100 Days: Getting Clearer

Shot through my new old set of vintage Polaroid glass macro lenses in a leather case! Came across the case in a modern camera shop's dusty bin of anachronisms--on sale! (wouldn't that be great if they labeled the bin like that!) Un-priced, I axed the man how much fer them and after much head scratching with an associate they came out with "$5". I am no poker player and nearly leaped at them and said "sold" as calmly as I could.

I instinctively felt that lenses such as these would allow me to photograph Halfland in the outmoded, almost spy glass, early photography feeling that we've all seen luscious examples of lately around the web. Have you seen the 100 year old COLOR photography collection on Flickr yet? Or the madly inspiring glass distortion effects from the Black and white images from 155 years ago such these!? My film style reference board is filled with smoky, blurred imagery such as this.

Above you see a new tin pot prop, the background puppets the Knitting Beetles hard at work, Bosq the Cat's new sleepy bed, and the kit that I used to get the effect through my vintage Polaroid Land Camera.


This test demos a station on the track to my ultimate unique lens and camera set up. But at least I'm getting clearer on what I want.

More excitement tomorrow...

Comments

  1. Anonymous6:44 AM

    Magical indeed!

    I think you would like Heap Us 'round Our Ruins.
    http://vimeo.com/5579909

    http://www.round-our-ruins.com/

    I am so sorry that I missed seeing these guys when they were in Baltimore. It looks like they will be in your area in Nov.

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  2. Anonymous10:30 AM

    This is what I've been on about! The vintage, aged, old, otherworldly timeless look. Film used to have the monopoly on that, but with a DSLR you can get really close. Great to see you using antique lenses :)

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  3. nice. love your style. this is going to look really cool. Those 100 year old pics are amazing. Very inspiring.

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  4. What a great find. And it's good when you said "sold!" that you lowered the voice to: explosion. Very cool effect :)

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  5. Ooo, love the 'round our ruins piece, Peggy! More than there super 8 filming though I adored their soundscape! I heard vinyl record scratching sound and they way it cycled around on the turn table like the thumping of a heart! STEALING THAT! And I also loved the sound they made with the rake. I want to add that into the night time wind sound in my film. Thank you!

    Hi Don, yeah I'll get there somehow when I get the Lumix.

    Thanks, Rich! Glad you got to see those.

    Thanks, Tony, yeah, I'm cool like that! :P

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  6. Well done!
    It's aesthetically very close to your macro obscura experiment. (I couldn't find it in the archive at once so I didn't link it here.)

    It just looks very right to use this blurry and grungy kind of lense within your production. These lenses will work a bit better than the macro obscura did because they're randomly distorted.

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  7. Shelley, I love this timeless look. Magical! What if you combine the camera effects with some lighting tricks; making some gobos, filters to achive this look?

    Videos from 'round our ruins was amazing by the way.

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  8. And the info about cayenne pepper on the right column is very interesting. I will check it out.

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  9. oh, to be shot with such a lens... that would be magical. I'd also like to dig around in a 'dusty bin of anachronisms'. I can only imagine all da cool things I'd find.
    Jed xo

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  10. Thanks, Jessica, yes, I think this style will suit the films very well indeed. I intend to still use the Macro Obscura for certain sequences as well. It's way to fabulous not to.

    Hi Yaz! Yes, smart lighting will be essential. I'm excited to try some of the tutorials we've been getting from or Jedi Master.

    Yes, see what you think about the Cayenne. It's possible it can protect the brain from damage during a stoke by rapidly increasing blood flow as well. I carry a tincture of it now.

    HI Jed, great to see you here. Yes, tell DJ to experiment with how she'll want to capture your stories. I wonder what her style will be!?

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  11. $5?! you were totally at the right place at the right time. lucky girl! happy halfland serendipity.

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  12. Thanks gl! I know! Paul said I looked like a cat with a freshly killed bird during the negotiations. I don't know of another way to reproduce this vintage lens look, in color, with a digital camera.

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