chrisarrondelle

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Dark Room

Final Prints and Mounting

The question of which middle image to use had been resolved in my own mind, and I would use the black and white self portrait. My reasoning for this was that the “unreal’ (psychological) landscape within which these young people (my own children) were being placed, was in many ways emanating from myself and my own fear and worries. This image of myself, appearing weighed down was clearly (IMO) the image that would best tie the three together.

Having got my bespoke mounting boards into the university I now had to mount the prints on to them, and then hang them for my final hand in. I arrived nice and early, partly to avoid a crush of the bus, but also to make the most of what was due to be a busy day. I intended to mount the prints using Spray Mount, and had allowed myself a quarter of an inch to trim.

The print on the mounting boards and in the gallery for assessment. 

The process of mounting the images was not an easy one. The Spray Mount had a tendency to ‘grab’ and adjusting the position of the print risked considerable damage. I found the easiest way to work was to spray the board and then offer it to the image (laid flat) this was really working blunt and it resulted in two of the images being slightly off, and leaving a thin strip of white (unprinted) paper showing. I was quite annoyed with myself for doing this after all my preparation, and retrospectively, I could had easily marked the reverse of the print as a guide, therefore avoiding the issue completely. Aware that there was nothing I could do at this stage, I accepted that it was ‘what it was’ and walked the prints to the gallery.

Once in the gallery I explained the mistake I had made positioning the print to my tutor. He seemed pretty easy about it, and suggested that it would be ok for the assessment, but that I should consider doing it again for the Free Range show. Installation was very straight forward. I had built the boards to be easy to hang and knew my measurements. I only needed to hang one of the prints, as the gallery is small, and the work would only be being assessed here (the main (graduate) show would be in July).

[chrisarrondelle]

Dissemination

Print mounting - Bespoke Option

Having (unexpectedly) got myself a little ahead of the game in terms of getting prints done, I then failed to address the issue of mounting the prints with the same efficiency. I had already ruled out framing the images, not only would the cost be unrealistic, but I had also wanted to hang the prints using bulldog clips, similar in style to the way that Marja Pirlä’s work when I saw it. This however highlighted a mistake I had made in my file preparation. To hang the images as I wanted, I needed to add a white border to the image, I had failed to take this into account which meant that I had trim marks (for cutting) on the image. The consequence of this was that the image would now need to be a full bleed. Ironically our Print Technician and one of my Tutors has suggested that the images would look good on either Diabond (an Aluminium (layered) composite) or a heavy card.

As the prints were printed 42 inches wide and 30 deep Diabond would be the obvious choice for it’s rigidity, but this choice would also be expensive. Foamex was a cheap option but felt like a bit of a cop out, and rigidity would (again) be a problem. Although Foamex could be ‘hung’ on a wall quite simply with Velcro, it would simply follow any contours of the surface, and there would be no shadow gap to bring the print ‘off’ the wall. Card would not be an option for the same reasons as the Foamex, and neither offered much in the way of sophistication (they look as cheap as they are). With this in mind I began to search bit wider, and visited my local B&Q for some inspiration. 

I hoped that I would be able to find some sort of alternative to Diabond that I could work with myself. I didn’t expect to be able to find the actual material, but something that would remain rigid. The answer came in the form of Hardboard Ply. The sheets were good and straight, and the store would cut it to the size that I wanted. The print were all 42 inches wide but the depth varied a few 1/8th’s between them. I decided that I would get the board cut to 41.5 x 29.5 inches, that way I would have a 1/4 inch cut off (all around) when I mounted the prints. I expected to mount the images simply with spray mount, and then cut to the board with a sharp knife. The board cost me £23 for a single sheet (big enough for all three mounts) and it was cut to size for free, but as soon as the board was cut it gained a small warp. I anticipated this and had also bought 6 meters of aluminium L-shaped angle (£24). This angle I would cut and screw to the back of the board, essentially creating another smaller frame. This served a number of purposes, firstly it would help the board to remain rigid, secondly it would give me the shadow gap that I wanted by holding the board off the wall, and thirdly it would give me fixing points with which to mount the work on the wall, I would do this by fixing hooks to the aluminium angle (Hooks - £1). 

Working on the mounting boards in my back garden.

