K. Praslowicz, Photographer

For The Soused Photographer: TLR Camera Flasks

K. Praslowicz — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 19:11:35 +0000

Surely by now you've seen the coffee mugs being produced which look like Canon lenses?

Great—if you are a digital photographer who shoots Canon brand equipment. But, what if you are a Nikon user? No fear, as there are also mugs made to look like Nikon lenses as well. The Nikon versions even have a functional zoom!

While these are nice novelties for the digital photographer, there aren't any options for us film photographers who like to drink stiffer liquids from a camera shaped containers—or are there?

Much like the cameras we use for our film photography, we need only look to the past. Welcome to the fun world of vintage ceramic twin lens reflex flasks!

The Schnapps-O-Flex

First up is the Schnapps-O-Flex, a ceramic flask from Japan.

The Schnapps-O-Flex features authentic looking, bayonet style filter mounts and a parabolic reflector pan which doubles as the stopper for the flask.

The Schnapps-O-Flex will look great on your bookshelf or mantle. Your photographer friends will greatly appreciate its elegant style as you entertain during evenings of drinks and discussion about Camera Lucida. The Schnapps-O-Flex will guarantee that you throw the best photography related social gatherings on the block.

But what about the alcoholic photographer on the go?

The Reflex Shot

Behold the Reflex Shot! This TLR flask is designed with utility first. Utility which will allow you to continue drinking wherever fine photography is permitted.

Unlike the Schnapps-O-Flex, the Reflex Shot also features functional strap lugs which will allow you to sport a sporty strap. While using a strap, the Reflex Shot can be kept conveniently around your neck guaranteeing that you'll never miss any opportunity for a perfectly timed shot.

Even though the strap permits the Reflex Shot photographer to carry his flask out in the field, there is no need for him to be any less social than a Schnapps-O-Flex owner. While not depicted in the above images, the lenses of the Reflex Shot double as portable shot glasses. The pleasure of the Reflex Shot can easily be shared with anyone, anywhere at anytime! No extra bags are required.

The Reflex Shot is truly the best Souvenir of Detroit you'll ever own. With its gold accented trim, The Reflex Shot is the pinnacle of fashion meeting function.

Pictures of the complete Reflex Shot kit with shot glass lenses can be seen at tlr-cameras.com. The shot glass lenses are missing from the one I own, so I wasn't able to include them in the photos.

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For The Soused Photographer: TLR Camera Flasks is a post from: K. Praslowicz, Photographer

64 Examples of Stunning, Breathtaking or Amazing Photography Lists

K. Praslowicz — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:33:06 +0000

List posts are all the rage lately in the world of blogging. Not wanting to be one to miss the bus, I've assembled a list post of my own. So here you go—a list post with links to 64 other photography list posts.

Crack open a beer and get comfy as you now have 2884+ images to browse though.

Update: I've just realized one of these is not Stunning, Breathtaking or Amazing. It is only merely Brilliant. I still like the images though, so it gets to stay.

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64 Examples of Stunning, Breathtaking or Amazing Photography Lists is a post from: K. Praslowicz, Photographer

Small World by Martin Parr - A Photo Book I Love

K. Praslowicz — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 18:32:53 +0000

If there is one title in my collection of photography books which I appreciate more than any other, it would have to be Martin Parr's Small World. The characteristic that sets Small World apart from the others is that it the first photography book I have owned that made me laugh out loud more than a few times.

In Small World, Martin Parr shows us the industry of world tourism for what it has become—an endless parade of the strange and hilarious. From a woman getting attacked by the pigeon in Italy, to an awkward moment on Santa's lap in Lapland. From local villagers swarming tourists to buy their trinkets, to family photos being taken in the Las Vegas strip, Parr has covered most of the inhabited globe in Small World. The affects of globalization are very present throughout Parr's photographs as the presence of the tourists give each image a strong sense of semblance with the rest no matter what corner of the globe it was photographed in.

A few things I learned from Small World

It is never the wrong time to use flash.

Many of the images in Small World are shot on bright sunny days, yet most of them still have a a strong frontal lighting from flash use that gives those scenes a feel that is very different from typical sunny day photograph. What would normally be a dark area from a harsh shadow is now illuminated and full of color.

