Christmas gifts

Well, Christmas has come and gone. It's always sad when its over for another whole year, but I always get to the point where I am just ready to move on with my life already. My husband gave me not one, but two different kinds of film for Christmas, so I guess I better busy. More on that later.

Found Friday

John Howell, an Indianapolis newsboy, makes $.75 some days. Begins at 6 a.m., Sundays. (Lives at 215 W. Michigan St.) (LOC)

I flagged this one a while ago but never got around to posting about it. The Library of Congress has a whole set of images called "Photographer in the Picture" where, obviously, the photographer can be seen in the photo. While looking through the set, it was amazing to me that many of these shots were thought of as just mistakes and not given another thought (one even has a hole punched through the center). Looking at these pictures today as historical artifacts, it seems to me that they are actually improved by the little mistakes in the shadows. I love seeing that little glimpse into the world of when this picture was taken, what it was like for the photographer.

Checking in

Why, hello there blogging world.  I guess I took a break from updating "For the Record" I will try to no be gone so long again.

Finally!

Oh, sweet mystery of life at last I've found you!

I finally was able to buy the missing battery for my Bell & Howell super 8 camera! It only took me, what, half a year to get it. I stopped by my local camera store yesterday and the guy just hands it to me off the shelf. If he only knew what I went through to get this tiny little battery! I know it would have been much simpler to just buy it online, but I can now happily say that my local camera shop worked for me.

So now I have a battery, some film stock and the camera. Hopefully it will all come together and I will have about two and a half minutes worth of test . . . keep your fingers crossed!

Found Friday

Sorry I have been mum lately.  The summer may be winding down but all of our activities certainly aren't.  In any case, I found this amazing animation tutorial from none other than Terry Gilliam.  I have always loved the Monty Python cut-paper style animation and now I can do it too! Note: Video slightly NSFW

via craft

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037-07242011, a photo by abbynormallife on Flickr.

Lazy Sunday.

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036-07232011, a photo by abbynormallife on Flickr.

My big boy   :D

Found Friday

Shake - Carli Davidson Photography

Needs no explanation.

via Man Made DIY

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035-07222011, a photo by abbynormallife on Flickr.

Welcome to the jungle.

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034-07212011, a photo by abbynormallife on Flickr.

Happy birthday to my husband!

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033-07202011, a photo by abbynormallife on Flickr.

Rolled fondant Star Wars birthday cake

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032-07192011, a photo by abbynormallife on Flickr.

Backyard pool party!

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031-07182011, a photo by abbynormallife on Flickr.

Terrifyingly cute.

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030-07172011, a photo by abbynormallife on Flickr.

Playing at the church playground.

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029-07162011, a photo by abbynormallife on Flickr.

My view from yoga in the park. Best way to start a Saturday in Sac.

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028-07152011, a photo by abbynormallife on Flickr.

Blooming artichokes

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027-07142011, a photo by abbynormallife on Flickr.

Making some Limoncello with homegrown lemons.

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026-07132011, a photo by abbynormallife on Flickr.

Fun socks

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025-07122011, a photo by abbynormallife on Flickr.

First landscape design from scratch.

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024-07112011, a photo by abbynormallife on Flickr.

Camping: The Aftermath

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023-07102011, a photo by abbynormallife on Flickr.

Happy place: The Meadow at Shasta

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022-07092011, a photo by abbynormallife on Flickr.

It was a pretty nice pool. It was still 90 degrees at ten at night...

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021-07082011, a photo by abbynormallife on Flickr.

Sent this hello from the office to the boy

Found Friday

From flickr user zim2411

Yet another reason to get a Roomba: Roomba Art!

(Yes, this is a thing)

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020-07072011, a photo by abbynormallife on Flickr.

Sleepytime

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019-07062011, a photo by abbynormallife on Flickr.

Meet My Cameras: the underwater cheapo

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018-07052011, a photo by abbynormallife on Flickr.

Bedtime

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017-07042011, a photo by abbynormallife on Flickr.

4th of July Parade

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016-07032011, a photo by abbynormallife on Flickr.

What's for dinner

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015-07022011, a photo by abbynormallife on Flickr.

Happy Birthday to my nephew

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014-07012011, a photo by abbynormallife on Flickr.

Missing my boy while at the office

Found Friday

Here I am, on to another photo technique and I haven't even tried the last one yet.  In any case, I try to follow the gizmodo shooting challenges and this week's challenge opened my eyes to (yet another) cool idea.  They are called "Cinemagraphs" - and the process, while multi-step, doesn't seem too difficult.  The difficult part thus far is coming up with a good idea.  To me, the finished product seems like a cross between those cheesy light-up poster things, of like waterfalls that move, and the great movie La Jetée - one very low brow thing and one very high brow thing meeting in the middle to create something that has great possibilities.

The Flickr user pool has some really interesting attempts. This was one of my favorites (you have to click on the photo to see the animation)

Contemplation Cinemagraph 

by Flickr user someofmywork

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013-06302011, a photo by abbynormallife on Flickr.

Finally finished planting the cacti. After dark.

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012-06292011, a photo by abbynormallife on Flickr.

And just like that . . .sunshine!

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011-06282011, a photo by abbynormallife on Flickr.

Rainy day in June

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010-06272011, a photo by abbynormallife on Flickr.

Monthly shot - 14 months

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009-06262011, a photo by abbynormallife on Flickr.

Coolin off at Woodlake Pool

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008-06252011, a photo by abbynormallife on Flickr.

8/365 - Two words: Margarita Machines

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007-06242011, a photo by abbynormallife on Flickr.

7/365 - Playing the the back yard - reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland

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006-06232011, a photo by abbynormallife on Flickr.

6/365 - Celebrating with my boys

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005-06222011, a photo by abbynormallife on Flickr.

