not my dslr alternative approaches for fun and creativity andrée lawrey 11 february 2014

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NOT MY DSLR Alternative approaches for fun and creativity Andrée Lawrey 11 February 2014

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Page 1: NOT MY DSLR Alternative approaches for fun and creativity Andrée Lawrey 11 February 2014

NOT MY DSLR

Alternative approaches for fun and creativity

Andrée Lawrey11 February 2014

Page 2: NOT MY DSLR Alternative approaches for fun and creativity Andrée Lawrey 11 February 2014

But I love my DSLR!

• Better image quality • Faster, more responsive• Interchangeable lenses• More megapixels, less noise, better dynamic

range, more options, more user control, etc.• Defines the serious photographer– Real photographers use DSLRS – don’t they?

Page 3: NOT MY DSLR Alternative approaches for fun and creativity Andrée Lawrey 11 February 2014

Meet David Burnett…

• Well-known photojournalist– uses DSLRs plus assorted film cameras, including• Holga plastic camera (medium format film)• Speed Graphic (4x5 film plates)• Rolleiflex, Mamiya

– And a tiny Ricoh point and shoot in his pocket

• Trying for a different look, a picture with something special about it– Get the reader to stop and look for a moment

before flipping the page

Page 5: NOT MY DSLR Alternative approaches for fun and creativity Andrée Lawrey 11 February 2014

DSLRs for image quality?• Sharper, well exposed photos with good

shadow/highlight detail, low noise, creative control (DOF etc)– scope for cropping, post processing, big prints

• But that’s not enough for a great image– Other factors matter more, e.g.• choice of subject, composition, lighting, colour/B&W• which camera/lens/film/technique suits the

subject/story being told?

Page 6: NOT MY DSLR Alternative approaches for fun and creativity Andrée Lawrey 11 February 2014

How much ‘quality’ do we need?

• Any camera can do the job if you learn what it can and can’t do– The best camera is the one you have with you

(Chase Jarvis)– Kevin Russ travels light and shoots landscape

photographs on his iPhone, using mainly one app (VSCOCAM)

– Jim Richardson, NG photographer, recently hiked in Scotland with only his iPhone• Took a while to learn what the camera could do and

shoot accordingly

Page 7: NOT MY DSLR Alternative approaches for fun and creativity Andrée Lawrey 11 February 2014

Take a break (from the DSLR)

• Lose the weight– Smaller, lighter, more convenient, more discreet

• Keep it simple– Too many options are distraction• How many moments have you missed fussing with

lenses or camera settings?

• Get a different look– Choice of tools and processes can make a

surprising difference

Page 8: NOT MY DSLR Alternative approaches for fun and creativity Andrée Lawrey 11 February 2014

Take a break (2)• Become more creative– Explore different tools/techniques– Experiment, overcome technical constraints– Learn to think and see differently

• Take a holiday from technical perfection and photographic correctness– Too easy to slide from ‘correct’ to safe, staid,

predictable…• Come back refreshed and make stronger images!

Page 9: NOT MY DSLR Alternative approaches for fun and creativity Andrée Lawrey 11 February 2014

Consider the possibilities• Pinhole cameras– Lens free photography, as simple as it gets

• Plastic cameras (aka toy cameras)– Medium format for the masses, happy accidents

• Polaroid/instant film– Yes, it’s still around!

• Camera phones– Instant gratification, with or without in-phone post

processing• Digital point and shoot

Page 10: NOT MY DSLR Alternative approaches for fun and creativity Andrée Lawrey 11 February 2014

Pinhole photography

• Camera obscura: a box with a tiny hole to let light reach the film inside– Or several holes to make a pinhole panorama

• As simple and basic as it gets:– Where to point the camera?– How long to expose?