I measured and cut the angle to my required length, and marked the board for fixing. I drilled through both the board and the angle, countersunk the holes and screwed through to the angle from the front using self tapping screws. Once this had been done of all four sides I covered the (countersunk) screws with wood filler, and rubbed it smooth. Having rubbed the boards all over with some sand paper I now applied a coat of black paint (front and back) all around the edges of the mounts (paint £5).

The finished boards ready for the bus ride in to university.

The whole process went pretty smoothly overall. The mounts did not give me the dead flat surface the I would have got with Diabond, but they did look good, and they are hand-made. In retrospect I would have used more of the aluminium angle. I think that if I made my frame on the back a little bigger it would have given me a better finish, but when held up to the wall (without prints) the mounts look good, and the shadow gap is exactly what I wanted.The next step will be to get the boards into Uni (fun on the Bus) and to mount the images for the Gallery.

[chrisarrondelle]

Camera Obscura

Final shoot

The prints came back looking OK. I was happy with the print of Zach, but there was a sharpness missing from the image of Imogen. The middle image I was still unsure about, but in the meantime, I would re-shoot and re-print Imogen’s image. To be fair, all of the advice that I got about the lack of sharpness in the image was favourable. Feedback was that the softness of the image was nice, but I really couldn’t live with it, especially in contrast to the sharpness of Zach’s portrait.

When this image was blown up to print size (42x30″) the softness was too much for me to live with, and so I decided to re-shoot. Image taken by Chris Arrondelle - Canon 5d mkII - Sigma Art 50mm lens.

The re-shoot was a pretty standard set up now. The room was quick to blackout with tin foil, but it had been decorated since the original shoot so it was be nigh impossible to capture the same composition. We went through the same routine, of shoot a few, and break, shoot a few....etc The white chest of drawers was working particularly well with the projection, and I enjoyed the added depth that it gave to the image. We worked together until I was satisfied that I had the capture I wanted.

Image chosen from the final shoot for print. Image taken by Chris Arrondelle - Canon 5d mkII - Sigma Art 50mm lens

I was happy that I had captured the image that I wanted to use to replace the soft focussed portrait of Imogen. I had also been considering the choice for the middle image, and feed back from my tutor regarding the black and white seat portrait. I decided that I would print that along with my latest capture, allowing me to make my decision based on seeing the printed images side by side. I made an appointment with the Print Technician to arrange for the files to be printed.

[chrisarrondelle]

Camera Obscura - Dark Room

Artists Statement

DARK ROOM

Dark Room is a series of photographic images that records a Father’s children and the world in which they live. Using a Camera Obscura technique the room becomes dark and the outside world emerges within the space. The work explores a Father’s fears for his own children and his own perceived vulnerability of youth.

Pressures of social media, youth culture and parental/social expectation place the child within an un-real landscape. Visually inspired by the work of Marja Pirilä’s INTERIOR/EXTERIOR and her use of a camera obscura technique, the Dark Room here is set between the physical and the psychological as the inverted landscape is both familiar and disconnected.

Confronted by the disconnected landscape within which his child is posed, the photographer has been forced to question the disconnect between his own anxieties and reality.

[chrisarrondelle]

Camera Obscura

Feedback

Having worked up a number of images from my latest shoot, I took the opportunity to print them off the next time I was in University. I printed the images to A3 and laid them out on the table, as one of my tutors walked in. We reviewed the images that I had printed. At this stage I was developing a strong feeling for the images that I liked, but these were not necessarily the images that my tutor liked, and we were also at odds over the narrative that we saw in the set, I was beginning to feel that I needed to (respectfully) take ownership of my own project. There was a danger that I was heading toward a series of images and narrative that had been entirely someone else choices. It was important to me that the work on the wall was my own. Feed back from numerous Guest Lecturers over the years had told us all to find our own style, and to be true to our own work. Another of my lecturers was showing considerably more enthusiasm for the narrative that I was building. At this stage of the project, when decisions regards picture choice and print were upon us I decided to make a few choices for myself. 

