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In an age full of digital cameras, a new market has emerged for ‘toy cameras’, cheap bits of kit that give interesting and usually unpredictable results. The essence of Lomography emphasises the element of randomness as a major component of exciting photography, but how can we increase this factor and make it a part of our own photographic efforts? By simply, and cheaply, making our own cameras and lenses. 27-year-old FrenchCanadian Janie Fort makes beautiful pinhole photographs that are really inspirational. TC12: Janie, you’re currently studying for a Master’s in Fine Arts (Photography) but when did you start making pinhole photographs? JF: I first experimented pinhole photography 10 years ago while I was studying photography in college. I became more and more interested in pinhole photography in 2004 while I was travelling in Greece with a 4x5 pinhole camera. I enjoyed the experience very much, it was a revelation. Since then, I’ve always travelled with a pinhole camera. As a matter of fact, for the last few years I’ve been shooting exclusively pinhole photographs. All my “standard” cameras have been collecting dust in my closet. I embrace the randomness of using such a technique. TC12: Can you explain your technique? Do you make your own cameras or simply replace lenses with a pinhole? JF: Most of the time, I make my own cameras but I also like to use old cameras on which I
replace the lens with a pinhole. I’m presently working on a panoramic project using a small pinhole camera made from a box of chocolate. I love working with a Polaroid Land Camera because it has bellows. By moving the bellows I can change the focal length and angle of view. TC12: When taking photographs, do you prefer to compose your shots mentally first? JF: Yes, as much as possible, although pinhole photography is very unpredictable. That’s what I love about it. Often, my photographs will contain certain elements that weren’t planned for such as light leaks, superimposition or color shifts. I love the aleatory nature of pinhole photography. TC12: Mechanisms aside, are there any other techniques you employ, such as cross-processing? JF: Yes, I often use Polaroid film such FP 100-C. This film contains a negative be enlarged. The colors are amazing! I to experiment with cross-processing or transfer.
as Fuji which can also like emulsion
TC12: Do you have any plans to take these techniques forward and are you working on anything new? JF: I’m presently working on a photo book. This book will contain panoramic pictures that I took while traveling in Turkey, Guatemala, Belize, USA and Canada. Furthermore, I’ll be working on this project in greater depths this
this summer while I’ll be in residency at Le Fresnoy - Studio national des arts contemporains in France. This project is about landscape and ‘translation’, which means to move from a point to another in French. I like the analogy with the French and English word ‘translation’ and the travelling reality. I’m also interested in trying to find a way to merge pinhole cameras and cinema. I would love to make a 16mm film by capturing images with a pinhole camera. I’m also working on a project about my favorite photographic mistakes. I’m keeping all my photographic accidents and I’ll enlarge them in a dark room. In this project, the representative aspect of my images gives place to abstraction. Therefore, only the materiality of the photography subsists. I think there’s something poetic about enlarging photographic accidents. In the digital age we live in there is no more place for such a practice because every image is ‘photoshopped’ to perfection. --Janie selected four photographs for us to display as representations of her techniques.
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Gumley Bimbi Gardel Stuff And Things coolhandluke The Pinhole Project #smo murphyeppoon nain. rudolphafrittenkicker myrtillis evʌnhʌwke ? janiejfort janiejfort janiejfort janiejfort Helen Korpak Helio. canovix g ʌ r r e t t henrytakesphotos. vanda ferreira ben///giles Ak Bv
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Thales Pessoa Francesca Male Maren Celest ben///giles *aspidistra* SleepLab John_Brite quiezip flywithfeet Derek Corneau annayausheva NotYetTheDodo robinsen crusoe Alma Vogler nico neon.tambourine 4am_mimi lily rose thomas. Jess Gough Mat Slipperz punchlinedouglis joecooke aldenkelley Christian Pedersen
Many thanks to the contributors, who can all be found on Flickr by searching for their names as listed above. The featured photographs can also be found in our Flickr group, at http://www.flickr.com/groups/thecolourtwelve/
Colour Twelve is published by Steeeve Messer. cargocollective.com/colourtwelve colourtwelve@renegatus.com Issue Four - 01.2011 This Document and the contents thereof are protected worldwide by copyright and related intellectual property rights. Users are free to download, use and redistribute this file, provided that it is not modified and that the copyright and disclaimer notice are not removed. This file or its content – as such or in whatever way combined – may not be sold for profit or incorporated in commercial documents without the written permission of the copyright holder. Unauthorized inclusion of single pages, graphics or other components of this document in other web sites, print products or electronic media is prohibited. All contents Š the respective artists.
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