GregRob: SoFoBoMo blog

Yet Another Theme

Yesterday evening after thinking about the book “André Kertész: The Polaroids” and the photos I had taken inspired by some of the images in that book, a new theme has come to mind: Refraction

I like this theme for a few reasons:

• Fun theme, involving playing with image creation.
• Varying sub themes possible within the main theme.
• Simple book title.
• For a book to be completed in 30 days a simple theme, that allows for studio shooting, may be easier to execute.

My basic idea in this theme is that each image involves refraction in some way.  While shooting through a camera lens involves refraction, that doesn’t count.  I am thinking of more extreme situations/results.  As seen in yesterday’s post there is already the glass brick as example.  I have seen some great images created by shooting through water bubbles.  Trying to capture the heat waves above a campfire could be a pleasant excuse to head to Algonquin for a weekend.  There could be variations on a particular subject by shooting through different coloured mediums.  Some cold beer could be involved, and don’t forget a magnifying glasses, stained glass windows, and telescopes.

So this is the latest idea, just adding it to the mental stack of idea still percolating down through my brain.  Now if I could just remember what were all those other ideas….

Glass and Colour by: Greg Roberts

Brainstorm 0.13

And here we go with some development of some of the 0.03 brainstorming ideas:

Highway cloverleafs over/underpasses

This is an architecture subject.  Taking pictures of something we all see everyday, but presenting it in a different way.  Wide angle, and panorama images are needed to communicate the subhect.  Taking photos later in the SoFoBoMo period would be best as you’d want the grass to be green.  Different times of day would really make a difference in the images, sunrise, late day, etc.  Shooting weekend mornings would be required to minimize the cars in the images.  Long exposures could also make interesting images.

Long exposure night views around the city

Another way of looking at the city, going out with a tripod at very late or very early hours.  Maybe throw in some HDR images.  The city without people.

Water and Sand, a study of the recreational interface between land and lake

In this topic we can have both detail and great vistas.  The rest is pretty self explanatory.  

Pints – a photographic pub crawl

A good excuse to drink, probably not really a good topic for a book of photos.

Colours- Oil, Water, and all that

There are very interesting images you can create by throwing together liquids that don’t actually mix.  Oil on water, gas in the gutter, soap bubbles and food colours.  The very small can look grand and the very big is full of details.

Brainstorm 0.03

And another post on some train of thought brainstorming for book ideas.  I am starting to feel dry, but figured I would give it another go.  There are quite a few ideas here now, and I should be able to begin the process of letting things percolate.  I have found writing them down to be helpful in moving the creative process along.

In times past I have carried a small notebook so that I could sketch photo ideas as they came to me.   From time to time I would pull the book out for inspiration and go shoot something that I had previsouly visualized mentally.   Writing this blog seems similar, although having an audience causes me to edit a lot.

So here goes the latest list:

• Garbage – piles of it, dumps, on the curb, trucks
• Shoes, feet, walkng, moving
• Wire, cable, posts, poles, & rights of way
• People’s faces as they are playing video games
• Highway cloverleafs over/underpasses
• Long exposure night views around the city
• Water and Sand, a study of the recreational interface between land and lake
• Pints – a photographic pub crawl
• Colours- Oil, Water, and all that
• Neighbours – a portrait study of the people on my street in Brampton
• Collections – Lots of little things accumulated 
• The modified city – photoshopped images of Brampton (or somewhere else)

Macro Test Image

I shot a test image using my Bender 4×5 racked out all the way with my 150mm lens mounted.  The image is a shutter from a Agfa Isolette that is currently partially disassembled.  The exposure ended up being 72 seconds at f32 on a Polaroid Type 51 negative.

The shutter is floating on the end of a Manfrotto Flex Arm.  It is stuck there with some silly putty.  The background is about a foot back and is simply some black fleece from a fabric store draped over the back of a chair.  Lighting is from two continuous 46 watt (150 watt equivalent) daylight balanced fluorescent lights in reflectors.  One to the left of the camera, and one directly above the shutter.

The setup shot is on flickr: 

Brainstorm 0.22

Again today I am adding some development to ideas from a previous brainstorm list. And as always method plays a role in some of this photography. But if I can make the method a part of the book, then this should be ok.

Canoe trip in Algonqiun

I think that to really do this item would require taking a week off, to really have a good trip, and the opportunity to do a lot of shooting.  I don’t think day trips, or a single night trip would really suffice.  The basic idea is captured in the title:  I/we go on a canoe trip, and during the trip shoot a lot of stuff.  There are multiple elements to the story.  The nature around us, the camping experience, and of course the canoeing.  Since Algonquin is pretty far from city lights, there could even be a chapter of night shots (astrophotography).

 In all honestly as with any location based book it would be best to actually shoot for a year or two and then sort through the pictures to filter out a good collection.  But the nature of SoFoBoMo does allow that, and thus documenting a single journey may have to suffice.

Niagara Falls – sans falls

If you have been to Niagara falls you know that there is a lot more to it than the falls.  There is a real kitsch to entire streets, and the money vacums are running at full strength to get a piece of the tourist dollar.  With this is mind a lighthearted look at Niagara Falls the city could make for an interesting book.  As well as the kitsch the city does have history, which I like shooting, and that would help balance things.  On the plus side it is not too far a drive from my home, so multiple trips would be possible.   

Macro shots: clocks, watches, and shutters (springs & gears)

In this idea I am thinking of Paul Strand’s photographs.  Particularly his images of an Akeley Motion Picture Camera which I have always found amazing.  As camera parts have been greatly reduced in size, this would today be a macro study.  I like the details in the gears and springs of camera shutters, and I currently have a couple lying about disassembled.  To flesh this out to book length I would also shoot details of clocks and watches to follow a similar theme.  

I don’t really have a good macro rig, so a portion of this project could be to construct a macro rig to work with my Minolta 7D.  In this case the method could become a part of the book, as mentioned previously the actaul construction of the macro rig could be done during the SoFoBoMo month, and documented photographically to be included as an appendix to the book.  

I could also shoot some images with my Bender 4×5, since it can rack a lens out extremely far.

Paul Strand Double Akeley, New York 1922