Workshop in Wausau

 

Last Saturday at the Center for Visual Arts in Wausau, I introduced Mara, Kristin and Jean, three enthusiastic, cheerful artists, to the practice of pinhole as well as to photography as a medium in general. All were practicing artists in other media, but didn't consider themselves photographers or had any prior photography instruction. 

Everyone made an attractive camera with particularly smooth shutters and film advance, and all drilled a nice round pinhole within a few hundredths of a millimeter from the optimal on the first or second try. 

They already grasped the idea of previsualizing a picture and understood my instruction to put the camera where they needed to frame that composition, using the viewfinder beads to determine the edges of the frame. It's probably not much different than deciding where to put an easel to sketch a scene. The 90-degree wide-angle didn't seem to be a problem. I saw several frame-filling close-ups that had to be very close to the camera. They all got 12 accurate exposures by referring to a table of lighting conditions. To be fair, it was uniformly cloudy, so the exposure was four seconds almost everywhere.

None of them had any experience with analogue photography, other than dropping off film from a point-and-shoot to get processed. Unrolling the film off the developing reels was a very dramatic experience with oohs and aahs.

They did an extraordinarily good job. Most of their images I wouldn't be surprised to see on a gallery wall, and that's before editing. Jean made a blog post with a few of her photographs.

The museum sits on one corner of City Square, a few blocks above the Wisconsin River. Mara and Kristin went off down the valley (very cool skies over the river), and Jean and I stayed around the square.

My camera is the Original Premi in the lower right corner above. I used to avoid white and lighter colored packaging because its opacity can be suspect, but now with the triple-layer shutters covering the entire front and back, it hardly matters.

Next door to the Museum is the Grand Theater. The last gasp of Neo-Classicism, with the square columns mere decorations on the exterior, the bases oddly unmatched.

The south side of the square is dominated by a large bandshell supported by these very functional columns.

Looks like plenty of electricity for the band to plug their amps into.

There was an emergency call to a person who had fainted on a park bench. I took the opportunity to photograph the shiny fire truck that came along with them. 

The Palladian is a condo building with very little, if any, Palladian architectural elements.

Third Street is lined with clusters of trees that were in autumnal yellows in front of the brick. There seemed to be an SUV almost everywhere I wanted to put my tripod to feature one, but maybe a little off-center is better composition.

Symmetrical decorative ironwork to protect both tree and pedestrian.

An asymmetrical Deco entrance.

When we got back near the museum, there were no cars parked in front of the theater. The marquee of the Grand changes after just about the length of the exposure.

The back stairwell to go with the photo of the front one I did this summer.

All three participants made one deliberate double exposure. Mine was not deliberate, but makes a great segue. One of our living room chairs in front of the building out the museum window, with tiny concrete patio furniture on the floor next to it; the background faded by the already exposed sky.

The spooky state of the mantle, from 9:14 until 9:15.

The most serious problem that occurred is that I wasted fifteen minutes when I forgot to turn on the LED light pad when we were capturing the positives. The iPad tried really hard, but I couldn't figure out why it had trouble focusing (lenses!), and the files were so low contrast and noisy.

One thing that keeps occurring to me while doing this: If you have been thinking you'd like a pinhole camera that's reliable, lightweight, rugged and easy to use, build one of these. It's easy. They're a joy to use.

The Original Premi has a .23mm pinhole 30mm from a 6x6cm frame. The film is Kentmere 400 semistand developed in Rodinal 1:100.

Instructor certification

 

In order to offer a Pinholica-branded workshop, such as the one at the Center for Visual Arts in Wausau this Saturday, the instructor must be certified both as a cardboard craftsperson as well as a competent pinholer.

This box turned up in a closet rearrangement, with silver and white type on a black field, exactly the size of the front of a 120 Populist. Back then, iPods were packaged in a huge foam block in a box, with a sleeve over that, so there was plenty of material. This will also be the first workshop with the new scheme of the shutters covering the entire front and back of the camera, so the template needed to be certified as well.

Besides the ease of taking advantage of the package illustration, the thick shutters provide a firm base to insert map tacks as viewfinders without worrying about pinpoints inside your camera.

First assessment completed. Now, to qualify both camera and instructor in the field.

I didn't even know there were buoys in Millers Bay until this one appeared on the shore. 

A common compositional recommendation to beginners is to take a picture of something, not just because a scene looked pretty, but here I am just struck by the light. For the past few years, I've been playing with using overexposed backgrounds to create depth.  A "conversation with light" maybe? Is abstract composition enough?

A more classical arrangement with a definite center of interest, which I just noticed one afternoon. At the Fox Valley Photography Group, this month's theme is Still Life. In the discussion, I pointed out that windows and sunbeams in your house make great light sources and that I'm surprised I don't see more pictures of domestic scenes because they seem to happen in front of me all the time. Everyone looked at me like I was crazy. Doesn't the sun shine into your windows? By the way, in French, Still Life is Nature Morte, but I didn't bring that up.

