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2/27/2008
self portrait (yes, i'm a little behind)
I shot this a few months ago, but I'm interested to hear some feedback on it. It was shot with a pinhole (+pola back), pretty funny sitting still for 2min--
I think the technique and its execution are wonderful: all the nuances of instant film process with the gritty, color-altering effects of the pinhole. And just like the older processes that this one harks to, your posing in the image is dictated by the chosen technique and materials. Unfortunately, the content of the image falls short of the beauty of its creation. The real objects in the scene are secondary to the photographic plane in front of them. I can't see the marriage between the process and the image. Or at least the entire image. You should definitely continue with this combination of materials.
thanks drew for your thoughtful response Yes, I agree that more attention needed to be given to the background, absolutely. The fact is, I really had no idea if anything was going to come out on the polaroid--this was essentially a trial run. I hadn't even tried this method before I took this picture.
I'm lookin forward to experimenting more--however, I've been very picky with my polaroids lately (and for good measure)
by the way, does anyone know if you can "reply" to a comment or do you just have to add a new one?
All you can really do is add a new one (because the comment is simply a response to the post). If you want I can have the blog notify you through email of every new comment (this makes for a lot of new emails, but they are helpful). I can appreciate your frugality with the roids, especially with this testy process. You might want to try some separate test with a cheap material like photo paper(one that you can apply an ISO) or some 4x5 film, and figure out an approximate aperture for the pinhole. Instant film doesn't respond as well to low light and your reciprocity failure will be much higher than that of fresh film. From looking at this image I thought you should try a close up of your face, just a head-shot. Something you can repeat easily while you perfect this imperfect process. This image has a painterly look, your expression is supposed to be frozen while you pose, but its shifts slightly with the lengthy capture. I would definitely focus on small singular items.
i think the quality and texture of the shot is great and unique but i think the background bothers me -i don't want to that lamp i want to see ancient ruins -Roman columns -a crumbling Abbey you know -that's easier said then done.
5 comments:
I think the technique and its execution are wonderful: all the nuances of instant film process with the gritty, color-altering effects of the pinhole. And just like the older processes that this one harks to, your posing in the image is dictated by the chosen technique and materials. Unfortunately, the content of the image falls short of the beauty of its creation. The real objects in the scene are secondary to the photographic plane in front of them. I can't see the marriage between the process and the image. Or at least the entire image. You should definitely continue with this combination of materials.
... and don't worry about posting late, we're just happy to see the work.
thanks drew for your thoughtful response
Yes, I agree that more attention needed to be given to the background, absolutely. The fact is, I really had no idea if anything was going to come out on the polaroid--this was essentially a trial run. I hadn't even tried this method before I took this picture.
I'm lookin forward to experimenting more--however, I've been very picky with my polaroids lately (and for good measure)
by the way, does anyone know if you can "reply" to a comment or do you just have to add a new one?
All you can really do is add a new one (because the comment is simply a response to the post). If you want I can have the blog notify you through email of every new comment (this makes for a lot of new emails, but they are helpful). I can appreciate your frugality with the roids, especially with this testy process. You might want to try some separate test with a cheap material like photo paper(one that you can apply an ISO) or some 4x5 film, and figure out an approximate aperture for the pinhole. Instant film doesn't respond as well to low light and your reciprocity failure will be much higher than that of fresh film. From looking at this image I thought you should try a close up of your face, just a head-shot. Something you can repeat easily while you perfect this imperfect process. This image has a painterly look, your expression is supposed to be frozen while you pose, but its shifts slightly with the lengthy capture. I would definitely focus on small singular items.
i think the quality and texture of the shot is great and unique but i think the background bothers me -i don't want to that lamp i want to see ancient ruins -Roman columns -a crumbling Abbey you know -that's easier said then done.
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