Less Seen Side of Mahopac

Holga Project

The Holga is a cheap, plastic camera that is produced in China.  It is the stepsister of the Diana Camera which was used extensively by photographers in the 1970’s . Poor quality control, a plastic lens and light leaks are the hallmarks of these cameras.

After the Crash, Manny Boccini 

Given their shortcomings, “toy cameras” can take some evocative imagery. The image is usually sharper in the center and quickly goes out of focus in the corners of the square image. Sometimes the corners are darker as well, creating a vignette effect. 

Saugerties Lighthouse

The grity, semi-focused look is perfect for our next assignment, The "Less Seen" side of Mahopac. Look for the junk, old cars, run-down buildings etc. This isn't about the lake front homes and tidy shops, it's about the dark underbelly of Mahopac. Look for dumpsters, old pallets, loading docks. There is alot out there if you start to look!

Process:

Shooting a Holga is extremely easy, but you must follow these basic steps. I'll load it and tape it for light leaks. You will take 3 exposures and pass the camera on to the next person in your group. (4 people)

1.  Try to shoot in Bright Sunshine or Cloudy Bright situations.
2. Guess the focus distance and turn the focus ring to the appropriate icon.
3. 3. Set the aperture to the Sun (F11) or Partial Sun(F8) setting.
4.  Frame your image.
5. Hold the camera steady and press the shutter release. Do not shake, the shutter speed is only 1/60 of a second.
6. Your group will develop it's film. (I’ll load the 120mm film for you.)
7. Make an 8x8" enlargement. 
8. Dry mount your image.

Focus Ring estimated distances.

• Head and Shoulders: about 4-5 feet.
• 3 People holding hands: about 9 feet.
• 7 People: about 18 feet.
• Mountain: 30 feet to infinity.

Scannergram and Copier Arts

Copier Arts are a new media that was created with the advent of Xerox machines and printers. Originally an artist would use copy machines to degrade and manipulate original artwork to create different effects. With the advent of scanners and photo manipulation software, copier art can be taken to a high level.

A scanner can take photographs of small three dimensional objects.



Even ugly art teachers.

We will create a Scannergram Self Portrait that incorporates a photo of ourselves, and 4 scanned ojects that reflect our persona. Additional photos and your name may be added. Here is my example. I was having a "bad" day.

Don't run with the scissors!

Post your "Scannergram" to your blog and write a brief description of your concept. Why did you choose particular objects? How do they represent you?

My example:

My self portrait is my attempt at self depreciating humor. You can't imagine the number of times I've warned kids to be careful with a scissor or x-acto knife. My family (my two kids) are the "glue" that keeps me together when I'm having a bad day. The "scissor" glasses represent how I see the world through the creation of art.

Point of View

Auto Parts (Digital Assignment)

Car Parts?

The automobile is ubiquitous part of the American society. Cars are everywhere and we rely on them for our livelihood. There is a real attachment to cars in our culture. High School students take the day off to take their "road test", and earning a license is a rite of passage to adulthood.

We love them, but do we really take a close look at them. We know when we see a car we like, but our perception is of the whole, not the many individual parts that make a "car". Look at your car (or family car) closely. Photograph it from different perspectives. Look for unusual detail. What about the engine compartment? The wheel covers? Even the undercarriage! Don't forget to get close with your "macro" capability.

The assignment
Make a series of 5 images that explore your car from many points of view. Write a short paragraph explaining why you picked this car. Tell me how cars and driving are important to your life.

Example

My father was in the automobile leasing industry for years. He always came home with different cars. I grew up thinking of cars as appliances, we called them vehicles. Function was more important than Form. My Scion XB is a reflection of that attitude. It's dumb ugly, but functional. It's an appliance, like a refrigerator.  I select cars for what they can do, not how they look. This car can seat 4 comfortably, get 30 plus miles to the gallon and was inexpensive. PERFECT but UGLY!