[chrisarrondelle]

Camera Obscura

9th shoot - Re-shoot Zachary

This was my first opportunity to re-shoot Zachary (my son) The previous shoot had included some of his friends, but I felt that I needed to capture his alone to avoid creating a second ( different) narrative. I have often been told that I am trying to present two different project in one, so I would try to avoid that here. My previous shoot with Zachary had been without the Bonfoton lens, so I was expecting better results here. I did not want to try to recreate the first shoot with him. I liked the images but this was a new day, the room had changed, and in my opinion it was be a mistake to try and recreate a moment that has already gone. That is to say that, while I would be able to re-create the frame and surroundings, the image would (for me) feel too contrived. Zachwould have an expectation of what was to come, and the organic nature of the shoot would possible be lost. For this shoot, I would start again, and work the whole room.

The back wall in Zach’s room has the sharpest focus from the Bonfoton lens but was also the blandest projection. Taken by Chris Arrondelle - Canon 5d mkII - Sigma Art 50mm lens.

Because Zach’s room is fairly small the projection on the side walls is very good, and puts me in mind of an impressionist landscape. Taken by Chris Arrondelle - Canon 5d mkII - Sigma Art 50mm lens.

My personal favourite from the shoot combined a good mix of light and projection. It also is the image that I have the strongest emotional bond with, and communicates something to me about the world that my son is growing up in. Taken by Chris Arrondelle - Canon 5d mkII - Sigma Art 50mm lens.

I felt that the last two shoots (taken on the same day) had moved the project along somehow. I had always maintained that I would continue to shoot with the Camera Obscura technique, and see what narrative the images fed back. The initial plan was to photograph people at transitional stages of their life, such as my course mates. All would be moving on soon both with where they live and work BUT this was not what I was getting from the images I had been taking. I was discovering a different narrative within my own household that was forcing me to ask questions of my self, and my own perceptions of the world that I place my son in, and the expectations on both of my children in the world that they are growing up in. I was not entirely sure where this was going, but it was something that I needed to pursue.

To move this forward I would work up some of these files, and print them off at university to A3. This would allow me to spread the images out, and view them all together.

[chrisarrondelle]

Camera Obscura

8th Shoot - Bedroom Three

This shoot would revisit the shots that I had done here previously, but following on from my feedback I would shoot more intuitively. I had been concerned that I was not getting enough into the images with my 50mm and had borrowed a 24mm lens from the university kit room to get a wider shot. One of the things which I suppose form part of my ‘style’s that I shoot 50mm. I love my 50mm lens and I an very comfortable with my kit. This is not to say that I am unable to embrace and adjust to alternative equipment and techniques BUT when I was told to shoot more intuitively, my first instinct was to use my 50mm. With this in mind, I now had a sitter (my daughter) and the light was good, so we began to shoot.

I was not keen to over dress the ‘set’ but I did move a fews thing about including a mirror. I was keen to capture my daughter with her dog and they have a very strong bond. I also wanted to use the (full length) mirror, or at least experiment with it.

Image taken with a full length mirror, the Camera Obscura effect can be seen in the reflection of the smaller mirror and on the wall. I had moved the L O V E ornament to the top shelf as I wanted it in the frame. Image taken by Chris Arrondelle - Canon 5d mkII - Sigma Art 50mm lens.

The dogs did very well to sit for a relatively long shutter exposure. Image taken by Chris Arrondelle - Canon 5d mkII - Sigma Art 50mm lens.

The dark room, long shutter times and altering the poses can take a bit of a toll on the sitters I have found, so I tent to take a number of shots, have a little break for the sitter (when I will review the images) and then we will go again. I reviewed the images and felt that I had put to much focus onto the mirror, and not enough focus onto my daughter. The mirror (I felt) was just an effect and the effect was to put a distance between myself and her. This was not what I wanted to capture in the images, I wanted more intimacy. In my opinion, what had worked with my son and his friends was the feeling of being in the room with them. I n these images with the mirror felt detached.

A second round of shooting dismissed the mirror, and the dogs to focus on the sitter, and create a lille more intimacy. Image taken by Chris Arrondelle - Canon 5d mkII - Sigma Art 50mm lens.

Having dismissed the mirror we shot again. This time I also asked my daughter to remove her glasses. This was both to counter a nasty reflection that I seemed unable to avoid, but also (again) to create a little more intimacy. I was far happier with the resulting images, and really felt that I had shot intuitively, or at last my interpretation of that. My next step would be to re-shoot my son, and his room. The images of him and his friends had made me re-consider the story that I was trying to tell with these images beyond the Camera Obscura technique. There was a vulnerability that was coming across in these images that I wanted to explore and question more.

