Sprocket Hole Adventures

Several weeks ago, I got a bee in my bonnet to try out the whole sprocket-hole thing, having seen other photographers sharing pictures made by exposing the entire piece of 35mm film for years. Lomography sells a camera specifically for this (the Sprocket Rocket, a name I love), but as I do not own one nor do I see myself making these kinds of photos very often, I decided to figure out another solution using my Diana F.

A brief internet search brought me to a very helpful YouTube video, which I am sharing below with the hope that y’all will both watch it and show this YouTuber some love:

Basically, (mostly) following his instructions I cut a craft stick the length of a 120 spool, taped the 35mm roll to it, stretched the film over, and taped it into the 120 take-up spool. I also taped some foil over the red film window, per the video’s instructions. I did not bother making a mark on the film winder; I decided to wing it with that part.

Obviously, the technique of taping everything in place means that unless you’ve brought a changing bag along with you, you are pretty much restricted to just exposing one roll in the camera. This was fine with me, as I intended this experiment to be brief.

For the sake of assuming I was going to fail with the whole endeavor, I used a roll of Kentmere 400 that had been languishing in my deep freeze for many years.

The good news it: IT WORKED! Beautifully, better than I expected. They might not be the most incredible photographs I’ve ever made, but I am thrilled with the results all the same.

I took the loaded Diana with me the day I wandered around the Domain, in January. I was well aware that only the middle of the frame would actually hit film, so I kept that in mind when I was composing. Many of the shots were from the hip, and all of them were rough guesses.

What I did wrong was advance the film way too much in between each exposure. I decided to err on the side of extreme caution, and probably ended up wasting just as many frames as I made. Live and learn! I have another roll of that Kentmere, and I know how I will be using it one day in the not-so-distant future. I feel like I need to try one more time, and maybe even have some interesting overlaps instead of too few photos.

Another way I made things more difficult for myself: when the negatives were drying and I saw all the blank film between each exposure, I decided to just cut that away, leaving myself with little pieces that would of course be easy to put into an enlarger negative carrier but that were an absolute nightmare to scan. I ended up having to tape them in place on a medium format negative holder.

I did zero research into this technique, so I also didn’t realize how challenging it would be to scan the negatives, since the scanner registers the space inside the sprocket hole as the darkest spot in the image. I had to guess what the “black point” would be and manually set it for each frame. There might not be a way around this, but in the end it worked well enough.

Incidentally, digging around in my closet the other day I discovered something I had forgotten I own: a 35mm adapter kit for my Rolleiflex. My Dad gave me this when he gave me the Rollei, and it’s been stashed away for decades. GUESS what other sprocket hole adventure is in the near future!

Once again I find my Diana F redeemed. (A year ago, I was ready to either throw it out the window or sell it, I was so frustrated with the camera.) Once again, I find myself pleased with the results from a film stock for which I had low expectations. Once again, I find myself having a blast trying and learning new things! Thanks for reading, and if you try this, please let me know!

(PS If you don’t want to have to fool around taping things into place, it is possible to buy a kit that lets you properly adapt your Diana - and also your Holga - for 35mm film. In fact I also found in my closet the 35mm adapter kit for my Holga, and I’ll probably play with that one day before too long.)

At the Blanton, 3

Today I am bringing you my third installment of photographs made at the Blanton Museum. Previously I shared widelux photographs, in this post and this post, but now all these months later I finally have color pinhole photographs I made with my Ondu 6x6 and Kodak Portra 800. Honestly, I had forgotten about them, but c’est la vie when you let your exposed film pile up and don’t keep a record of what you were up to.

More than likely I have said it before, but the Ellsworth Kelly building there is a wonderful place. It is beautiful to look at, and interesting, and lends itself kindly to all sorts of photography.

The museum doesn’t allow tripods, so most of the time I had my camera on the floor, on a bench, or propped up with my bag. I am really happy with how these photographs turned out, so I am glad my unsophisticated system worked! I also pretty much just guessed at the time for exposure, which worked to my liking inside. . . . .

. . . . mostly. . . .

. . . . outside got a little overexposed but hey, it could be worse!

I made some color pinholes inside the museum proper, too, including hand-holding the camera once to a slightly dizzying effect.

I love these statues and find them endlessly photogenic. Clearly I do a better job with some cameras than others.

There’s a new exhibition at the Blanton that my daughter and I want to see, so - provided photography is allowed - sometime in the future I am bound to have more images from this place to share with you.

Thanks, y’all, for looking! Next time I will be sharing work from another Austin location that I can’t visit without making a bunch of photos.

At the Blanton, 2

Further to my recent post about a trip to the Blanton Museum in Austin, I have another small set of photographs to share! You can check out other photographs from the same outing here.

Widelux and Tri-X

Last time, I shared photographs made with the Widelux mostly inside the Ellsworth Kelly. Today what I have to show you are photographs made in a couple of rooms of the museum itself. Again, I am pleased with how they came out, given I was mostly holding the camera or propping it on an obliging bench.

Something about silhouettes in a museum environment has always captivated me. Also, I’ve noticed that museums tend to be interesting spaces in and of themselves, with a lot of time and care being given to the artfulness of the architecture, the placement of walls and windows, the quality of the lighting. All of these touches add to the experience of viewing the artwork, whether we realize it or not. . . . . I have to admit I am usually too distracted by the building and the people to spend as much time on the artwork. That’s what exhibition catalogs are for!

Widelux and Kodak Tri-X

Thank you for looking!

At the Blanton, 1

In October, I went to the Blanton Museum on UT Campus with friends of mine from the relatively new ‘Art Attack group. The Blanton is lucky enough to have a monumental work by Ellsworth Kelly - basically, a building. It was still under construction the last time I was at the museum, so I was excited to be going there again at a time when I would be able to go inside. I had seen plenty of photographs of the space, and I was chomping at the bit to make my own.

I arrived for the field trip armed with more than my usual variety of film cameras; it seemed like the perfect opportunity to break out not only my Ondu 6x6 pinhole but also my sadly underused Widelux. Since the museum doesn’t allow tripods, I had to get creative and use either bits of the architecture or my tote bag to prop up those cameras. I enjoy winging it and working in circumstances that aren’t ideal for the type of photography in which I intend to engage.

Widelux and Kodak Tri-X, inside “Austin”

It has taken me longer than usual to get around to developing the black and white film (I’m still not finished), and the color film that I exposed is still languishing patiently for when I feel brave enough to mix up more chemistry. However, I will admit that I’m pleased with how these panoramic images came out, especially considering the circumstances.

The following image was made just outside the Ellsworth Kelly; it includes part of the building.

Below are a couple of images from inside the museum

Thank you for looking! These are the only photographs I have developed from that day so far but I hope to have more to share eventually. I also hope to go back to the Blanton again before too long to actually look at the art for its own sake rather than just viewing it as photographic subject matter.

Johnnie Kay

Recently I was lucky enough to get to photograph the talented and beautiful Jamie (who performs under the name Johnnie Kay), a local singer / songwriter / musician who is currently involved in 3 projects in addition to her own solo work.  These photographs are a celebration of her as an independent woman with her feet on solid ground.  They are a celebration of this particular time in her life.  They are a visual expression of who she is, in her own space, in her own moment.  Here are a few of my favorites from our session!  

Be sure to check out Johnnie Kay in In the Umbra, The Shadow of Nine, and in the brand new Americana / bluegrass project Bastard Gumbo!