektar 100 but I haven't a clue how long it was exposed for. 3 minutes maybe? I remember my husband wandering up the path for quite a ways while I sat here in this spot. 

I LOVE what the pinhole does to sunbeams. Love the candy colored stripes. 

Sun, silence all around. No, no one around.

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This was taken at Bridal Veil falls in the Columbia Gorge, Oregon. This isn't the falls, just the creek that leads from the falls to the Columbia River. 

Also: this is another photo named by randomly choosing lyrics from the first song that plays on my iTunes. I am kind of having fun with this. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. This time it worked! The lyrics fit the scene perfectly. The song is one that I hadn't heard before, or if I had I don't remember it. It's called "Toe cutter/thumb buster" and it by a band called Thee Oh Sees. I know nothing about them except for this song, which is great. I have it on repeat in my "Current Faves" playlist. 

Camera: Zero 2000
Exposure time: 25 seconds
Film: Kodak Ektar 100
Pinhole: 0.18mm
Focal Length: 25mm
ISO: 100
Aperture: f138
Dev: C-41 by Lab
Scan: Epson V500

Pinholing at the beach

I am completely and totally obsessed.  It is all I think about.  What I can pinhole next? It has become a sickness. Should I get help? Or should I just continue on down this merry path and see where it takes me? Here are some favorite pinholed moments from our visit to the beach a few weeks ago.

There is more over here on Flickr.

I just received notice that my Zero Image has shipped. Stay tuned as I sink deeper into this madness.

Source: http://monismithphotography.files.wordpres...

Pinhole Photography Class

I took a pinhole photography class this past Sunday! It was FUN. It was taught by Zeb Andrews who does amazing work. I learned so much. Part of the class was spent in the classroom where he went over the technical aspects of pinhole cameras. We also looked at some examples of some of the things you can do with this type of photography. Then we went out on the town and snapped away.

It was really cool to have Zeb there to help out with little things. I feel like my knowledge on this subject grew exponentially in one afternoon, just by having been with an expert in the field for a few hours. Interesting how that happens. It makes me realize that photography is something I need to get out there and do with other people more often. I miss all of the learning that happens when you shoot with others.

We were provided with a Holga Pinhole camera and two rolls of Ektar 100 film. Here are my favorites.




A couple  of the things that I am completely fascinated with:

  1. These cameras have insane depth of field. There is only one aperture setting on this camera: f/192. Yes, that is correct. f/192. Most cameras only go up to f/22. Since everything in the shot is in focus, you are able to take advantage of every single detail in the frame. I could go nuts with this.
  2. Since the aperture is so tiny you have to have longer exposures to let the light in. This allows for really incredible motion blur in broad daylight. In the photo at the top of this post I set my camera down on the ground so I could get a shot of the bridge and the river. As I started my exposure a crowd of people marched by and created this crazy wave of ghostly apparitions. I didn't expect this at all (because I can't control what people do). That's part of the fun of this. Since the exposures are longer you can't really control what goes on during the exposure and the result is unexpected. People move around and the faster they move the more transparent they become. This is another thing I want to play around with more.
  3. Pinhole photography is, essentially, an in-depth study in exposure. The only thing you have control over is exposure time. Everything is in focus so you don't have to worry about that. There is no aperture to control. It is completely and totally about exposure time. I like this. I like how it forces you to really focus in on this one aspect.

I am taking my camera with me to the beach this weekend. I can't wait to see what this camera does to the ocean waves!