[chrisarrondelle]

Camera Obscura

Feedback

With the Easter break due, I had bundled up the images I had just taken and sent them via WeTransfer to all four tutors that were involved in this module. My reasoning here was that I had three weeks to concentrate on getting some interesting images, and a little feedback from different sources could be valuable. I was still unsure of my overall narrative, but was open to all thoughts.

2 tutors looked at the files - 1 replied.

Feed back was pretty good. The images were good, but a little stylistic. The tutor was convinced of the Meta-narrative (why was he looking at the images?) but this was something that I was unsure of myself at this stage and so was aware that this needed development. A tip for research was to look at the (Victorian) photography of Margaret Cameron, and other Victorian photographers to consider whether my images could be a play on images from 150 years ago. Another option - 

           “You can eschew this completely and 'talk about' the technology that runs our world but shoot in an obviously pinhole way.”

 I like this last idea. I recently saw a set of Formula 1 (motorsport) images that had been shot on a large format (8x10) film camera, and the contrast between content and medium was spectacular. His final nugget of gold was to tell me to shoot intuitively. This is quite broad advice I suppose but I took it to mean ‘relax’, ‘stop trying so hard’, shoot with your feelings, and be confident in your work’. Thats quite a lot to read into two words, but that (in this instance) is what I take to be shooting intuitively.

All images here are the files that were sent for feedback. Taken by Chris Arrondelle - Canon 5d mkII - Sigma Art 50mm lens OR Canon L series 24mm lens.

[chrisarrondelle]

Camera Obscura

Print Decisions

Having received a courseware mail advising us to talk to our new Print Technician with regard to paper and print choices. Whilst reviewing the prints I had already done another of my tutors and I were having a discussion about the number of images to show, and which images would fit into a set. We both agreed that either 3 or 6 prints would be a good number. There were 3 or 4 images that seemed obvious choices to us both, but to find 6 was more of a struggle. On the flip side, using three of the images meant choosing one to leave out. We decided on the three images below, and would get some test strips printed to better judge the images blown up to full size.

Image taken by Chris Arrondelle - Canon 5d mkII - Sigma 50mm

Image taken by Chris Arrondelle - Canon 5d mkII - Sigma 50mm

Image taken by Chris Arrondelle - Canon 5d mkII - Sigma 50mm

This black and white image and the image above were the two images that were in debate. Image taken by Chris Arrondelle - Canon 5d mkII - Sigma 50mm

I made arrangements to meet with the print technician, but in the mean time I had had second thoughts about the middle image. I felt that the image below tied the two portraits together nicely, and reflected my developing narrative well.

Image taken by Chris Arrondelle - Canon 5d mkII - Sigma 50mm

I had long felt that I wanted to print these images on an Art Paper, and having done a little research I really wanted to look at Hahnemühle Photo-Rag, so I was very pleased when I was told that is was available to me on campus. We discussed paper choices, but not only did our Print Technician think the images would look good on the Photorag, but in fact recommended it. He was free to do some test prints, and I had print ready files so we went to the print room. One of my tutors was in the print room, so I was able to get live feedback as we went through the process of testing. I knew he was reticent about my choice for the middle image BUT this was a decision (to take some control of my project) and I would live with the consequences (if any). The images looked great on the test strips, and the paper, I had the files on my hard-drive, and the Print Technician wanted to know what I wanted to do next, so I resized the files and handed them over to be printed up to full size the next day.

[chrisarrondelle]

Camera Obscura

Video Capture

A small piece of video showing the projected image on the kitchen cupboards from the 6th shoot. The footage was filmed at ISO 6400 - f1.4. The image (as can be seen) is pretty grainy but converted to black and white, and flipped horizontally this little film is quite captivating.

Footage taken by Chris Arrondelle - Canon 5D mkii - Sigma Art 50mm lens - ISO 6400 - f1.4.

