This Blog Is Retroactive

I was browsing through the pages of Nick Campbell’s blog, Greyscale Gorilla, the other day when I came across the iPhone app he created called ShakeItPhoto.  Basically, it takes your iPhone pictures and makes them look like a Polaroid photo.  As a fun little bonus, the app makes a Polaroid sound when you take or make the photo, and the more you shake your phone, the faster the image “develops”.  It was only 99¢ so I thought I’d give it a try.  I really like it.  I took some time to use it on a number of photos I already had on my phone, with some really satisfying results, shown above.  What is it about placing an image inside a white square border coupled with subtle vignetting that instantly makes a badly taken picture look better?  I don’t have the answer, but I like the result.  If you feel like sharing your iPhone Polaroids there’s also a Flickr group and a webpage called PhotoShakeDown.  Thanks Nick!

Mardi Gras from Keith Loutit on Vimeo.

I know in the last post I said UNIQLO’s website was the best use of tilt-shift I’ve seen to date but this video by Keith Loutit is a very close second.   What a brilliant way to capture all the fun and craziness of a Mardi Gras parade!  My friend Reed directed me to another of Keith’s Vimeo videos yesterday.   I saw this one there and I had to share it.  I know it’s seven months old but it’s new to me.  Thanks Reed!

The picture you see above may look like a tiny, scale model of a shipping company truck yard, but it’s not.  It is in actuality a photo of a real, life-size truck yard in Tokyo, Japan.  This photo was created using a technique called Tilt-Shift, first pioneered by Italian photographer, Olivo Barbieri.  Tilt-Shift, or more precisely, Tilt-Shift Miniature Faking, is a process that allows you to make a photo of a life-size location or object look like a photo of a miniature scale model by simulating the very shallow depth of field normally associated with macro focus.

Tilt is when the camera lens is tilted in relation to the image plane. The image plane is where the image is captured at the back of the camera with film or a digital sensor. The lens and the image plane are typically parallel. Tilting the lens will create a blurring effect at the top and bottom of the image, thus simulating a shallow depth of field.

Shift refers to the camera’s movement up or down in order to minimize the appearance of perspective. This is important in tilt shift photography because the less perspective you have the more your image will resemble a scale miniature. Perspective is only apparent with great distances, but with close ups of miniature scale models there’s virtually no perspective at all because the distance is so small.

The tilt-shift effect can be achieved with traditional photographic methods using a special camera lens, or with Photoshop using a gradient mask and the Lens Blur effect. Unless you’re a professional photographer I doubt you’ll want to invest the time or money it takes to create these images using traditional methods. I prefer using Photoshop fakery. The end result is just as good and I think it’s an approach that almost anyone can master. You just have to make sure and start with the right kind of image.

Below are a few I’ve created myself.

Photos taken from high above your subject work best.  In addition to using the Lens Blur filter, you’ll probably want to increase the color saturation and contrast, to simulate the bright paint often found on scale models.

Below you’ll see a tiny example of hands-down the best use of the tilt-shift effect I’ve seen anywhere.  I saw this on Pink Tentacle.  It’s an interactive online calendar for a clothing company called UNIQLO.  They’ve taken tilt-shift into the fourth dimension, using dozens of carefully crafted time lapse videos.  Click on the calendar to see the webpage full size.  Genius.

Tilt-shift is a relatively simple process that nonetheless results in images that are both delightful and fascinating. I think the reason I like it so much is that these images remind me of the beginning of Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood, a show I wager many of us enjoyed as little kids.  You guys remember that don’t you, with the little trolley?

See some more great examples of tilt shift photos here and here, and here.

Go here for instructions on how to make your own!

Today my friend Ty called me out of the blue and asked me to accompany him on a short field trip to Deep Ellum to meet with local photographer and gallery owner, Hal Samples. Ty is an art director and was considering using Hal to shoot the photos for a brochure he’s putting together. I was happy to get out of the house and desperate for some creative stimuli and inspiration. Our little expedition did not disappoint and I enjoyed the afternoon even more than I expected. I saw some great art, met some interesting new people, talked shop, and faith, and headed home that afternoon feeling expectant and energized.

I didn’t know what to expect as I was just along for the ride. Ty had never met Hal before or been to his place either so we arrived in Deep Ellum and kind of just wandered into Hal’s Gallery, downstairs from his studio space. On exhibit in the gallery was an installation by a Texas artist named George Fowler. Hal refers to him in his blog as a “wire bending magical warrior of light.” I can’t disagree. Metal is Fowlers primary medium which he uses in many different, unusual ways . Hanging near the front was a huge American flag constructed of red and blue hammered metal.  There were also fish, flowers and interestingly shaped sculptures and lamps, all made of dense, twisted wire. I’ve included some pics below.

Hal’s gallery manager  came down and escorted us upstairs to the studio space. We met Hal’s bulldog, Cash, who was just waddling about, as bulldogs are wont to do. Apparently she also has her own blog. Doesn’t everybody these days? And their dogs? Hal was wrapping up a meeting with some clients so Ty and I took some time to look around the wide open studio on the second floor that Hal refers to as SPACE. They rent it out and use it for any and all kinds of events and production shoots. It really is a great location. All the original hardwood and brick has been preserved, not to mention an original mural on the brick wall downstairs in the gallery. Some of Hal’s photographs were displayed on the walls. I am not a photographer, but I have a great appreciation for it, as long as it’s something new and it’s done well. Hal’s was.

We met and talked with Hal, and saw where he works (and sleeps I think). I was really digging his entire set up, including his workspace, his studio and his gallery. I don’t know how he ended up getting to create this type of environment for himself, his work, and the work of his friends and colleagues, but it’s something I aspire to. I often daydream of a large studio space where I can work and create, and have a place for my dogs too.

I don’t know Hal. I was only able to visit with him and his gallery manager for a very short time, but I do admire his work. He is also very active in the Dallas arts and music scene and a great advocate for the homeless and other disadvantaged people in and around Dallas.  They also do some interesting things there at SPACE. For instance, on Sunday evenings they have a potluck dinner and church service where, instead of worshipping with music, they worship through drawing, painting, poetry, etc.

So, visit his website, and maybe visit his gallery if you get the chance. You’ll not only get to see some great art and photography, you might also learn how more about what Hal does and how art can make a difference.