(Credit:
UrbanOutfitters)
Pinhole photography has long been regarded as a quirky alternative to taking pictures, and shutterbugs can use almost any empty containers to take images.
The Paint Can Pinhole Camera goes back to the basics of photography. All you need is a roll of 35mm film or a piece of light-sensitive photo paper. Load either material into the can in a dark room then give the lid a good knock to seal it tight. When something catches your eye, simply remove the magnetic strip covering the pinhole to take the shot. Depending on the lighting situation and the type of media you are using, exposure can range from a few seconds to a couple of minutes.
UrbanOutfitters is retailing this "camera" for $20, but if you have an empty paint can lying around at home, you could probably DIY it for less than a buck.
(Via Crave Asia)
The Rolleiflex Mini Digital Camera: Old school meets art school.
(Credit: Urban Outfitters)The manufactured quirk, the out-of-the-box individuality--Urban Outfitters is becoming like Target for hipsters. You can get your ironic clothing, mod bedspread, dirty reading material, slightly dinged-up but brightly colored coffee table, wall mirror (in which you pretend not to narcissistically check your intentionally mussed hair)--and now, your retro-hip plastic camera, too. At this point, Urban just needs to start selling organic avocados and MGMT CDs and it'll truly be a one-stop shop for hipsterdom.
But I digress. Heard of pinhole photography? Of course you have, you went to a liberal arts school and took a whole class on it! Well, now you don't have to go through the trouble of making a pinhole camera the old-fashioned way; you can just buy the Lomography Holga Pinhole 35mm Camera for $60 at Urban.
Pinhole cameras have no lenses and take long-exposure shots through a tiny hole of light, which distorts images, creating a photographic universe of wisps, hinted figures, and ghosts. The post-apocalyptic effect is sure to make your IKEA-laden living room (the dirty secret of most hipster dwellings) look totally authentic.
Capture your inner complexity.
(Credit: Urban Outfitters)But what if you're a hipster on a bit more of a budget? Don't fret, there's also the Lomography Travel Camera, which, at $42, is a steal.
From Urban Outfitters' Web site: "This collectible limited-edition Lomography camera has a 170-degree view that compacts everything into a distorted circular image, making whatever you are shooting look extra awesome. Seriously, take a random picture of your bedroom wall with a fisheye lens, and it instantly turns into an introspective piece of art."
See, who needs art school, therapy, talent, or even psychedelics, when Urban Outfitters can provide instantaneous introspection and creativity?
Other admittedly adorable cameras for sale at Urban include the multicolored Lomography Diana F+ Camera, and the ridiculously cute but painfully unnecessary Rolleiflex Mini Digital Camera, which takes the classic twin-lens camera into the 21st century by making it digital. (How postmodern!)
But seriously, as annoying as Urban Outfitters is, it's hard not to covet these plastic throwbacks. Some of them even use film. How can you not find that sweet?
Yesterday was worldwide pinhole photography day, but today is the day you start practicing pinhole photography.
(Credit: www.pinholeday.org)I wish I would've remembered this a little sooner, but I was reminded late yesterday by photographer Corinne Schulze's blog that yesterday was Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day. That doesn't mean that you're off the hook, it just means that you have more inspiration in the form of the images participants shared this year. There's even one by Professor Andrew Davidhazy of the Rochester Institute of Technology. His process is a little complicated, but if you want to give pinhole photography a try, the WPPD site has some links showing how to make your own pinhole camera, as well as tips and tricks for practicing pinhole photography. It doesn't need to be very complicated and can be a lot of fun.
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