We've been continuing to have meals on the lanai, despite autumnal conditions. It's our response to a vlogger's soliloquy on how, after living for years in an unheated medieval building, she began to appreciate how her adaptations became pleasures. Overcoming hardships was making her a better person. Our record is 49°F.

There have been a few meals in the dining room.

The mysterious vine that appeared among the tomatoes turned out to be white acorn squash. It yielded three edible-sized gourds, but I haven't tried to cut one in half yet. Depicted here almost in situ in the dappled light in the garden.

Another attempt at the assignment, in the soft light on the lanai.

I recently received two checks for pinhole photography work and went down to the bank to deposit them. The person in front of me was getting a large amount of cash counted out, which took forever. I knew they'd be sensitive to a photograph inside the bank, but I wanted to document the involvement of art in the economy, and I was getting impatient, so I set up the camera. When it was finally my turn, I opened the shutter and approached the desk. The clerk informed me that filming was prohibited in the lobby. I replied that it was one two-minute exposure and everyone would be an unrecognizable blur. She went off to another computer and, after several minutes, returned with my receipt and asked that I not take any more photographs since it was a security risk, as the pictures would reveal the coverage of their CCTV cameras. I think I can identify where the cameras are, but I could have written down a more accurate description of the coverage area.

In August, the black Maserati I've photographed several times on State Street was replaced by a white one, but I ruined the exposure.  When I came by another day and saw the sports car parked there again, the black one had returned, but it didn't occur to me that it wasn't the white one I intended to photograph.

The completed William Waters Gazebo. I wonder what kind of programming will occur here. There's a small lawn in front with no seating, probably because of the current cultural expectation of carrying your own camp chair?

Facing a long wait for the printer at the Library while another patron struggled with printing from a restricted database, I set the camera on the wall overlooking the cheerful staircase.

When I returned home, this appeared before me on the dining room table. It seems another blogger has been around here.

The 60GB iPod has a hand-drilled .23mm pinhole 30mm from a 6x6cm frame. The film was Kentmere 400 developed in Caffenol.

This fellow does seem to be qualified to reveal all of Pinholica's secrets this weekend.

Antifascism on the Fox

The recent "No Kings" rally in Oshkosh took place on Oshkosh Avenue just west of the bridge at Rainbow Park. Lest you think this is some kind of woke conspiracy, it was located here instead of downtown because the Main Street bridge is closed and this is the next busiest corridor on the way over the Fox. The park is named after the anti-imperialist monarchy 42nd (Rainbow) Division, who came from this neighborhood in World War I. (Wait a minute, weren't we allied with two imperialist monarchies?) Stretching two blocks on either side of the street makes it hard to capture the scale, and even with under-a-second exposures, the busy traffic disappears.

If you didn't bring a sign, there were plenty of odious policies of the current administration to choose from.

 

The No Kings branding was mostly adhered to, but there were also some familiar photographs of someone (with his friend) who has absolutist ambitions, judging by his decorating choices if nothing else.

Some pretty conservative values were being promoted. Winnebago Indivisible, the organizing group, had sent out a tip about blurring faces so people wouldn't get doxxed. I told this couple I wanted to show how dangerous we could appear, but it was OK if they stayed behind the signs. He insisted on being identifiable.

Warms my little Peacenik heart to see a folk group doing the big hits of the '50s and '60s civil rights movement.

I asked these officers if I could document the massive law enforcement presence. One responded, "We can handle it," and the other, "Nice turnout." They were the only police anywhere visible. They asked about the camera and I explained pinhole photography. Everyone recognized I was taking photographs, but no one else mentioned the box on the tripod.

Many people expressed some kind of identity politics. This guy's hat referenced his Navy veteran status and on his hoodie, a wish for the president.

My favorite accessories and pun of the day.

The demonstrators did have some military equipment. This veteran responded to my gesture to move where I could see his shirt and posed proudly. In addition to leading chants through his bullhorn (I played "Blowin' in the Wind" through a bullhorn at an anti-Vietnam War rally), he later drove up and down Oshkosh Avenue honking the truck's extremely loud horn, initially soliciting cheers from the crowd but everyone was glad when he quit.

In addition to the Stars and Stripes displayed everywhere, there was a lot of support for people of Mexican ethnicity.

Will historians remember how this movement was identified with inflatable costumes? I had been going down the sidewalk toward the Portland Frog and met it posing together with three other inflatables. Hopefully, this won't be interpreted as a leftist lie to increase the numbers. I accidentally opened both the axial and rising pinhole. The shaded signs they were holding in the upper image made a perfect screen for the lower image so it looks like they're carrying their own self portrait. Captures a little of the zaniness.

As things were ending, the chicken and unicorn came our way and recognized someone. After a very funny hugging session, they doffed the heads to reveal people you might not have expected this silliness from.

