DIY ! an uninterrupted saturday

I love it when i have no plans or errands on a Saturday.

On this particular Saturday, i decided to work on a 'lil DIY project. The Dippold Pinhole Camera. 

Why spend over RM400 on an analogue camera when you can make one at home? And in one day. I came across MyType's blog and it looked pretty simple. So, i decided to give it a shot. First of all, i had to figure out what the heck is a pinhole camera? And how was it different from any other analogue camera. This was what i found out:

What is Pinhole Photography?

It's like any other kind of photography, but instead of using lens, a very small hole is used to project the image on the film. There's not much else to it really. And since there's no lens involved, pinhole cameras can be made out of several things...like a cereal box, matchbox, even paper. 

Alright then... shall we begin? 

First, you're gonna need the tutorial. So get it here.  Second, download the template here.

I've already tried taking some shots with it. However, it wasn't as cool as i thought it would be. I must've kept it away for too long 'cause the glue from the tape sort of melted and jammed the shutter lid. 

Plus, while I was making it, i didn't really think about the film guide. So, i wasn't sure how many turns i had to make to move to the next frame. To be safe, i gave it a considerable amount of space between the frames, wasting alot of film in the process. Also, last note. Do not use mounting board. It needs something thinner like art card.

I haven't developed the film...so, we'll see how it comes out later. 

camera roll ! meet my new friend smena

It finally came in the mail. And she's a beauty.

Let me get you guys more acquainted.

The word "Smena" (Cmeha) is roughly translated into "Young Generation" in English.

The first Smena model rolled out of assembly in 1952 and continued to be produced only until the late 1980s.

Made in the USSR and designed to provide inexpensive, accessible, and excellent photography tools to the hard-working young Soviets of the time, the Smena 8m was manfactured by the legendary LOMO production house of St. Petersburg.

The Smena is a true LOMO.

The shutter gives speeds from 1/15 s to 1/250 s with flash sync at all speeds, possibly the only remarkable feature of this camera. The very unaccurate viewfinder is a clear frame without lens. Focusing is unaided even though its considered an entry-level compact camera.


Along with your normal indications, the Smena settings can be adjusted with cute symbols.






Interesting fact: 
among many Smena enthusiasts, one of them included Lee Harvey Oswald, the man who assassinated John F. Kennedy. Following an FBI raid of his place, a Smena was found among his stuff. 

And this is the awesome Starblitz i ordered off of ebay to keep her company.

Ahh.... she's complete.

camera roll ! Malaysia's Best Dressed Man

Headed out to Bangsar the other day to meet up with the usual suspects. Besides our usual catching up, we were actually out on a mission this time. We were going to make Ahmad...

Malaysia’s Best Dressed Man of 2011. 

Of course, he didn’t really need any help in that department. But with Yan as the DP and me behind the lens, we were going to try our darndest to submit an awesome fashion photo shot. So, we tried to set the background in an urban chic, street smart.... ah who am i kidding. I don't know the fashion lingo. I just followed orders and snapped away. 

And we got these:

 

Our Director of Photography herself

Time for a little wardrobe change...

Gotta get in some of the details.

And finally... the picture he went with.

It was a fun day. And quite honestly, i was more than ecstatic to be the photographer. I'm not that great behind the lens but it was nice of Ahmad to put that much trust in me.

I tried my best... now, all we gotta do is wait. Cross your fingers everyone.