Steven Monteau, the out-of-this-world-designer who created the Battlefield Pinhole Camera (and the amazing bokeh video) is back with a new camera the Guillotine (A.K.A Adidas) Camera. It is a homemade camera that creates actions sequences, in a fashion very similar to the Lomo Super Sampler (only better). It does so on 120mm film and with great fineness.

Steven was kind enough to share how this camera was built. I am not really sure if this goes into the crazy or genius category.

Check his other photographic inventions on his Flickr stream and his bi-lingual blog.

The Concept

A fully homemade camera, but not a pinhole camera ... An ACTION camera!

The goal -> taking 3 successive ultrawide pictures in a row on a big a-s 120 roll film.

This tutorial, just like the Battlefield tutorial is made from text, movies and images, we used whatever was more appropriate to convey the needed info. Don't hate us.

Sample Shots

The best way to view the output of the Guillotine  is to convert them into animated gifs. You can click the images to see the unedited versions on Steven's Flickr.

If you're just crazy enough to try and build one of those, let us know in the comments.

This is a stunning, inspiring way to see different people, perspectives, seasons, events and even times of day at a given spot.

Check out this feature when used to view the Eiffel Tower (below), and then try it at a popular tourist attraction or someplace you’ve always wanted to visit. Let us know what you think in the comments.

There continues to be a feeling of guilt that comes from making images with the iPhone. It's like crossing some invisible line of what counts as art. At the same time, there is growing acceptance and recognition of camera phone art from within the photographic community. This evening, for example, as Pulitzer Prize winning photojournalist David Hume Kennerly came to campus it was interesting to see him pull out his iPhone to make pictures of people. He showed a group of onlookers a picture he made looking out of the plane's window. Amazing. Here's another incredible thing that is happening -- something that connects to my original assumption about the camera phone and the Internet -- connectivity. Last week I sent a note to Hipstamatic to thank them for making the iPhone application that replicates the feeling of an image made with a "toy" camera such as the Holga. They found the blog "intriguing" and linked it to their Facebook page. Going back to the first days of the project, I made the assertion that there is a relationship between art, technology, and society. This is not a new idea of course, but what makes it interesting is the endless stream of innovations coming at us every day. Today, the Hipstamatic Facebook page has more than 2,500 fans, which there are thousands of inspired and spirited souls online and off line sharing a passion for making pictures. There are actually several projects just like this one -- a year-long exploration of life in images using the same software. The power of images in our lives cannot be underestimated.  Images, no matter the format, can empower, enlighten, and entertain us. Pictures, in many ways, are the material equivalents of our dreams, laughter, hopes, fears, and tears that are all brought together in a single moment.

 
 
Exhibit and shadow

Day of Silence

 
 
Schneider Museum exhibition

Caleb Charland is a Maine-based photographer who combines a love of scientific experiments and photographs into wonderful and amazing photographs. If Isaac Newton or Benjamin Franklin were into photography, their photographs might look something like these:

“Wooden Box with Horseshoe Magnet”

“Atomic Model”

“Demonstration with Hair Dryer and Aluminum Foil”

“Candle in a Vortex of Water”

“Fifteen Hours”

Regarding his work, Charland tells us,

Wonder is a state of mind somewhere between knowledge and uncertainty. It is the basis of my practice and results in images that are simultaneously familiar and strange. I utilize everyday objects and fundamental forces to illustrate experiences of wonder. Each photograph begins with a simple question “How would this look? Is that possible? What would happen if…?” and develops through a sculptural process of experimentation. As I explore the garage and search through the basement to solve these pictures, I find ways to exploit the mysterious qualities of these everyday objects and familiar materials.

To check out more of his work, you can visit his website.

The Darkroom of Yesterday, Today

Introducing SwankoLab, a brand new darkroom kit from the makers of Hipstamatic. It’s a loving recreation of the pre-digital era classic. Choose chemicals, process photos, and experiment!
Buy SwankoLab on the App Store »

It’s the darkroom, only less messy and less dark

Complete with smells of photo chemistry and sounds of mad science being made, your SwankoLab comes with everything you need to turn any image into a retro misprinted masterpiece.

Relive the nostolgia of processing by hand

Agitate your print as it develops, and watch it slowly fade in under the warm glow of the safe light. Hang your print to dry while you examine the results of your latest experiment. You can even jot down your favorite chemical formulas in the included formula notebook.

Fully stocked with chemicals and photo supplies

SwankoLab includes eight magical photo-altering chemicals, a formula book, an embossed development tray, and a super cool hand-engraved box to store your photo supplies and prints in.

Standard Supplies

SwankoLab comes with SwankoDev A19, SwankoDev H1N, Fantabra Magic Warm, Noir, Grizzle Fix, Flamoz Fixer, Zero, Vinny’s BLO4 and Vinny’s BL95 chemicals.

Be cool like Uncle Stu!

As an added bonus, Uncle Stu’s Photo Emporium has offered up access to his amazing supply catalog which give you nine additional darkroom chemicals for a one-time subscription fee of $1.99! Thanks Stu! In addition, Stu will add more stuff to the subscription with each update (included free for all subscribers).

From the makers of Hipstamatic..

Highly recommended.

Every Lens, Every Flash, Every Film. Every Combination The Ultimate Hipstamatic Showcase

Beginning in Sydney, Australia three years ago, Earth Hour has grown into a global observance. States, large organizations and individual people observed Earth Hour 2010 on Saturday March 27th, as homes, office towers and landmarks turned off their lights for an hour starting at 8.30 pm local time to raise awareness about climate change and the threat from rising greenhouse gas emissions. Collected here are a series of before-and-after photographs from this year - which (starting with the second one below) will fade between "on" and "off" when clicked. [See also: last year] This effect requires javascript to be enabled. (26 photos total)

Whether you’re a novice or a seasoned professional, sometimes we all need our memory jogged. It’s never a bad idea to have some convenient references handy just in case. I have listed what I think are some helpful cheat sheets to keep in your camera bag.