[chrisarrondelle]

Camera Obscura

7th shoot - Bedroom 3

This shoot (again) took the opportunity offered by a sunny day. I did not have a sitter available for the images, but the room that I wanted to use only has one window and I wanted to see if the projection would work as the room has a very narrow view. I used tin foil on the window, and attached the Bonfoton lens. Applying the lens is a case of ‘cut it and see’. If the projection does not look right, the lens can easily be moved to another spot, and the old aperture be re-covered with a little bit of tin foil over the top. The quality of the light gave a good projection and I began to take a number of images with both the Canon L series 24mm lens, and my own Sigma Art 50mm lens. 

The quality of the image projected through the Bonfoton lens was excellent. The image above is a (flipped) shot of the garden outside projected onto the bedroom wall using light, and the Bonfoton lens. Photo taken by Chris Arrondelle - Canon 5D mkii - Sigma Art 50mm lens - ISO 100 - f1.4 - 3.2 sec.

Photo taken by Chris Arrondelle - Canon 5D mkii - Canon 24mm - ISO 100 - f1.4 - 5 sec.

Experimenting with the use of mirror to capture the projection and the interior of the room. Photo taken by Chris Arrondelle - Canon 5D mkII - Sigma Art 50mm - ISO 100 - f1.4 - 6 sec.

The external wall of the building blended seamlessly into the wall of the interior (all in camera) The image here has been flipped so that the (external) landscape can be easier read. Photo taken by Chris Arrondelle - Canon 5D mkII - Sigma Art 50mm - ISO 100 - f1.4 - 6 sec.

As with the previous (kitchen) shoot, I made an effort to capture a broad range of compositions. I had no sitter to work with in this instance, but felt that the room could easily be revisited and the work done today would put me in good stead to make any changes I needed to once my sitter (my daughter) was available, and the light was good. I would bundle these images with the ones taken in the kitchen, and Wetransfer the files to my tutors for some feed back over the easter break.  

Links - 

https://bonfoton.com

[chrisarrondelle]

Camera Obscura

5/6th shoot - With Bonfoton lens

Keen to try out the new bit of kit (the Bonfoton lens) I was also keen to use a room downstairs. It feels that a lot of this type of photography is bedroom based, but I wanted to apply this throughout my house, so this would be an interesting test for both the lens and a ‘downstairs’ room. The first test was both a success and a failure at the same time. The (new) tin foil technique worked very well, and for a first attempt it went up super fast. The foil will easily overlay with a spray of water, and if a mistake is made, the foil can simply be peeled back and adjusted. This technique was not 100% perfect, but this was more to do with my application rather than the effectiveness of the material (tin foil). Once the foil had been applied it was simple to cut (using a sharp craft knife) around the (supplied) template, to create the aperture for the lens. I then simply taped the lens over the hole with electrical tape.

The technique of using aluminium (tin) foil for blacking out the room was both effective and quick. It is also cheaply available and (as it turns out) re-usabe.

The Bonfoton lens was fixed in place with electrical tape. The lens comes with magnets so that it might be fitted to a blackout blind, but I intended to use this at a number of locations and so improvised with the tape.

The electrical tape and the foil worked very well together and the tape was easily removed without damaging the foil.

The lens was a great improvement, with the projected (outside image) now looking very sharp BUT the fail aspect of this shoot now came down to my own tardiness. I need a good sunny day for these shoots to really work (which I had) but I procrastinated for so long that by the time I had the room ready, I had effectively lost any light, and my projected image had become a dark mess. This was frustrating as I am trying to get a combination of good light (a sunny day) and my sitters being at home, and I only had myself to blame. When I took the tin foil down I laid it as flat as possible to let it dry for potential reuse. 

This test image from the 5th shoot shows the improvement in sharpness that the Bonfoton lens has given the projection, but despite (my own) best efforts in Abobe Lightroom the colour (due to the lack of outside light) was poor. 

When the next opportunity to shoot arose I grabbed it and had the room set up very quickly. The tin foil that I had saved easily went back in to place and the projected image was considerably better.

A combination of good outside light and the Bonfoton lens coming together to produce the projection seen on the wall here. Taken by Chris Arrondelle - Canon 5D mii - Canon 24mm  (L 1.4) - ISO 100 - f2 - 6 sec.

