photographs

taking pictures

I always seem to have a camera or two with me. More and more I’m simply using my cell phone, an Android G2, instead of a point'n'shoot. I got tired of carrying a camera and a phone with me. I find that I leave my Canon SD1100IS or Flip camera at home unless I know I’m headed for a photo-rich opportunity.

I collect fine art photography and photographic ephemera. So it’s with mixed feeelings that I see people abandoning 'photography' for 'taking snapshots'. Instagram comes to mind. Like these folks have any connection to the toy camera movement of old a la Diana’s and Holgas, etc. It’s odd seeing people apply filters that mimic film when in many cases they’ve rarely if ever shot film. You know, the analog stuff, with chemistry involved.

My first web sites (Tripod truth be told) were places to share my digital camera output. Over time I realized I enjoyed collecting more than shooting. Don’t get me wrong, I’ hop out and shoot a sign in a minute. I’ve been doing calendars featuring my photos for several years now. Oddly, I don’t print much. Epson must hate me. Although, there are a lot more options now for digital prints, so my feelings may change.

Photography lends itself to hacking together little widgets and gadgets to take this kind of picture or that. For almost 3 years I ran webcam showing the Space Needle from my balcony and then my roof. Before that, I had the internet’s only live Lava Lamp webcam. No need to buy anything, make your own!

Homebrew DIY photography projects:
  DIY bicycle camera mount
  copy stand for your point'n'shoot
  another copy stand
  poor man’s steady cam
  how to level your camera throw one in your camera bag
  bottle cap tripod I keep meaning to do this.
  clamp tripod
  portable softbox
  DIY softbox
  Pringles can macro photography
  low cost closeup nature photography
  cool windup 360 degree pano mount
  and then there’s tilt shift

I mentioned that I gave up on my rooftop webcam but not before I added a USB thermometer to the mix. I had something like this in mind. I obviously gave up too soon.