I used this revelation of flash photography his past winter when I shot the 2010 John Beargrease sled dog race. Shooting in Sunny-16 illumination with a full flash really did a lot to change the way those images look. I like the technique!

I don't need exotic subjects to make great photography.

What is more boring and commonplace than tourists? Not much. Yet, Martin Parr has managed to show us just how awesome of a photography subject they can be.

I often read comments on photography forums that state that only beginning street photographers should shoot tourists because they are easy, and can be used to build up some skills before moving onto more serious subjects. What are more serious subjects? Typically depictions of lifestyles which are lower in the social order than that of the photographer's.

Does great documentary photography need to be about serious subjects like poverty and suffering? Not at all. Life in the boring* social circles is just as full of opportunities as any other, you may just have to stare at it a bit differently to notice. Flipping through Small World would be a good first strep to help open those eyes up.

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Small World by Martin Parr - A Photo Book I Love is a post from: K. Praslowicz, Photographer

Failtography

K. Praslowicz — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 15:12:30 +0000

As much research that gets pumped into movies, sometimes they just don't get the details right. Doesn't matter what niche it is in—computers, musical instruments or just about everything depicted in Independence Day—the details don't always match reality.

Here are a few I've come across related to photography.

The Omen (1976)

Complete Collection @ Amazon

In The Omen photographer Keith Jennings has some pretty nice gear. A Nikon F, and a Leica M3. What he also seems to have is some sort of paper developer which only requires one bath. In one scene he notices something strange about a print as it starts to appear during development.

What is that on my print? I think I'll take a closer look.

This white light will help me see it better.

Without any use of stop bath or fixer, he pulls the print out of the developer and inspects it under a white light. Surprisingly, the print doesn't turn pure black before his eyes. Now I'd be kicking myself for ruining the print, but Keith Jennings keeps his cool. For him, it is nothing he would lose his head over.

An American Haunting (2005)

DVD @ Amazon

Early on in An American Haunting we see a photograph of a young couple hanging on the wall.

A quick flashback to Red River Tennessee in 1817...

...and we see the same young couple from the photograph alive and well.

So what is so blatantly wrong with this scene? The problem is that the very first photograph wasn't created until nine years later by Joseph Niépce in 1926. The process was so slow then that it took eight hours to expose under bright sunlight. The first human portrait wasn't even until 1839. [src]

Either they got themselves a time machine, or people back then didn't show any signs of aging.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)

DVD @ Amazon

During one scene in Vicky Cristina Barcelona the characters played by Scarlett Johansson and Penélope Cruz go for a photo walk. Cruz is slinging a Leica M7 while ScarJo is seen shooting with what appears to be a Panasonic Lumix. Johansson goes on to take a bunch of photos of Cruz holding her M7, and Cruz tells Johansson that she should ditch the digital and get an old film camera.

All is fine and dandy so far. Fast Forward a bit through the movie and we eventually see this:

WHAT THE HELL IS SHE DOING PULLING THE PRINTS FROM HER DIGITAL LUMIX OUT OF A WET DARKROOM CHEMICAL TRAY? Don't give me any of this "Maybe they swapped cameras" BS either. There are prints hanging up in the background which very distinctly show Cruz with the M7 slung over her shoulder.

Oldboy (2003)

DVD @ Amazon

Towards the end of the amazing film Oldboy we see a flashback to 1975 where the character Woo-jin is seen with a late 1950s style rangefinder hung around his neck.

Now, I'm not 100% sure what model that is around his neck. It appears to be some sort of Agfa camera, but I'm not positive. However, it is obvious that has a direct viewfinder. To no surprise, when the movie switch to a through the viewfinder scene, it looks very much like the viewfinder of a single lens reflex camera, including being able to see the change in focus*.

*For the non-camera nerds reading this. Everything always appears in focus on cameras which have a direct viewfinder.

All screen captures are copyright of their respective owners. Here are the product links on Amazon if you want more information on any of the referenced movies

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Failtography is a post from: K. Praslowicz, Photographer

Photography in Films: Hello Kitty Leicas

K. Praslowicz — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 20:30:16 +0000

Previously in my series of photograph in films, I posted about sightings of Leica cameras in movies and films. This time I am going to take that same lens and zoom in a little further.