• Characteristics: infinite depth of field with softness and distortion around the edges

Page 11: NOT MY DSLR Alternative approaches for fun and creativity Andrée Lawrey 11 February 2014

Pinhole photography (2)• Cheap and cheerful– Make your own out of cardboard or a biscuit tin– Buy a DIY kit or a plastic pinhole camera• or even a posh one of varnished wood with brass

fittings

• All you need is patience and a sense of adventure– Long exposures, learning to guesstimate exposure,

never quite sure what you have until the film comes back

Page 12: NOT MY DSLR Alternative approaches for fun and creativity Andrée Lawrey 11 February 2014

Stephen Best: Karijini• Black and white 6 x 12 pinhole images of

Karijini NP in Western Australia• Deliberate choice – Already many “over colourful” images of the park

• Simplified approach – concentrate more on the subject and the lighting:

“the quintessence of a photogaph”.

http://www.photoaccess.org.au/?q=node/438http://www.stephenbestphotography.com/

Page 13: NOT MY DSLR Alternative approaches for fun and creativity Andrée Lawrey 11 February 2014

Steph Tout: The Sum of These Holes

• Melbourne artist, exploring perceptions of place with a medium format, 6-pinhole biscuit tin

• Opens the holes one by one as she explores a location, pointing the camera at details that attract her attention– The exposures merge to make a single panoramic

montage

http://stephtout.com.au/Sum-of-these-holeshttp://stephtout.com.au/

Page 14: NOT MY DSLR Alternative approaches for fun and creativity Andrée Lawrey 11 February 2014

Pinhole photography (3)

• More inspiration: Doug Spowart and Victoria Cooper– Amazing, creative camera obscura projects, e.g.

car camera, room camera• http://www.cooperandspowart.com.au/

• Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day: 27 April– http://www.pinholeday.org/

Page 15: NOT MY DSLR Alternative approaches for fun and creativity Andrée Lawrey 11 February 2014

Plastic fantastic

• Lomo, Holga, Diana +, Spinner and many more– Each has its own characteristics• www.lomography.com, www.lomography.com.au

• Cheap and cheerful, easy introduction to medium format film– 35mm and 110mm models also available

• Lo-fi photography– Flare, blur, vignetting, light leaks (gaffer tape is

your friend), much scope for happy accidents

Page 16: NOT MY DSLR Alternative approaches for fun and creativity Andrée Lawrey 11 February 2014

Plastic fantastic (2)• Can’t get too serious with a “toy” camera– Can take it to the beach, hold it out the window,

shoot from the hip, drop it, lend it to your grandchild…

• Technical perfection is impossible, so it’s all about creative vision

• Plenty of constraints to overcome– No light meter (just sunny, shade, bulb), rough

zone focus, no auto anything, lens flaws, small, inaccurate viewfinder

Page 17: NOT MY DSLR Alternative approaches for fun and creativity Andrée Lawrey 11 February 2014

Plastic fantastic (3)

• Have to experiment, think differently, work with camera’s limitations, e.g.– Sharper centres, soft edges, vignettes• Re-think composition

– Rudimentary/no exposure controls• Use negative film for greater exposure latitude• Try the ‘bulb’ setting and play with blur

– No auto-winder• Experiment with multiple and overlapping exposures,

in-camera panoramas

Page 18: NOT MY DSLR Alternative approaches for fun and creativity Andrée Lawrey 11 February 2014

The 10 golden rules of Lomography1. Take your camera everywhere you go2. Use it any time – day and night3. Lomography is not an interference in your life, but part of it4. Try the shot from the hip5. Approach the objects of your Lomographic desire as close as

possible6. Don’t think (William Firebrace: “Your brightest and clearest

insights are always your first impressions.”)7. Be fast8. You don’t have to know beforehand what you captured on film9. Afterwards either10. Don’t worry about any rules

Page 19: NOT MY DSLR Alternative approaches for fun and creativity Andrée Lawrey 11 February 2014

Polaroid: instant nostalgia

• Instant photo sharing before the digital age– Small, not always sharp, soft colours– Distinctive Polaroid look• Nostalgia, holidays at the beach, old photo albums…

– Tactile• Nothing quite beats a Polaroid in the hand

– Plastic camera with basic settings• Lighter/normal/darker, fixed focus – experiment a little

to learn the best settings/subject distances, then good to go

Page 20: NOT MY DSLR Alternative approaches for fun and creativity Andrée Lawrey 11 February 2014

