I have the first roll of film back from the “Snap Crackle & Pop” trash cam I bought at Value Village a few weeks ago and I’m very happy with the results.
The film I used was Fujicolour Superia X-tra 800 ISO, shot under very sunny lighting conditions. I decided to approach it the same way I would shooting with the Holga, keeping in mind the exposure limitations of having a shutter speed around 1/60 or 1/100.
Over on the photo sharing community of Flickr there is an interesting and very active group called Utata that was originally started by Catherine Jamieson. She wanted to create a salon in the traditional sense, where people could gather to talk, share, learn and grow. The group has become a very vibrant community that I’m very proud to be a contributing member of. It’s one of the few groups I make an effort to keep up with (besides Vandigicam) because it seems to attract a higher calibre of photographer and many of the members are flickr contacts that I admire.
It’s a constant source of inspiration and ideas because there is often a new project on the go to get everyone out and shooting. This past weekend’s project was the theme “Beam me up” – photos taken in general darkness but lit with an artificial directed beam of light. The above three photos are ones that I chose to submit and I’m looking forward to the end results of the group project.
Click here for more Utata projects.
If you’re looking for something new to try with your photography I highly recommend experimenting with some of the alternative photographic processes that are available. Years ago I took a workshop on Polaroid Transfer that I quite enjoyed, and was very happy with the results from the session:
About these prints: the top photo is an emulsion transfer and the bottom is a dye transfer, both from polaroids. The technique is one in which the image of a “peel-apart” polaroid negative is transferred onto a non-photographic surface, such as paper, fabric, vellum, or wood.
“Polaroid transfer begins with the exposure of the color film, either in camera or through an enlarger. Instead of allowing the full development time, the film halves are separated before the dyes can migrate from the negative portion. The negative is placed face down on a damp receptor, most commonly a sheet of watercolor paper, and pressed firmly with a roller. After a short period, one to twenty minutes, depending on the artist’s particular technique, the negative is carefully peeled back. If all went well, the fully formed and developed image is now present on the receptor surface.”
A good place to start for further information on techniques for this process and a listing of the appropriate types of films can be found on the Polaroid website. There is also a good description of the difference between emulsion and dye transfer here.
I’m a fairly recent inductee into the world of the of the toy camera enthusiast (also called trash or crap cams). It’s a very unexclusive group of those who enjoy the challenge of taking photographs with cheap plastic cameras with questionable exposure control and wonky image quality. Here’s an excerpt from the toy camera website on what it’s all about:
Who are toy camera photographers?
The toy camera photographer eschews the modern developments of camera technology, the reliance on computerised exposure systems, motorised film transport, PPI, TTL, CCD, DOF, the drive for higher and higher resolution, for gizmos, gadgets and carbon fibre tripods.
They believe focus is an over-rated commodity in most photographs and a focusing ring to be a needless gimmick on your average camera.
They may however enjoy painting their Holga a pretty color.
Toy camera photographers are rebels who want to prove that you can make a silk purse out of a sows ear.
Toy cameras are for the artist within. It’s all about the photograph, and not about the price of your gear.
They may even make their camera themselves out of an oatmeal box.
They agree that depth of feeling is more important than depth of field. Toy camera photographers probably would probably get kicked out of the f64 club.
Toy camera photographers would probably call themselves Neo Photo-Secessionists who believe in the intrinsic revelatory power of the snapshot, if they knew or cared what that means anyway.
They are also sick and tired of getting stiffed by ridiculous ‘collector’ prices for old Diana’s on e-bay.
Toy camera photographers believe:
“If it’s plastic, it’s fantastic”.
“I can never be bothered with dials and things anyway”.
“My camera is not a status symbol of my upwardly mobile social standing”.
“You may or may not use the viewfinder- it’s up to you”
“It’s all just a bit of fun”.
-Don Brice
My first introduction to toy camera photography came in 2005 when I began shooting with a low quality medium format camera called a holga. I found this camera fascinating and challenging because of it’s limitations, and was determined to figure it out and make it work for me. A full set of these shots can he found here on flickr, and more of my thoughts on the holga can be found in it’s own section of my portolio.
My success with the Holga, in combination with the influence of my friend Christopher Evans, has led to further acquisitions of trash cams. The two shots below were taken with a Time Magazine camera that I bought for five dollars at a camera show last fall. At the same event I picked up a Konica Super Wide disposable self-portrait camera, and I absolutely love it for the weird distortion of perspective the lens creates.
I’ve found that part of the fun of toy cameras is trying to find interesting ones at places like camera shows, flea markets and second-hand stores. Yesterday I went on a hunt for something new, and hit the jackpot at Value Village of all places. I am now the proud owner of an Akira focus free, a Kellogg’s Snap Crackle & Pop, and a no-name yellow camera once intended as a starter model for kids. I can’t wait to get out and start shooting with these once the weather improves, and see the weird and wonderful things these cameras can do.
I really enjoy meeting other photographers because of the unexpected influences their style and techniques can bring to my own photography. Take for example the work of my friend Joanna and her use of cross processed expired slide film, which she mostly shoots with for the sake of its lower price and tendancy towards weird colouration. It was not something I would have thought to try without her influence.
This shot of mine was taken with expired Seattlechrome slide film. I’m not sure of the age of the roll but I can tell the film wasn’t stored properly at a stable temperature because of the “fogging” through the highlight areas. The colour shift is very interesting and brings a certain nostalgia to the shot that reminds me of family photographs from the seventies.
