Challenged to look at the work of Josef Sudek’s photography and emulate it, I chose to capture Still Life images like he did on the windowsill of his Atelier, or Studio. I’d rise early to get the moody images, especially on rainy days. The windowsill in my kitchen offered indirect, filtered light in the morning with sky peeking through the leaves of the trees. I chose to use this to create a bokeh effect for the background. I converted to black and white and applied various filters and textures to simulate wet plate collodion plates and used either a sepia tone or cool tone. This was a fun project, very much influenced by what produce was available.
This Studio 2 Class (PH2300 at College of Dupage, taught by Peter Bosy) assignment was “Specular/Diffused” and the goal was to take a series of images where the camera and object did not move, but the lighting changed to bring out different details in the object. I chose to use a No. 1 Pocket Kodak Junior c. 1921 for my object. The first try had camera movement and focus issues. But the second session worked!
The images below are a composite of seven different lighting images, plus seven different colored gels images.Using masks on Photoshop, the best characteristics of each image were selected to make the composite image.
I found the manual on Orphan Cameras, courtesy of M. Butkus, and I was pleased to make a donation so I could have all the information needed to actually use this camera. A friend gave me two rolls of 120 50 ISO black and white film and she will help me develop them. Figuring out the exposures will be fun, as this camera does not use our current terms or options. ;-).
I can choose 1/25, 1/50. T or B for shutter speeds. I can choose 1, 2, 3, or 4 for my lens opening. And focusing is movement of the lens on the camera bed, with a very stiff bellow. But I’m excited to try and will share any success I have on a future blog post.
A few other technical notes: The manual talks about “Kodakery” and reads like a photography textbook. This camera was designed to put cameras into the hands of the people, a marketing plan of Kodak that we are all thankful for today. But Kodak had to teach the people how to use this camera! The manual mentions “Meniscus Achromatic” which is a lens configuration that reduces aberration and increase aperture, and according to an internet search, will likely produce blurry images. There were a number of “Pocket Junior” models, and this one seems to be an early one. By 1927, the Pocket Junior were using the f-stops we are familiar with today.
Studio 2 offers new challenges. The first assignment was to photograph a “grab bag” item. All the items were mundane, every day objects. We were to photograph it in a way that made the object look like art, like a featured image in a magazine. So, can you guess which object I had to photograph? And what lighting style I chose?
One of my Christmas gifts was a small set of LED lights I can use for small studio lighting projects. Like this Dragonfruit. A little table top setup with a black cloth and two very bright LED lights, shining on the Dragonfruit to provide drama, detail and color.
This is also my January 1 image of A Picture a Day for a Year.
Studio 1 class opened my eyes to lighting in a refreshing and new way. I’ve posted my class assignment finals and my final project “Antique Woodworking Tools” to my website. The tools gave me a lot of latitude with creativity, and I enjoyed the hours I spent with them. They take on a whole new look with the Contour Shape lighting, very dramatic!
You can see the entire series, as well as class assignments on the main website.
I recently attended a Macro Workshop led by Lou Nettelhorst to improve my macro photography skills. I did learn a lot, and was able to apply some of the recent experience in Studio Lighting as well. And, as always, I learned more about how to better use my Nikon D800!
In two photo sessions, I captured about 130 images. These four were the best of the best.
Another Studio Class image to share: This is an ornament my Grandpa Rohr made a long time ago. I had to really beg for my mom to let me have it for my own tree. Since Grandpa passed away in 1978, it is likely over 50 years old. He made a number of these Christmas Ornaments. He inspired me, and my kids when they were young, to make our own Christmas Ornaments. We did use a couple of “kits” but mostly, I collected “satin” Christmas balls, lots of ribbon, sequins, sharp thin pins, and many more supplies. I still have supplies left, just in case I want to get creative. I don’t put all of them in the tree every year. Some are less robust than others, and I don’t want them to fall apart.
So please enjoy the work of the master and a collage of the work of his apprentices!
I have a few of Great-Grandma Gertrude Altha Shimp Friend’s books. One is an illustrated book of “Shakspere” Works. I used it for a Studio Photography assignment. I thought it would be fun to share the image, as well as the inside bookplate. Gertrude got the book in 1902, which would have been her senior year in high school. Below the image of the book and bookplate is the copyright page. Note the “Cheap Edition” reprinting! Gertrude’s Shakspere is c 1896. Obviously, sometime in the last 100+ years, we started spelling William’s last name to Shakespeare! The book was captured in a Studio assignment on Contrast Control. The bookplate and copyright were captured with an iPhone 6s.