I wanted to make the most of this opportunity to shoot, so I took a broad range of shots using both my own Sigma Art 50mm lens, and a Canon (L series) 24mm lens that I had borrowed from the university kit room for the duration of the easter holidays. I wanted shots of my partner and if possible I wanted a shot of her with our dog ‘Archie’. I would use the 24mm lens to take the portrait shots and then I would swap to my 50mm for some detail work. As I am (currently) working un-teathered this also involves some coming and going to review the images on my laptop. The good light however allowed me a good few hours shooting here BUT later in the day (to re-enforce the fail from the previous shoot) the sky clouded over and any good light disappeared.

My partner and our dog ‘Archie” sitting for a portrait. I used the 24mm for this shot and the distortion (particularly) with the dog bowl is quite off putting for me. The black board on the wall has been replaced by a clock which had hung there previously. Photo taken by Chris Arrondelle - Canon 5D mkii - Canon 24mm lens - f2 - 4 sec.

Detail shot taken of the (side) projection cast on the kitchen cupboards. Photo taken by Chris Arrondelle - Canon 5d mkii - Sigma Art 50mm lens - ISO 100 - f2 - 5 sec.

HDR image created in Adobe Lightroom using three (bracketed) shots. Photo taken by Chris Arrondelle - Canon 5D mkii - Sigma Art 50mm.

Detail shot taken of the projection cast upon the kitchen door.  Photo taken by Chris Arrondelle - Canon 5d mkii - Sigma Art 50mm lens - ISO 100 - f2 - 5 sec.

I was happy with the images I had caught and the performance of the Bonfoton lens. Getting the dog to sit still for 5 seconds was 50/50 so I had a few to work with. I was very happy with some of the detail shots, particularly the kitchen cupboards. I was also quite pleased with the Marja Pirilä inspired doors. Leaving a door slightly ajar gives a sense something beyond and I like the aesthetic that it gives to the image. To progress the project I would work the images up in Adobe Lightroom and show them to my tutors for feedback.

Links - 

https://bonfoton.com

[chrisarrondelle]

Camera Obscura

Inspiration - Marja Pirilä 

Introduction -

       Marja Pirila is an artist that I first came across on a visit to  the Galerie Nationale De La Tapisserie in Beavais, France. In hindsight this unexpected introduction demonstrates the value of a gallery visit, and that of a good gallery. I may (or may not) have come across Marja Pirilä sooner or later, but to be introduced to the artist and her work in the ‘real’ world, and to be confronted with the work in it’s intended format, this had far more impact than anything that any internet platform can offer. Part of the delight was in the unexpectedness of the work. It was a random vitas to a random gallery, I had no expectation, and knew nothing of the exhibition other than it was photographic. The work being exhibited by Pirilä was from her ongoing ‘Interior/Exterior’ series, along with her Spiral Camera Obscura, and some ‘Tin can’ Obscura’s that hung from the ceiling. The whole thing was very interactive, but also satisfied aesthetically with some fine prints, almost as if the prints highlighted the technical potential of the items we were playing with.

Marja Pirilä’s Tin Can Camera Obscura’s in the Galerie Nationale De La Tapisserie. Aprint from the Artist’s “Interior/Exterior series can be seen on the far wall. Photo taken by Chris Arrondelle - Pentax K3.

The Artist -

       Marja Pirilä was born in 1957 in Rovaniemi, the capital of Lapland, and probably best known for being the “original” hometown of Santa Claus. 

  “I was born in 1957 in Finland close to the Arctic Circle. I wonder if my northern heritage is the origin of my endless love of light and fascination with camera obscura phenomenon in which light flooding into a dark space takes with it reflections of the world outside?” Marja Pirilä  https://www.lensculture.com/marja-pirila

Pirilä graduated in 1986 as a photographer from the University of Art and Design in Helsinki, Finland, and after seeing some of Abelardo Morell’s black and white (camera obscura) images in a photography magazine. 

Abelardo Morell, 'Camera Obscura: Manhattan View Looking South in Large Room', 1996

     “The idea in embarking on the Interior/Exterior project was a nocturnal inspiration after seeing some black-and-white images of Abelardo Morell in a photo magazine. In the room converted into a camera obscura I could capture an image of a person and at the same time that person’s room and the view from the window – what an all-encompassing method by which to photograph a person’s living environment!” Marja Pirilä https://www.lensculture.com/articles/marja-pirila-interior-exterior-camera-obscura-dreams

In 1996 Pirilä began her Interior/Exterior series of images that has gone on to become her longest (ongoing) project. This was also the beginning of what was to become a very long relationship with the Camera Obscura technique. Something that Pirilä has continued to develop and refine. In Pirilä’s latest series “In Strindberg’s Rooms” the artist creates her Camera Osbsura inside the apartment once occupied by August Strindberg (1849–1912), one of Sweden’s most important and controversial writers.