Many models of the Leica camera have had their fair share of screen time in various movies over the past fifty years. There is one model however which is yet to make it to the silver screen is the always popular Hello Kitty Leica. The Hello Kitty Leica has never made the final cut, but that doesn't mean it hasn't been trying.

The story of the Hello Kitty Leica in movies is much like the story of Eric Stoltz being cast as Marty McFly in Back to the Future. Some scenes were shot with Stoltz and they weren't working so well. McFly got recast with Michael J. Fox, and the scenes were shot over.

At great risk to my own physical well being, I've managed to track down some stills from various films depicting the original use of a Hello Kitty Leica.

The Caveman's Valentine (2001)

DVD @ Amazon

The earliest attempted use of the Hello Kitty Leica was in 2001's The Caveman's Valentine starring Samuel L. Jackson & Colm Feore.

The first scenes were shot with the Hello Kitty Leica, but are rumored to have been scrapped after director Kasi Lemmons realized what a mismatch it would be to have the Hello Kitty Leica in the same scene with a major bad-ass like Samuel L. Jackson.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)

DVD @ Amazon

The pink Hello Kitty Leica seemed like a shoo-in for 2008's Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Hell, Penélope Cruz was even wearing a matching pink top!

The Hello Kitty Leica ended up being cut out of Vicky Cristina Barcelona as well. While there is no official reason given why it was removed, word on the street is that actress Scarlett Johansson still hadn't recovered from the Japanese culture shock she experienced during the filming of Lost in Translation. I was told that the presence of the pink camera was affecting her ability to act. Some sources also stated, and I quote, "That there was a lot of blood."

Eurotrip (2004)

DVD @ Amazon

2004's Eurotrip is one of the modern powerhouses of the Leica camera being depicted in motion pictures. Actor Travis Wester fondles and talks about his Leica M7 throughout the film in a manner that feels so authentic that I have no difficulty believing that his script was lifted straight from an internet camera forum.

The Hello Kitty Leica was originally placed in Eurotrip, however, it was cut after it was revealed that it would be used in a nude beach scene which also featured a copious amount of naked man ass. It was agreed on that the Hello Kitty brand image wouldn't be enriched by such use, and it was pulled from the movie.

Unrelated to Hello Kitty, the same scene was also to be the one where the character of Jaimie would show us the true depths of his Leica dedication. When he takes his shirt off to approach the nude beach, we were originally suppose to see his amazing Leica chest tattoo. Being that the temporary tattoo used had the Leica logo on it, it was far too costly to purchase another for the re-shoot and it was cut from the plot.

All screen captures are copyright of their respective owners. If you want more information on any of the referenced movies & shows, here are the product links on Amazon.

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Photography in Films: Hello Kitty Leicas is a post from: K. Praslowicz, Photographer

Leica Sightings

K. Praslowicz — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 18:48:08 +0000

This is the first post in a series of articles about photography & cameras in movies and television. If you enjoy it and aren't already a subscriber to my website, I recommend that you subscribe by clicking here so that you don't miss any others. By the end there will be at least eight articles in this series.

I could just work off the Leica Spotting FAQ and make this a huge post of screen captures, but that wouldn't be very much fun! Instead this post is going to be a bit shorter as I'm only using sightings which aren't on that list, and that I've come across without any prior knowledge.

Coraline (2009)

DVD/Blu-Ray @ Amazon

When you go to a fantasy stop motion movie with a Leica M3 slung over your shoulder, the last thing you'd expect to see is an anatomically correct version of your camera looking back at you right? That's what I thought! That belief was snuffed forever durng the scene where Wybie asks Coraline to take his photo, and then hands her his camera.

I'm tempted to shake my finger at the movie for making a flash go off every time the camera is used, but I won't. I'm letting that one slide for one simple reason—the frame lines look completely accurate during the through the viewfinder scenes. It is rare enough for viewfinders to be accurate in non-stop motion movies where the actual camera is on set.

Coraline also makes me wonder something. Knowing that a miniaturized replica M3 exists somewhere out in the world, would a collector purchase it for more then the cost of a mint condition M3?

