Archive for April, 2009

Apr 25

The (ridiculous) price of a film camera

Someone I know told me he has an old film camera he doesn’t really need anymore (what a shocker!) and maybe I would like to come over and see it, and if I like it he will give me a good price even though he’s truly quite fond of it and would hate to part with this wonderful camera.
So I stopped by to check the little marvel and was a bit disappointed to find out it was not quite an “old camera” unless we count the mid-90s as ancient history.
It was a Canon EOS Rebel X SLR and I had a very little interest in it but I was rather polite and said oh what a nice camera. And to continue the charade I asked him how much he wants for it. He shifted the camera from one hand to another as if he was trying to weigh it and see how many dollars it will take for him to give it up.
Lucky for me I was sitting down when he finally said “$350!” I needed a few seconds to recover but I eventually gained my composure and said “ OK, let me check on eBay and see how much this camera is sold for online”. Sure, he said, but don’t forget this camera is in mint condition.
I was curious enough and I actually did check out this camera on eBay. The prices were ridiculously low from $5 to $54. I was looking around real good but unfortunately I couldn’t find one for $350.
As it is the market for classic cameras that are no doubt fun and intriguing, is limited to a few enthusiasts, so even these cool cameras have reasonably low prices. And even though I’m not an expert in the financial system, I have to suspect that SLRs from the 90’s have almost no market value. I mean if you have one at home you might get the urge to use it every once in a while, maybe. But if you’re going to buy a film camera I don’t believe you’ll be hunting and bargaining for something like this Canon SLR.

Embarcadero, San Francisco. Nikon N-75 . Kodak 100T

One of my favorite pictures was taken in the Embarcadero, San Francisco with another relatively new SLR (2003), Nikon N-75 and a Kodak 100 tungsten film.

8
comments

Apr 22

Into the sunset and ever after

One of my favorite things about creative photography is working directly into the photo print. This time I combined two methods that until now I did independently: hand coloring and distressing prints.
As far as the hand coloring goes there are a few ways to color and paint photographs, and they can be divided into two groups: traditional hand coloring using oil paints such as Marshals paints or the way I prefer doing it, free form painting.
Using free form is about mixing different painting approaches and tools, painting rather than coloring, stamping and adding text.
So basically the idea is to have fun with it and experiment with various ideas and methods.
Here I began with sanding the print which was printed on a glossy paper in order to rid of the shiny finish. Next I used an artist knife to outline the lines in the picture. I then painted the photo using acrylic paints to bring out the feel of the charming evening hour when this picture was taken. And finally using acrylic paints I stamped the photo, no special reason, just because.

**************************

Happy Earth Day !
Don’t forget to leave all the lights on when you leave home, drive your over-sized SUV over your neighbor’s stupid organic garden, cut down a couple of trees and dispose of used cans and bottles in the trash can. OK?

4
comments

Apr 17

My first camera

Most photographers when they talk about their first camera they suddenly turn all nostalgic and without any previous warning they drown in magical distant childhood memories. But not me. When I’m asked about my first camera I have to admit my story is quite lame, it only goes a few years back and is not special or wondrous at all.
Its quite embarrassing to admit but I actually began taking pictures with a digital camera. It was around 1998 before digital cameras invaded life in America, and in fact every time I used this camera I had to explain everybody around what a digital camera is. Though I must say I doubt that anybody really understood what a digital camera is all about because they always asked “but where is the film?” or “ how do you get the pictures from the film to the computer?”.

This so-called camera was a point and shoot Ricoh which was capable of creating images at 1 Megapixel (640X480), not enough to print even a wallet size picture. But I don’t really consider this camera to be my first camera: to start with, it wasn’t really mine; it actually belonged to my friendly neighbor. But mainly I don’t have any strong sentiments to this camera due to the fact this camera produced awfully low quality images which resembled something that looked more like a line drawing than an actual photograph. However, to its defense, I have to say that this alleged camera somehow made me curious about photography and helped me realize photography can actually be an enjoyable and a wonderful craft (instead of serious and stiff).

Ok, so my real true beloved first camera entered my life about a year later, sometimes in 1999. It wasn’t mine either. As I got curious about photography I wanted to shoot a real 35mm SLR. I looked around in different camera stores (yes, these stores are not fictitious and they actually did exist once) but even if I just wanted to purchase the body only (though I’m not sure what I would have done with an SLR with no lens) it was just too expensive for my shamefully modest budget.
So I complained and whined about it all to a few of my online friends (as you can see I don’t actually have real life friends) and I guess I must have done quite a good job of whining, that finally one of my online friends, Udi, told me he has an SLR camera, a Minolta SRT 101, which he is not planning on using anytime soon and if I really want it he is ready to let me borrow it. Right away, before he might change his mind, I said I’ll take it.
I still have this camera to this day. Its true Udi said I can borrow it for a while, but I think after he had seen how much I like this camera, not to mention the wonderful pictures I sent him, he just didn’t have the heart to take it away from me.
So every once in a while I go back to this camera and shoot a few rolls.
I think this camera will always have a special place in my heart.
Surfer, Santa Monica.  camera: Minolta SRT 101 Film:  Kodachrome 64  (cross-processed)
Surfer, Santa Monica.
camera: Minolta SRT 101 Film: Kodachrome 64 (cross-processed)

6
comments

Apr 13

Happy image transfer

I began this lovely mixed media transfer as I always do; I created the background first.
Using mod podge I covered an 11”X14” canvas panel with strips and pieces of a variety designer and art papers. Next I painted over with acrylic paints.
I must have been in a really good mood because when I was done I found myself staring at a sweet and an unusually happy background. Now what?
I was planning to transfer an image onto this mixed media masterpiece but where do I find among my images anything that will not clash with this extra cuteness?
Eventually, to my delight, I came across these three sugary images. I took them a few years ago in midtown Manhattan.
So I transferred a Xerox photocopy of the images by spreading mod podge on the photocopy and pressing it face down onto the canvas. When the transfer was dry (I used a hair dryer to speed up the process) I sprayed the back of the photocopy with water and removed the excess paper to reveal the transfer.
And finally I covered the piece with Krylon permanent protective finish.

