Through a Lens, Clearly
Cam-Toss Anyone?–
During the holidays, I received an e-mail about an unusual way of taking pictures. The article by Steven Leckart, Brian Krans, and Rachel Dovey came out in the December online edition of Wired magazine. It’s called the Cam-Toss Pic. How is it done? Read on.
1. The camera
Raffy Paredes
One with manual controls works best. Start with a shutter speed of between one-half and one second. If the image is too dark, lower the f-stop to increase the aperture. Too bright? Use a higher f-stop.
2. The subject
Target a few bulbs or candles at least 3 inches apart (any closer and the lights will bleed together) and position yourself about 3 feet away — enough distance to keep the lights in the frame.
3. The toss
It can take up to half a second for the shutter to engage after you press the button. Time it so the shutter opens just as the camera launches. Altitude? Six inches or so should do the trick.
4. The spin
Experiment. End-over-end creates linear patterns. On-axis spins give you spirographs. Feel free to go nuts; should your camera take a spill, it’s the perfect time of year to ask for a new one.
5. The shot
Upload your best camera-toss images to Flickr with the tag “wiredcameratoss” and a CC license. We’ll check them out and post our faves at on the How-To Wiki.
Yup. These guys are for real. Check out www.flickr.com/photos/tags/wiredcameratoss/. But of course, cam-toss at your own risk and with full knowledge that your camera could break into pieces. I haven’t tried it myself. Oh, what some people will do to get a different shot!
And now to our readers.
On the last day of 2009, this column received an e-mail from Vermont Coronel, our local intrepid solargraph photographer. His e-mail reads: “Now as you read this I’ve already started my exposure for 2009 to 2010, the sun on its way to the north; exposure is due on June 21 2010.” Vermont makes pinhole cameras from cans with photo paper placed inside. With these, he captures an image of the sun’s movement. During the June 2009 to December 2009 cycle, he set up many cans but was only successful in three. “All other cans were full of water inside, erasing the image. I’ll make it bulletproof and waterproof next time,” he writes. See more of Vermont’s work at www.xvrx.blogspot.com and www.lenslessimages.blogspot.com.
From Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, Eduardo “ED” Calalo, Jr. writes that he has always had fun with photography but has never really enjoyed it that much until he acquired a DSLR last year. He shares further: “I would love to have formal photography lessons, but my work and location wouldn’t just give me a chance. I am a field engineer for Smart Communications here in Palawan. I’m from Batangas and was just assigned here in Palawan and for the past three years that I’ve been traveling around the province. I can say I have seen a lot of things I know I would regret if not captured by my camera. I always make sure my camera is with me during my travel.”
Photo enthusiast Nathalie Santos - Dayo (www.darkeingel.multiply.com) writes: “Last January, I fell in love with photography all over again.” This got her purchasing two point-and-shoot cameras in the past year. “As a photographer (if I may call myself that), I focus on documentaries, street photography, and photojournalism,” she shares. “And if given the chance to go professional, I would choose the above mentioned fields.”
Call center agent Ariel Dela Cruz. Aye says that he “fell in love” with photography in high school. He took pictures of animals in Manila Zoo with an “instamatic.” While the outcome of the photos was a disappointment, he says that he has kept these with him. From then on, he has used two Russian made SLRs that his father bought about 18 years ago. “Then I was handed down a 2MP digital point-and-shoot camera with little manual settings, that I’ve loved and have been using for about five years now,” he shares.
Also featured today is UST music student Arnel Gerard Z. Luz whose hobby is photography. Gerard says that this is his first time to publicly share his photos. “I am doing this,” he says, “so that I could develop my skills in photography and (see) if I can go with the flow in the world of Photography.”
Nice work!