There were a lot of experiences too fast for pinhole. During all this, at a complicated intersection with a left-turn-only lane and several islands, traffic was continually heavy, always stopped at the lights in one of three places. The protestors were in surprisingly close contact with passengers, either waving and cheering or grimly facing ahead, frowning. Very little defense of the opposition. Nice to see all the photos taken with lenses posted in all sorts of media, but I worry watching you run around in traffic where nobody is supposed to be.

The camera was the American-made antifascist Diversity 30, hand-drilled .23mm pinholes on the axis and 11mm above it, 30mm from a 6x6cm frame. The film is American-made Kodak Gold, developed in Cinestill's C41 kit, mixed and packaged in America. 

For this rebellious roll, I used The Force to determine exposures.

Variable Cuboid fields mid-range offense at Titletown

Emboldened by receiving first award in the Main Street exhibit at the Art Garage in Green Bay, after retrieving the camera and photographs, Team Pinholica, led by the Variable Cuboid, seized the opportunity to take on Titletown. The middle angle 45mm front got the starter's nod. 

Titletown is an office and entertainment development just west of Lambeau Field, the home of the Green Bay Packers, who've won 13 NFL championships, four more than da Bearss. Everything has a sponsor. In the middle is Ariens Hill (lawn care equipment made just southwest of here), a tiny ski slope on the roof of a retail complex.

Stereotypically of Wisconsin, there are two microbreweries. Hinterland, which really makes us sound rustic, was the first advance into their territory. Extra points here for photographing through glass with an effective defense against reflections of the bar behind. Everyone being seated by the hostess passed by the camera leaning on the glass wall. She asked if I needed something, but no yellow flags when I said I was just taking a photograph.

Rising to the occasion, up several flights of stairs for the over-the-top view, this time wide open on a mezzanine with no glass and no football fans.

It's a Hail Mary pass going for that up nort' look with the woodsy mural and iron chandeliers in urban sprawl Ashwaubenon.

After that first qualifying round, time for the big leagues. There really is no "back" to Lambeau Field but Pinholica leads with their typical "Behind..." tactic, combining "Hey, my camera has a square format" composition, an aggressive formation with the rule of thirds, and maybe a fake with a little paradoelia.

Under the bleachers. A little risqué for the straightlaced NFL, but an author/title joke should work in Titletown.

Well, this is an unusual format for a square shooter. With that continuously rising front, it couldn't be correcting for sliding open the axial instead of upper pinhole, so it must be an unforced shutter opening error. A lucky save by that rule of thirds. All the gates are also sponsored. As inconspicuous as its products, the Invisalign gate faces the side of the parking lot bordered by regular residential neighborhoods 100 yards away.

Time out on a shaded stairway to substitute the 60mm front. 

Facing busy Lombardi Avenue and Oneida Street, there's a little more pomp and depth to the presentation, which calls for more perspective compression. Plenty of parking lot to drop back into for the long view. An appropriately monumental staircase leading to a modern temple.

Rolling out that lean-the-camera-against-a-wall play again for the long stretch of the three-story Lombardi trophy, this time to avoid getting blocked by a passing fan.

In a vacant hallway outside the back door of the bar on the luxury box level, a risky standing switch in the changing bag to the 35mm front, to capture the expansive space of the atrium. Oh no, that rookie shutter error again. After exclusive play with side sliding shutters for the last season, we saw some practice with the old style up-riser for a few posts, but they seem not to be able to get it all the way out with the tripod at full reach. Relying again on a lucky balance of the composition and good grab of the light. No harm, no foul.

Bummer for the Pinholicans. Delay of game for jammed film! Panic on the field leads to a broken winder. They're gonna need a proper darkroom for that. Forty-five-mile penalty with no time remaining!

Futzing in the dark regains another frame for a team picture. Mostly to test that a new pinhole for the 20mm front isn't blocked by anything.

Trainer's report

 If the film jams, don't keep trying, you'll break the winder! This is going to take some Dremel and glue therapy.

The film jam occurred because of insufficient care and winding at the beginning of the roll! That crinkled film made it a little wider at the leading bottom edge of the film until new film just had nowhere to go. The film holder should be back in the game with the corners reinforced with a little Liquitex and some extra, careful turns when loading. This wouldn't load onto a Paterson developing reel, but it was easy with a classic stainless steel spiral. Started at the other end, it could have gotten on the Paterson reel, but it was in the dark and I didn't realize the extent of the crinkling yet.

From a problem a couple of posts ago, when looking into the tape blocking problems with the 20mm front, the tape was so near the pinhole because it was a .20mm Gilder Electron Microscope Aperture that's in a tiny, flimsy, 3mm copper disk. I destroyed it trying to improve the mount and installed a new hand-drilled .22mm hole in a piece of brass big enough to stay well away from the pinhole with the tape.

The 35mm front has a .23mm pinhole, the 45mm front a .27mm, and the 60mm front, a .30mm. All are hand-drilled and mounted on a continuously adjustable rising front. The format is 6x6cm. The film was Kentmere 400 semi-stand developed in Rodinal 1:100.