'In Strindberg's Rooms 34, - possible landscape III - Marja Pirilä - 2017

Pirilä’s introduction of the door slightly open and what appears to be use of multiple lenses have taken this imagery (in my opinion) to another level. The image above seems to incorporate a triple exposure of the same scene but at different focal lengths. The cross over sections of silhouette seem to get steadily darker and there is a quality of light that I would not expect to achieve from this technique. The narrative of the images taken from the room of a well known (historic) Swedish author is very compelling to me, and the images have a timeless quality that give me a sense that neither the room nor the view have changed.

Links - 

http://www.marjapirila.com/index.html

[chrisarrondelle]

Camera Obscura

Lens and Blackout technique

Initial research into the use of lenses to improve the quality of my projections was not being very fruitful. While Camera Obscura artists (on my radar) all said that they used lenses, there was scant information as to what lenses they actually use, and how. You tube videos that I watched seemed to settle for a plastic torch lens or (in the case of constructing Pinhole cameras) magnifying lenses. However, I did come across an article (from Peta Pixel) that talked about a product from Bonfoton that was specifically designed to turn rooms into Camera Obscuras. https://petapixel.com/2017/07/19/bonfoton-lens-helps-turn-room-giant-camera-obscura/ 31.03.18.

I did a little research on the company and the product and they claimed that their lens was the only lens of the market specifically designed for this purpose. The company itself seemed to be a small start-up concern, and for (around) 27€ they would send me the lens from Finland. I was a little wary about the quality of the product but decided that at 27€ it was worth a punt, and so ordered the item online.

Screen shot taken from the Bonfoton website - 31.03.18

Screen shot taken from the Bonfoton website - 31.03.18

The lens arrived through the post within a few days and initial concerns regarding quality were put aside as the product seemed to be well put together, and presented very well.

The Bonfoton lens out of the bag. The kit comprised of the lens, a cover for the lens, a sticker/cut out template for the aperture, and full instructions for both preparing the room and use of the lens. All this came in a little bag to keep it all together.

The Bonfoton lens itself is of a good solid construction. The cover is held in place with magnets (as can be seen) and there is an option to use magnets (fitted on the rear of the lens) for mounting the lens itself.

The instructions that came with the lens suggested that aluminium (tin) foil could be used to easily and quickly blackout the windows in a room.

The technique for this involved spraying a liberal amount of water onto the window that was to be blacked out, and to lay a sheet of foil over the spray.

The ‘Tin Foil’ technique worked very well in tests. It was recommended that the foil was left in place for no more than 48 hours as there was a potential for the glass to be stained if the water dried out to much, but the technique was quick and effective. It also solved the ‘double layer’ problem that I had been having with the blackout material (I had been losing light in the gap between the layers) as the foil blacked out the room in a single layer. I was now a slave to the weather and needed a good sunny day to put the blackout technique, and the lens to the test, and to see if the lens would truly give me the sharp projection that I was looking for.

Links - 

https://bonfoton.com

[chrisarrondelle]

Camera obscura

Feedback

In this feedback session with my tutor Simon we discussed all the images I had taken to day. This included the photos from the first two room (shoots 1-4) I explained that I was thinking about shooting some of my course mates for this project, and was attracted to the idea of capturing people in a very transient stage of their lives in the last few months of their degrees, and the first few months of their new lives, beyond university. However, when I showed the image to Simon he picked out a set of images that I hadn’t considered putting together, and suggested that he liked the narrative of the images all coming from a single household.

Image selected for a potential Triptych by my tutor

The images that he selected for this Triptych challenged my notion of what a set of images should look like

Especially as on of the images was in black and white. Mixing colour imagery with black and white imagery is not something that I would usually consider.

The three images together as a Triptych.

