Knowing about the toy camera is as much fun as the photo! Nice shots, nice patterns of roundness in the snow. (Post a picture of the camera?) Three Rivers Daily Photo
Toys only in the eyes of the sellers of such. In the hands of the artist they can yield remarkable images. Like both shots and lean a bit more to the first.
I enjoy the plastic cameras because they reduce the fiddle factor considerably--there are no knobs, menus, and accessories to fiddle with. You can concentrate on seeing the subject.
Those are good looking photos for your toy camera. Acme? I never heard it those before this morning. In fact I had to look up "Acme" to make sure I knew what the word meant and that explains it: "The best toy camera takes great photos."
Rembrandt and the rest used camera obscura in their delicate paintings and while I know it works as I attempted it more than once, I didn't like doing it in the dark -- so to speak. You didn't say if this was "film" or "digital" but guessing the film camera would be cheapest to make, I am guessing it is a film camera.
All in all, David, I like the two pictures and in black and white the Acme toy camera and old iron wagon wheels go together perfectly.
Thanks for your comments. The Acme is indeed a film camera. It shoots 16 exposures on a 120 roll. My preferred film is Kodak Tri-X 400, which I develop at home in Diafine. I have a flatbed scanner that allows me to digitize the images off the negatives. I tweak the tone, brightness, and contrast of the digitized images. Occasionally, I eliminate some dust specks that my crude analogue-to-digital workflow introduces. Otherwise, I don't manipulate the images. The imperfections of the plastic camera introduce all the effects I need.
The Acme brand is one of many labels put on Diana cameras, which were manufactured by the Great Wall Plastic Company in Hong Kong starting in the sixties. The cameras were sold cheap or were given away as prizes or promotional items. I have one which is labeled "Shakey's" and which was a promotional item for the pizza restaurant chain.
These cameras have been popular with artists for decades. Nancy Rexroth produced a popular book called "Iowa" using Diana photos. Most of the photos were actually taken in your native state of Ohio, but they evoke the Iowa of Ms. Rexroth's childhood.
I'm beginning to drone on. I'll have to dedicate a post to this subject.
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13 comments:
Those are charming. I love toy camera shots :)
Wheels within wheels, even though they get unsharp.
Great mono.
Wonderful old wheels, and a fine effect with that camera.
Thanks for the visiit.
These are terrific, DAVID. Especially the first one. I have some old wheels that I shot on my recent break which I will consider for MM next week.
Wheels in mono, very nice shots!
Nice shots. As they say, it's not the camera, but the photographer. Good eye.
Knowing about the toy camera is as much fun as the photo! Nice shots, nice patterns of roundness in the snow.
(Post a picture of the camera?)
Three Rivers Daily Photo
Thanks to all for the comments.
To see the camera, check the previous posts Adventures With Acme
Part 1
and
Part 2.
Toys only in the eyes of the sellers of such. In the hands of the artist they can yield remarkable images. Like both shots and lean a bit more to the first.
I enjoy the plastic cameras because they reduce the fiddle factor considerably--there are no knobs, menus, and accessories to fiddle with. You can concentrate on seeing the subject.
Those are good looking photos for your toy camera. Acme? I never heard it those before this morning. In fact I had to look up "Acme" to make sure I knew what the word meant and that explains it: "The best toy camera takes great photos."
Rembrandt and the rest used camera obscura in their delicate paintings and while I know it works as I attempted it more than once, I didn't like doing it in the dark -- so to speak. You didn't say if this was "film" or "digital" but guessing the film camera would be cheapest to make, I am guessing it is a film camera.
All in all, David, I like the two pictures and in black and white the Acme toy camera and old iron wagon wheels go together perfectly.
Abe,
Thanks for your comments. The Acme is indeed a film camera. It shoots 16 exposures on a 120 roll. My preferred film is Kodak Tri-X 400, which I develop at home in Diafine. I have a flatbed scanner that allows me to digitize the images off the negatives. I tweak the tone, brightness, and contrast of the digitized images. Occasionally, I eliminate some dust specks that my crude analogue-to-digital workflow introduces. Otherwise, I don't manipulate the images. The imperfections of the plastic camera introduce all the effects I need.
The Acme brand is one of many labels put on Diana cameras, which were manufactured by the Great Wall Plastic Company in Hong Kong starting in the sixties. The cameras were sold cheap or were given away as prizes or promotional items. I have one which is labeled "Shakey's" and which was a promotional item for the pizza restaurant chain.
These cameras have been popular with artists for decades. Nancy Rexroth produced a popular book called "Iowa" using Diana photos. Most of the photos were actually taken in your native state of Ohio, but they evoke the Iowa of Ms. Rexroth's childhood.
I'm beginning to drone on. I'll have to dedicate a post to this subject.
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