Mixed media image transfer, couple in Manhattan

2
comments

Apr 07

Photography or art?


Dear Nitsa,
I love all your work but I am wondering why you are interested in changing or even destroying your pictures? Aren’t you ever happy with your pictures and want to leave them ‘as is’?   Mark

The answer to your question, dear Mark, has something to do with the role of photography. I’m not an expert on the history of art but it seems to me that until photography came around, art was a serious medium that was used to depict portraits and landscapes in a very responsible manner. But once photography assumed this important job, the artists were free to begin doing abstract and other types of visual interpretation. So photography was pretty much left with making portraits, landscapes and documenting events. This is very nice and nothing is wrong with it. But this doesn’t mean photography can’t be used in other ways. Despite its scientific and mechanical nature, it can even be an artistic medium.
Now, you call it “destroying your pictures” but I see it as “presenting my images in a non-traditional form” which is just one step in the process of making photos. This is why I prefer the term “making photos” and not “taking photos”. Photography can be a process of creating something artistic which is shaped by many steps such as: choosing the camera and film, locating the image, selecting the desired settings, making the exposure, developing and printing the photograph and finally presenting the image.
It is never “as is”. I’m not even sure what “as is” really means.
The bottom line is that photography does not have to be confined to a single limited view of its function and it should always be characterized and defined by the individual photographer.
So mark, I tried answering your question seriously, I hope it works for you.
Now, excuse me, I have to go destroy, I mean, distress a print or two.

9
comments

Apr 02

Read this or else!

The following is a commentary I wrote in the last part of my book I am not an artist.
I think everybody should read it, not because I wrote it, but because there are a lot of people who just don’t know how good they are and/or they let fear and criticism stop them from doing things they really enjoy and wish to do.
So just in case you didn’t buy or download my book, here it is.  
I know it’s a little long but I hope you will be able to read through before falling asleep.
The text, by the way, was written by me but edited by Ryan, my favorite editor.

And finally some final thoughts

So if you actually read through this book page by page, it ought to be apparent to you by now that all methods, practices, and suggestions presented here are simple and can be easily done, even by someone who considers themselves artistically challenged, maybe someone just like you.
It’s true that often people who see my work claim “you are a true artist!” but I know they are wrong; I am not an artist. What I am is an imaginative (Ok a dreamer) (but always resourceful) person whose brain does not stop coming up with ideas, sometimes just weird or impractical, but always pure fun.
And this is what it’s all about: F-U-N
In the first few years I just took pictures, for my pleasure no doubt, but also mainly because I felt like I HAD to. I tried photographing simultaneously to the energetic pace of the streets. It meant photographing while on the move without paying too much attention to the common rules of photography (you can read all about it in my previous book: No Rules Street Photography).
This has not changed much.

However, as I entered my fifth year of taking streets and city pictures, I became weary and even, yes, well, bored.
Not all the time though; when I traveled to new places it was great and exciting and I took pictures like there is no tomorrow. But around home things just did not feel so thrilling anymore. And even though I was slowly loosing interest, quitting photography was never an option. Instead I began looking for new (and possibly more stimulating) ways of taking pictures. I went to bookstores looking for the right book (didn’t find any). I visited many photography sites in search for new ideas. At my lowest I even read through a few discussions on a couple of photography forums (yes, those places where people sign up to complain about various obstacles in their fascinating life.)
But the solution, as so often happens, hit me in an entirely unexpected place.
It happened while standing in line at our local drugstore.
It’s actually quite simple: while standing in line, I noticed they were selling Polaroid cameras over there.
“That is it!” I said to myself, “New and fun cameras! This is exactly what I was looking for.”
Obviously, I bought the Polaroid, and it did not take long before I began shooting medium format film in toy cameras and hunt second hand stores and garage sales for classic cameras.
While shooting toy and classic cameras I realized the final photo does not have to be at all perfect, and I began looking for new ways to present my photos in non-traditional ways.

One mistake people often do is they think that just because they have no known artistic ability they cannot approach their work in an artistic manner.
In fact, I believe the fact I have no artistic education whatsoever, along with the sad reality I cannot draw, paint, sculpt, or even make a straight line, provided me with the freedom to experiment with non-standard and unusual (not to say bizarre) approaches to my photo presentation.

So, that’s all I have to say. Don’t be afraid to explore, experiment, fail, and discover, no matter what others (or even you), might say about your limited abilities.
It’s about time to toss away and forget about the memory of your sixth grade art teacher and her opinions about what is good art.
Find your own style. In fact, you don’t even have to precisely follow any of the methods presented in this book but you can use them to inspire and jumpstart your creative thought to develop your own unique direction.
Sometimes people show me images they processed that were inspired by one of my techniques; however, if I can be blunt here, what they come up with has little similarity to what I do, and that’s the beauty of it. Whatever you make will be a one–of-a-kind creation based on your own unique experiences and viewpoint.

6
comments