It was when I suggested that this was not three images that I would put together that Simon explained that he saw a narrative that worked around a single household. I felt that the tones across the images made them jarring against each other, but Simon seemed unconcerned by this as the narrative was strong. I am entirely happy to have my ideas challenged here, if feels a little bit of a relief to be free of how i presumed a set of images should look, and agree that the narrative hold the set together rather than aesthetic.

We agreed that to move forward, I would continue to shoot as much as possible, and that I would also work toward improving the quality of the projection. I would also try to shoot a broad range of images form each room/shoot. This would give me more options to select my final images from, and hopefully continue to surprise me with the resulting images. I would work through a variety of ISO’s and f-stops, and would shoot both with and without sitters, to try and capture some interesting detail shots.

[chrisarrondelle]

Camera Obscura

4th shoot and first room change

For this shoot I would be moving to the other side of the house. The theory would be that this side of the house would produce better results as the sun would not be shining directly on the window, rather it would be lighting the the subject of the projection (in the same way that you might take a photo with your back to the sun).

I would be working in my sons room and hoped to take a few images of him in his own space, along with a few of him with his friends. The room was blacked out in the same way as the first room, using a double layer of the blackout material. I had to move the room around to accommodate my tripod, but left the ‘frame’ as untouched as possible as I wanted the space to maintain it’s ‘authenticity’

Image taken by Chris Arrondelle with a Canon 5D mkii - Sigma Art 50mm lens - ISO 400 - f2 - 6 sec.

To get the image of the game to show on the TV screen, I had taken a screen shot from one of the games that my son plays regularly and turned the brightness of the screen down very low. The image on the screen was barely visible but along with the projection from the pinhole, I expected the long exposure of the shot to enhance this (which it did). I had deliberately left the line of the door to allow a strip of light to break up the image on the wall, and to highlight the shape of the door. 

Image taken by Chris Arrondelle with a Canon 5D mkii - Sigma Art 50mm lens - ISO 400 - f2 - 5 sec.

In the above image I wanted to show how these boys spent a lot of their time. I had place the middle boy quite deliberately and asked him to put a “white screen’ on his mobile phone, and to light his own face. I really like the composition of this image, and felt this it was quite strong in terms of narrative, but I was unhappy with the projection. It was quite fuzzy, and the collection of trees with no leaves (that was being projected onto the wall) was a bit of a colourless mess.

I was initiaal very happy with this shoot. Working on the other side of the house gave me far more flexibility in terms of the time that I could shoot. On the other side of the house, I had to shoot either early in the morning, or later in the evening to avoid the direct glare of the sun, but here I could shoot all day and wait for the optimum light around midday. The direction of light had also highlighted the subject (for projection) resulting in a far better image within the room.

To move this along I would present the images I had taken for feedback from my tutors, and I would investigate the use of lenses to improve the sharpness, brightness, and colour of the projection.

[chrisarrondelle]

Camera Obscura

Experiments in Dissemination

Having initially considered creating some sort of Camera Obscura to include at Free Range, and compliment the dissemination of the work. I was keen to experiment with this further. When constructing the first Camera Obscura/Pinhole (using my own bedroom) I had noticed that the projected image (from outside) showed on my bedrooms blinds (immediately in front of the pinhole aperture). This reminded me of the effect projected within Marja Pirilä’s Spiral Camera Obscura.

View inside Marja Pirilä’s Spiral Camera Obscura at Galerie Nationale De La Tapisserie in Beauvais, France.

I had already had some thoughts about creating my own obscura for the Free Range show but I wanted to experiment with my concept. I had been thinking that I needed to scale down my ambitions in the short term so that I could figure out the principle’s and technique. It was here that I had a brainstorm when looking at the card VR Goggles from my Pilot Major. I realise that the Goggles gave me a preformed double skin, with lenses set in one of the layers. Taking some greaseproof kitchen paper, I placed this over the aperture adjacent to the lenses and filmed the effect on my mobile phone.

Mobile phone footage taken of the card VR Goggles with the greaseproof kitchen paper.

This was a bit of a ‘Eureka’ moment for me. This very simple experiment has demonstrated that the principal worked. It felt good that this slap dash contraption could only be improved upon. The paper could definitely be improved, and I wanted to play with different lens combinations. I have 8 lenses from 4 pairs of Goggles, and so to move this along I will build a ‘bespoke’ version of the same thing with better materials.