Scion XB Engine Compartment

Scion XB Battery

Scion XB Speedo

Scion XB Shocks

3D Photography

3D Photography

Most of us have had the opportunity to watch a movie in 3D. Perhaps you had the opportunity to take a 3D thrill ride at Bush Gardens. Some people play 3D video games. Long before 3D movies, photographers made stereo pairs with special cameras with two lens. These "pairs" were viewed with a special Stereoscope. 

We will be making basic 3D images called "Anaglyphs". 

Anaglyph of Art Room

In order to view our images we must make 3D glasses. Here is an unusual example:

Mr. Boccini 3D Glasses.

Assignment


Using "chip board" and acrylic paint make a "custom" pair of Stereo Glasses.

• Be creative, anything from super hero's to cartoon characters make good glasses.
• Make sure to use the template so the spacing between the eyes is correct.
• Think about adding three dimensional elements. (ie. hair made of yarn)
• If you need something special, ask! You never know what kind of junk I have collected.
• The glasses may be attached to a dowel or be worn in the traditional manner. (stems over the ears)
• Consider working with other people to create a theme. (ie the Big Bad Wolf and the Three Little Pigs.
• Shoot a stereo pair with the tripod and sliding mechanism.
• Use Photoshop to create your anaglyph.
• Blog a picture of you wearing your glasses.
• Blog your anaglyph.

Photoshop Filter Project

Assignment - We will go over this project next week in the computer lab. You must colorize your pinhole image before starting.

1. Duplicate your colorized pinhole image 25-30 times on a 8.5x11" Photoshop document.
2. Manipulate each small image with a different "Filter" effect. 
3. Center on the page.
4. Save as a jpeg file and post to your blog.
5. Add the caption: Photoshop Filter Project.

Photoshop Filter Project

Colorize a Pinhole Image

Assignment

Take your Pinhole Self Portrait or Pinhole Close-up and duplicate it. Using the same technique we used on our digital restoration, add color to your image. Post it to your blog. 

You will need this image for the next project!

Here is one of my pinhole images. Another art teacher had a bag of old toy baby parts which I used as my subject. Creepy!

Colorized Pinhole Photo

Smartphone Closeup Photography

There are several ways to add macro capacity to your smartphone. Often, the native application is limited in it's ability to adjust exposure or get in close to an object. For the photo of the knife blades, I used an app called Camera+. It's macro feature allows you to get quite close to the image.  I used a headlamp as my light source. The image was edited using the "Ansel" filter.

The image below was created using the lens of a disposable camera. The lens fit comfortably between my OtterBox and Iphone 5c. (the lens can be taped on as well.) I placed the camera on a tripod and used the timer feature in Camera+ to limit camera shake. The composition is made up of some key rings, paperclips and a metal pencil sharpener.

This image was taken hand held. I rested the bottom of the camera on the table and used the headlamp (Any light source will work) to illuminate the dollar. I used the zoom to get even closer.

Your assignment is to create 5 different closeup images with your Smartphone.

Here is a photo of the rig I've built (3) to help you take your smartphone close-ups. Your phone sits on the top piece of Plexiglas and you position your camera lens over the disposable camera lens. The object you want to photograph sits on the bottom layer of Plexiglas.

The thickness of the plexiglass will cause some vignetting.

Use the zoom on your smartphone camera app to crop out the rough edges. Here is the same image "zoomed in". I used a backpacking headlamp to light the objects from below.

I switched to a red light for this image....

Make sure you bring items in to photograph!! I know you won't forget your phone. :)

There are a whole world of small objects just waiting for you to explore.

I used an app (free) called Snapseed to give this image it's rough look.

This is of the circuit board that was inside the disposable camera I "borrowed" the lens from.

In this image I placed the lens between my Otterbox and my camera. I used Snapseed to saturate the colors in the image.

I found that I eliminated the vignetting when I took my Otterbox off my Iphone. I placed a cheap ($1.00) LED light under the paper clips. I placed two sheets of blue tissue paper over the light to get the color in the background. (and diffuse the light). 

Experiment!! Have fun. 

I shot hundreds of images using these techniques.