5/365 - Best BDay present ever

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004-06212011, a photo by abbynormallife on Flickr.

4/365 - Hiding out from the heat

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003-06202011, a photo by abbynormallife on Flickr.

3/365 - Baby with daddy's picture

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002-06192011, a photo by abbynormallife on Flickr.

2/365 - Messy baby

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001-06182011, a photo by abbynormallife on Flickr.

1/365 - Family portrait

Found Friday

I just love these pictures. The idea that you could have the ability to take a memory from the past and bring it into the present, even if for just a fraction of a second, is a very powerful concept. I need to find some good examples to try myself!

"433-435 warren st hudson, ny"

by Flickr user fiveanddiamond

"Grandmother in front of her house 1972"

by Flickr user haunted snowfort

Dead End

Well, not quite a dead end, but I have hit a stumbling block on my road to getting my little Bell & Howell Autoload 309 up and running.

In addition to 4 AA batteries, the camera requires a battery to power the electric eye - a 1.38-volt mercury battery. Yes, MERCURY. (I guess I should have paid more attention when I first got the camera and chucked the old battery in the trash . . . oops.)


In any case, they do sell replacements for this type of battery online but, being the responsible citizen I am, I wanted to at least try to get the battery from a local establishment. Like with four walls and real people. I have been in twice and the batteries are supposedly being ordered but have not come in yet.


Maybe someday soon I will finally put the pieces together.

Found Friday

Via The Big Picture: A volunteer cleaned a family photo that was washed by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami as baby photos were placed to dry at a volunteer center in Ofunato, Iwate prefecture, April 12, 2011. (Toru Hanai/Reuters)

Checking in

Things have been busy lately, what with a work trip to Vegas, a baby shower, Easter, and a first birthday party. Now I am sick on top of all that. However, my project of getting my Bell & Howell Autoload 309 up and running is still in on-going. The husband surprised me with a single cartridge of Kodak Tri-X Reversal Film. Now we need to figure out the battery situation and see if this thing can work at all.

Super 8 Film Stock

Trying to wade through the world of super 8 film is not an easy task.  The first thing that I wanted to learn was more about film stock.  Doing some initial research I found that the reels are usually sold in 50 foot lengths.  Ok, so 50 feet, but how much is that in the finished run time?  I was talking it over with my husband and we calculated it ourselves...

50 feet means that the total length of the reel in mm is 15,240

If each frame is 4mm tall then there are 3,810 frames in the total reel

3,810 total frames @ 24 fps means each reel lasts 158 seconds or a little over 2.5 minutes

wait, that can't be right.

We recalculated it, and sure enough, we came back with the same result. I always knew that film was expensive to shoot but... WOW! $16 for 2.5 minutes. And that is just for the film itself, no processing or transferring.

Allow me a slight tangent.

We aren't used to the world of film anymore where EVERY frame is important, something to be savored.  Digital is cheap, both in expense and, if you don't mind me being a bit elitist for a second here, in quality.  I say that because with digital, now everyone everyone can be a photographer or a videographer.  Don't get me wrong, I think that this change has done many many amazing things, but there is a small part of me that loathes the digital age.

I say as I blog. Just kidding, love you computers. Don't turn against me!

In any case I think I have decided to go ahead with the project, at least as a test. Amazon is usually the first place that I look at least to compare prices while shopping, but it appears that they only sell one type, and it is black and white.  I really wanted color so I kept going.  Just by doing a search on google I came across the always dependable B&H website.  They have many different options, but I think that the one that I would like to try is the Ektachrome 100D Super 8 Silent Film (50'). It is $15.96 plus shipping per reel.  Hopefully 100 feet will be enough for a solid test!

Ektachrome 100D Super 8 Silent Film (50')

Found Friday

The thing I love most about found photos is the sense of mystery they stir up.  Some mysteries were quite literally stirred up with the release of a collection of mug shots from Sydney, Australia that were taken between 1910 and 1930.

NPR has a very interesting article about the collection of mug shots. The article brings about one very interesting point: It goes without saying that these are not like today's mug shots. For one, because unlike today's criminals, many of these people had never before been photographed. Posing for a portrait was kind of a big deal. Not only can these pictures be appreciated on an artistic level, but they are also just so intriguing, like something out of a movie. Very intriguing indeed!

Full NPR article here


The plot thickens! From the official record:

Mug shot of Hazel McGuinness, Central Police Station, Sydney, 26 July 1929

Special Photograph no. D32 (Drug Bureau photograph).

Hazel McGuinness was charged along with her mother Ada McGuiness with having cocaine (in substantial quantities) illegally in her possession. Police described a raid on the McGuinnesses' Darlinghurst house during which the mother Ada threw a hand bag containing packets of cocaine to her daughter, shouting, 'Run Hazel!'. Despite that, detectives spoke up for Hazel McGuinness in court, arguing that she had been led into crime by her mother ('the most evil woman in Sydney') who had raised her in 'an atmosphere of immorality and dope'. Hazel was given a suspended sentence.

Ada, Hazel's mother

This picture is one of a series of around 2500 "special photographs" taken by New South Wales Police Department photographers between 1910 and 1930. These "special photographs" were mostly taken in the cells at the Central Police Station, Sydney and are, as curator Peter Doyle explains, of "men and women recently plucked from the street, often still animated by the dramas surrounding their apprehension". Doyle suggests that, compared with the subjects of prison mug shots, "the subjects of the Special Photographs seem to have been allowed - perhaps invited - to position and compose themselves for the camera as they liked. Their photographic identity thus seems constructed out of a potent alchemy of inborn disposition, personal history, learned habits and idiosyncrasies, chosen personal style (haircut, clothing, accessories) and physical characteristics."