Paper Clip Sculpture

There is a wonderful and quaint collectible store called Mish Mash in the heart of Chinatown Honolulu, where I found vintage photos taken in Israel by an artist probably during the 70's and 80's. In wanting to creatively display them, I hot glued a bunch of paper clips into an empty Altoid container to create this sculptural image holder. Check out the other close ups below and feel free to leave a comment about what you think.

Photos from the Brownie Hawkeye

So the results are in. . . I took a bunch of pictures with the 120mm film and they the camera yielded hazy and dream like photos. Actually pretty difficult to achieve naturally in this day and age with digital. The wonderful and unique thing about these photos are that they are 5x5" and not just the ordinary 4x6" or 5x7". The camera is from the mid-century and it had built up dust particles throughout the viewfinder and the lens behind the shutter. So, I took it apart and cleaned it. Currently I'm shooting another roll of film to see if the picture quality will improve.

Brownie Hawkeye Beauty

Browsing through piles of stuff that people have collected over the years at the Hawaii's Annual Collector's Show, there was one thing that caught my eye. A brown box with a lens that called me over from across the room. My eyes opened wide in excitement when I saw that the price was right and I asked the vendor if this Brownie Hawkeye still worked and he handed it to me while snapping the shutter to show me that it was in perfect working condition aside from a few scuff marks from 50 plus years of wear and tear. I reached into my pocket and handed him his money and I said, "I'll take it!" Two rolls of 120mm film are in development.  I'll post some pictures when I get them back from the lab.

Forty Views of Diamond Head

Splash!

Hi everyone, I've been quite busy so I wanted to be the first to wish you Happy New Year for 2012! Yay!!! Wooohooo!

I know that it is winter and chilly so I thought that it would be a great time to share a flavor of summer with this post through some of the outtakes from my project of compiling photographs into a book called  "Forty Views of Diamond Head." The book was inspired by Hokusai, a great Japanese woodblock printer who is probably most famous for his print of the Great Wave. He did a series of 36 prints of Mount Fuji in Japan called, "Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji." Being that I'm not very good at printmaking, I decided to use a camera instead chipping away at woodblocks like the old master. These photos were taken with a Nikon D-40. Although not obvious at first, all of the images shown have an image of Diamond Head in the background.

I love the red Lehua flower... legend has it that if you pick it, it will rain.

A lifeguard stand and Diamond Head in the background.

This house was burnt and totally ruined!

To my surprise, a kitty cat was there to greet me!

Japanese tourist missing Diamond Head behind them as they were busy photographing Koko Head.

Deborah Butterfield displayed at TCM and Diamond Head peering through branches.

A couple enjoying the day at the beach and a view of Diamond Head.

For some a view of Diamond Head is right at their doorstep!

A view from one State monument to another

A nostalgic drive in and a view of DH with a big honkin tree blocking my shot!

I wish that that lady didn't step into the shot!

University of Hawaii

We have VOG... Volcanic ashes causing a cloudy haze over the city!

A blurred background of Diamond Head! 

The view of Diamond Head was too small.

They turned away once they saw the camera come out.

Ilford HP5 Plus 400 film

 My favorite black and white film that I like shooting with is Ilford HP5 Plus. The results that I get with my 1966 canon ft are sharp low key photos.

The photograph above is of two elderly gentlemen that were sharing a conversation and a bottle of congnac.

Bell Peppers

Bagels

No Biodiesel 

Iolani Palace

The perspective of the photograph of Iolani Palace tells a story of how the monarchy fell when the Queen was held captive in her own palace in the early 1900's. The palace fades into the background and the foreground are of arrow tips of the front gate which is the way I had planned to take this photo. What I didn't plan for was very neutral contrasting and so the photo doesn't pop but nevertheless, it stands on it's own because it captures the essence of the subject matter. Perhaps if I had used a film with a lower ISO, then the results would be better contrast.

Lomography for the Apartment

Snap Sights Underwater Camera

The revolution for digital cameras changed the face of photography in the snap of a shutter. It made it easy for the average Joe or Jane to become a photographer, to edit photos, and to print pictures without a traditional darkroom.

Mango Camera

Polaroid Spectra AF

Analog cameras have become a thing of the past and they sell for about 2 cents to the dollar which means you can get them used for about five bucks. Most of the ones that I have found from thrift stores are in perfect shape. Some of them have light leaks which lends to creating dreamy images. In fact, homemade pinhole cameras, the Diana cameras, and Holga cameras, are made with light leaks purposefully to create the lomography style. Click here to see more about lomography.

Some of the cameras that I use are the Nikon L35, a Mango camera, a Polaroid Spectra, an underwater Snap Sight 38mm, a Konica MT-9, and a Yashica 38mm.

Yashica 38mm

Konica MT-9

Nikon L-35

Some of these cameras like the Mango camera produce artsy images from the light leaks and the cheap plastic lens. What you get are photographs that are unique and decorative and when blown up and framed they make great apartment art. I've enlarged many of these images and alternated them to keep the the look of the interior interesting.

Mango Camera

Snap Sight Underwater Shot

Snap Sight Underwater Shot

Profile Picture

Photographing children and getting natural poses from them can be challenging especially if they feel the need to move around and be active. Activity, curiosity, desire to learn, attention, and fun is what every child seek. In a recent photo-shoot, I taught Laney how to shoot a 35mm film camera which relaxed her for other natural poses and shots. We faced off and I caught a profile photograph of her catching a profile photograph of me catching a profile photograph of her. Both photographs will be framed and placed together as a set. I also have to admit that she took a better picture of my profile than I did of hers with a 1980s Yashica point-and-shoot over my 1960s Canon FT with a 50mm lens.

Mango Analog Camera

Film cameras have been thrown out to the curbside or orphaned in local thrift shops because digital technology is the wave of the present. As a good samaritan of elderly cameras, I have rescued a number of them with less than a $1 a day or less than the cost of a cup of coffee a day. By the time I get to them, they have been used up, banged up, and abused. With a little TLC and a roll of film, 90% of these film cameras are fully functional and they all work to earn a spot for boarding on my shelf. Some of them produce photographs that digital cameras cannot without photoshop merely by having a few light leaks and some uncertain blurring (lomography). Look at what the above Mango camera did by yielded that wonderful 8x10 photograph below that sits in my bathroom which I enjoy everyday. So yes, digital cameras can create images so crisp sharp that my eyeballs could shatter if I look at them too long, but old school film cameras are perfect for taking photos to what my eyes are meant to perceive and capturing the moment and a feeling just as well. 

Get a copy on etsy: http://www.etsy.com/listing/56213308/sky-tower

Get lomo equipment: http://usa.shop.lomography.com

Check out Photobox photos: http://photo.box.sk/about.php3?id=100

Develop your film: http://www.rainbowphotovideo.com/

See other photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/artandthings/

Mango Brand Film Camera