Reclining Portrait - DIY Camera

[Pete Askew]

As promised, this weekend we had a play with the DIY camera for portraits. Interesting session. It certainly highlighted the need for a fine focus system - I have bought the parts but not had time to make it. And I had to dig out my larger focusing cloth as the small one kept sliding off the smooth plastic body (maybe a bit of Velco is required). At first we did some shots using ambient light but it was very difficult to focus and so I used studio lights to focus and then switched them off for the shot. Having an exposure of 1 minute meant that holding a pose was pretty challenging. Blinking didn't matter as it was too quick to register. The tones weren't bad but movement was a problem and with the speed of shooting it was a bit frustrating (http://www.realphotographersforum.com/people-portraits/4880-movement-blur-diy-camera.html). But I will revisit this but using deliberate movement - maybe dance - next month. So, I used tungsten modeling lights instead giving a 10 second exposure and a reclining pose. This is one of the results.

It also struck me that with the very slow speed of the paper that this could be a perfect camera for painting with light without the need for complete darkness. We had a play and have established that none of the torches we own are bight enough to give an image in a reasonable time (ie nothing after 3 - 5 minutes!). I did create one image with a modeling lamp turned down to its lowest setting and waved over Ina. But the light spill was a bit too much and I will modify an inspection lamp I think for the purpose. So, more to follow but maybe not for a few weeks as I fly back to the UK tomorrow and the camera is in Potsdam!

 

[Hamish Gill]

I think that has worked out rather nicely Pete
The leather looks really nice out of focus.... really nice texture to it!
Will be interested to see the light painting
Have you thought about emptying a street with a long exposure?

If you think to will you put a link to each of the threads containing shots taken with the diy camera in the original thread ... analytics tells me it is getting its fair share of interest, it would be good to supply the people finding it with some more examples!

 

[Brian Moore]

Its a very sharp image, Pete. The necklace, the earing, the bangle,...the eyelashes, the hairline,...all crystal clear.

 

[Pete Askew]

Thanks both. This is a slight crop of the original file as it is difficult to get the exact framing you want with the screen being quite dim and so I have learned to over-frame slightly. Again I removed a couple of dust spots from scanning but at least the paper is coming out of the dryer spotless now. Inverted in PS and this is actually the colour the scan produces as an RGB. However, I changed it to B&W in LR and re-toned in Nik SilverFX - again this adds a bit of additional grain (none is visible in the originals at this size) and increases contrast a bit. The lens is pretty sharp for a 90 year old optic and there is little fall off at the edges. This (and the other) was shot at full aperture (f1:8.0).

 

[Pete Askew]

As I follow up, the lady living downstairs from us wanted to be shown how to develop film. So she came over to the studio and as she walked past the camera said, "Oh, I have seen one just like that on the Internet" (except in German of course!. When I asked she said it was on some real photography forum or other. And then it clicked! I've never met someone who found me via Google before!

 

[Hamish Gill]

haha, thats brilliant!

 

[Chris Dodkin]

You've been located Pete - And very interesting project to boot

Doesn't this echo early photography, where the subjects had to stay in pose for minutes at a time?

 

[Rob MacKillop]

Looks good to me. I had to reread your intro, as I thought you said Ina had a "smooth plastic body" I just woke up...

 

[Pete Askew]

It does Chris and that is why it works so well for solarisation too. Modern sheet film is just too fast to allow good control I reckon - although I'm going to have a go with a short duration and a paper flasher.

 

[Paul Lange]

I vaguely remember exposing paper with just light. Can you flash the paper using just the enlarger with no negative in or did I imagine that?

I really like the tones in this by the way.

 

[Pete Askew]

That's right. You used to use flashing to give you intermediate paper grades (before multi-graded papers) as the flash raises the fog level and reduces contrast. You would do a test using various durations of flash until you work out the time just before it reduces base white. The pre-flash the paper before making an exposure for that time.