The Stuff (1985)

DVD @ Amazon

The Stuff is probably the worst movie to ever have a Leica in it. At the same time, it also has one of the best depictions of using a Leica in a movie that I've seen. The way in which Michael Moriarty uses his black Leica in The Stuff very much like how I use mine when I'm on the streets. He does a lot of fiddling with the focus & exposure settings while it the camera is at chest level followed by quickly bringing it up to the eye to shoot.

Then there is this following encounter.

Holy Balls! Did you see that? Actual cinematic proof to the rumor that a black Leica is invisible! The factory worker saw the camera, but was still completely oblivious to it being used to take his photo.

Penn & Teller: Bullshit! Season 1 & 2

DVDs @ Amazon

The first two seasons of Penn & Teller: Bullshit! show Penn using a Leica camera during the title sequence. Sadly, by the fourth season he has replaced it with a digital point & shoot. Bullshit!

All screen captures are copyright of their respective owners. If you want more information on any of the referenced movies & shows, here are the product links on Amazon.

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Leica Sightings is a post from: K. Praslowicz, Photographer

Catalina Swimsuits For Nudists In Sweden

K. Praslowicz — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 15:32:41 +0000

Of all the anonymous photos I have in my collection, Catalina Swimsuits for Nudists in Sweden is my favorite. Usually when I purchase an anonymous photograph I just get the print and nothing more. With this this particular image I actually got the original 4x5 inch negative. The negative also came with the photographer's note card giving me some straightforward extra information about the scene.

3-9 1946. AA DC-3 Catalina Swimsuits For Nudists in Sweden

Simple enough—The scene happened on March 9th, 1946 in front of an American Airlines DC-3.

Shipment was going to Axel Gillblad & CO.A.B in Göteborg Sweden.

But then what? Who is this man in the suit? Is Axel Gilblad a fake company name and the whole scene a facade to pull a prank on the man in the suit? Look at their faces. The woman is having a blast, but the man in the suit has the look of someone who doesn't know how to laugh yet knows that he is in a situation where he should be laughing. Since he isn't good at laughing, a strange smirk and a stiff pose is all he can muster.

The man in the hatch is definitely in on the whole thing.

The whole thing remains enigmatic to me. That is cool though. Half the fun of anonymous photographs is making up stories to go along with them.

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Catalina Swimsuits For Nudists In Sweden is a post from: K. Praslowicz, Photographer

Al Franken & Free The Hikers

K. Praslowicz — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 00:29:28 +0000

If you are unaware of what Free The Hikers is, here is a short synopsis.

On July 31st 2009, Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd and Josh Fattal were hiking in Kurdistan and got too close, or accidentally crossed to the Iran border. Iranian forces captured them and they have been detained in Iran ever since. No charges have been pressed against them in the year since they have been arrested. What I find to be the most horrific part of the story is that the only female in the group, Sarah Shourd, is forced into solitary confinement for twenty-three hours each day.

Free The Hikers is a group organized by the families & friends of the detained hikers in order to raise political awareness to help free the hikers in captivity. July 31st marked the one year anniversary of their captivity. Rallies were held in Minnesota, Arizona, Texas, Washington D.C. and Paris France to bring awareness to the cause.

U.S. Senator Al Franken came to Duluth to speak at our local rally. I grabbed my Speed Graphic and did my best impression of a 1940's photojournalist. If you want more info on his appearance from accredited journalists, the event was also covered by Fox 21, Northland's NewsCenter and WDIO.

Al giving an interview with the local press.

Al Franken hugs Cindy Hickey, the mother of one of the detained hikers.

Bonus Image

If I was sending these photos out over a wire for newspaper publication, the above three would be my picks. I wouldn't feel right though if I didn't include at least one quirky photo into the web site edit.

I grew up loving Al Franken's comedy on Saturday Night Live back in the early 1990s. Now he is in the powerful position as a United States Senator. Yet, these kids have no idea what is walking towards them for there is something shiny on the ground for them to look at instead.

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Al Franken & Free The Hikers is a post from: K. Praslowicz, Photographer

Tall Ships in Duluth!