Polaroid (2)

• No more Polaroid film– Any stock on eBay is pretty old by now– But The Impossible Project is making new films for

old Polaroid cameras• B&W as well as colour• Getting better all the time

– Old Polaroid cameras readily available used (eBay) or refurbished (www.the-impossible-project.com)

• Fuji is still making instant cameras and film– Different look, but also fun

Page 21: NOT MY DSLR Alternative approaches for fun and creativity Andrée Lawrey 11 February 2014

Then there’s the smart phone• Small, light, discreet, versatile, apps for

everything– Point and shoot– Serious camera– Retro, plastic camera effects– Shoot and share– ‘in camera’ effects or post processing on the

phone• Something for everyone

Page 22: NOT MY DSLR Alternative approaches for fun and creativity Andrée Lawrey 11 February 2014

Hipstamatic

• iPhone app, mimics retro, plastic camera looks– Many ‘lens’ and ‘film’ combinations• Some over the top or worse, others less extreme• Different combinations suit different subjects• Double exposures also available

• Not good for post processing – Best used like a plastic camera• Choose lens & film, experiment, repeat• If it doesn’t work, try again or try something else

Page 23: NOT MY DSLR Alternative approaches for fun and creativity Andrée Lawrey 11 February 2014

Kerry Baylor – Instagram

• Canberra photographer, works at PhotoAccess, prolific Instagrammer

• Works in series, uses tags to structure her collections– #goodmorningwatson, #busstop, #canberraclouds

• Chooses filters/effects to suit specific subjects– Pretty colour photos for Good Morning Watson– Soft B&W, photojournalist look for Bus Stop

Page 24: NOT MY DSLR Alternative approaches for fun and creativity Andrée Lawrey 11 February 2014

Kerry Baylor – Instagram (2)

• Like a digital Polaroid: small, square, to be shared instantly– Don’t need a computer, Photoshop etc.

• Quick and easy: review, edit, share, discuss within Instagram app– Uses the native camera for initial capture and

saves original in case a filter doesn’t work out• Capturing rectangular photos for cropping to square is

just a matter of practice (keep the camera straight, leave room to crop)

Page 25: NOT MY DSLR Alternative approaches for fun and creativity Andrée Lawrey 11 February 2014

Kerry Baylor – Instagram (3)

• Instant sharing, discussion with like-minded photographers– “like Facebook for photographers”

• Visual diary, artist’s workbook, structured with hashtags– Sees pattern emerging, then builds on that to

develop series• Keeps 3 or 4 tags going at any one time• Discipline of sticking to subject(s)

Page 26: NOT MY DSLR Alternative approaches for fun and creativity Andrée Lawrey 11 February 2014

Kerry Baylor – Instagram (4)• Recommends just a few tags at a time– Keep them as specific as possible – generic tags

attract spam• Suggests picking just a few filters to suit the

subjects you shoot– Extreme effects get stale very quickly• Kerry currently likes

– Willow: soft B&W, rather like a pinhole– Inkwell: like a faded old B&W print– Sutro: like a faded Kodachrome slide, vignette– Lo-Fi: brighter colour, higher contrast

Page 28: NOT MY DSLR Alternative approaches for fun and creativity Andrée Lawrey 11 February 2014

Just (point and) shoot!• Pocket camera without the smart phone,

smart app baggage– Most of us have one in the house– Light and easy, way to capture photos you

wouldn’t get otherwise– Perfect for documentary, visual diary, digital

sketchbook– Also good for trying Lomography type approach:

shoot form the hip, break the rules, tilt the camera• Play!

Page 29: NOT MY DSLR Alternative approaches for fun and creativity Andrée Lawrey 11 February 2014

Give it a go!• Many possibilities: pick one and give it a try• If you use your smart phone as a serious camera,

try one of the camera apps– Or borrow a plastic camera or your grandson’s point and

shoot• Experiment, play with possibilities, enjoy the

journey– Try a project to keep you motivated

• Work to a theme: close to home, Holga landscapes, pinhole panoramas, family outings…

• Plan the output: exhibition series, portfolio competition, photo book, slideshow