K. Praslowicz — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 23:28:34 +0000

Tall ships! Tall ships! Tall ships! All the buzz in Duluth this week is about the old timey tall-ships which pulled into harbor this earlier this week. I love the tall ships! Not so much because they are ships which are tall, but because with tall ships comes throngs of tourists to pack into my typical street photography hunting grounds.

I watched the size of the crowds thicken on a web cam feed as The Grand Parade of Sail drew closer. As the crowd grew I couldn't take it anymore. My heart was pounding harder than a junkie in desperate need of a fix. The siren call of the Tall Ships could no longer be resisted.

Photos From The Duluth Tall Ships 2010

All images taken with a Voigtlander Snapshot Skopar 25mm f4.0 on a Leica M6 with Fuji 400H film—in case you are into that kind of stuff.

This particular ship wasn't very tall. However, the skipper didn't seem to have much control of it as it drifted very close to the Duluth north pier. Don't worry though kids, they didn't make contact.

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Tall Ships in Duluth! is a post from: K. Praslowicz, Photographer

There are Fake Smiles, and then there are Fake Smiles

K. Praslowicz — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 15:01:46 +0000

A few years the first digital point & shoot camera was released which had a feature where the camera would pick when to take the picture based on when the subject was smiling. I personally wouldn't want a camera which is that autonomous, but it is fine for people who like snapshots of their friends and family wearing forced smiles.

I was content with smile shutter technology until two weeks ago when I saw a glimpse of the horrible future this technology could unleash.

I was attending a weekend retreat and one of the other attendees had a Sony DSC-W220 digital camera. This camera has the smile shutter, and something much darker and perverse.

* Smile Correction *

You read that right. In a world where a professional photographer can get fired for digitally removing a background element, we can now decide that Uncle Joe doesn't look happy enough in that snapshot we just took, and fix it in-camera.

So how well does this feature work? We did some experimenting. First up is a photo of myself with my typical everyday face.

And then the same image after the camera applied smile correction.

The smile correction doesn't do that bad of a job actually. I just hope to hell that it never gets included as a feature which is enabled by default.

I think about the use of Advanced Photo System cameras during the 1990s. For years the APS format camera my mother owned vomited up wretched looking snapshots into my family's photo album. When I flip through our family album, the mid nineties is the period I consider to be the dark ages. There is a definite drop in the quality of the images from that period due to APS.

There is a lack of good quality prints (in my eyes) in our family albums from those years, but at least what we have is honest imagery. Sure there are a lot of forced fake smiles, but at least those fake smiles are formed by human face muscles. I personally don't like the forced smile photograph, but there is something comforting about seeing the exact same smile on the face of the same person in photographs spanning decades. Same for seeing similar characteristics appear on the faces of children and relatives from later generations. I have little faith that the algorithm in a $150 camera is going to be amazing enough to accurately render the nuances of each individual's smile.

While I was now trembling in fear as to the future of our family snapshots, I was also enthralled by this gimmick. Much like Garry Kasparov versus Deep Blue in 1996, I was determined to give this computer a good old fashions man vs machine smack-down.

The Challenge: Could I produce a frown so deep that the camera couldn't realistically correct it?

Before

After

So who wins? Man or Machine? Give your thoughts in the comments area please.

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There are Fake Smiles, and then there are Fake Smiles is a post from: K. Praslowicz, Photographer

K. Praslowicz, Photographer

For The Soused Photographer: TLR Camera Flasks

The Schnapps-O-Flex

The Reflex Shot

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64 Examples of Stunning, Breathtaking or Amazing Photography Lists

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Small World by Martin Parr - A Photo Book I Love

A few things I learned from Small World

It is never the wrong time to use flash.

I don't need exotic subjects to make great photography.

Related Links

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Failtography

The Omen (1976)

An American Haunting (2005)

Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)

Oldboy (2003)

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Photography in Films: Hello Kitty Leicas

The Caveman's Valentine (2001)

Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)

Eurotrip (2004)

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Leica Sightings

Coraline (2009)

The Stuff (1985)

Penn & Teller: Bullshit! Season 1 & 2

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Catalina Swimsuits For Nudists In Sweden

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Al Franken & Free The Hikers

Bonus Image

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Tall Ships in Duluth!

Photos From The Duluth Tall Ships 2010

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There are Fake Smiles, and then there are Fake Smiles

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