Wanted to photograph this strip of film I have although not sure how, but borrowed a macro lens and a small lightbox. Never worked with a lightbox before and am sure there must be a range of different qualities and light types which one can acquire. This one is like the continuous lights I used years ago when first starting out. It was suggested that I switch to fluorescent in WB but it was way too blue so I tried every setting and in the end, Auto was best although every frame is different even though I shot in the dark to avoid mixing sources.
The most interesting image for me was when I used my own 50mm, and included the various signs of age and wear and tear. The reason I like this one is it looks like a cinema screen. I suspect it would be better if I manipulated the lines so it’s more accurately square on (I tried my best in-camera – maybe I’ll ignore the other pics which don’t excite me at all and give this another try tomorrow evening.) I will include some of the others but I can’t see myself taking them any further. I also shot a blade on the lightbox but I will try other ways of shooting it, I think. There’s a great passage in the Barad book where she uses the shadow of a blade to explain how diffraction works and does weird things. So it’s not only a good signifier of slicing, potential pain, a reference to Un Chien Andalou – it’s also a prop for Barad.
Talking of ‘the Cut’, Emma suggested Berger’s Understanding a Photograph and I’ve found some super references for the essay and context for this work. As for this BOW, I’m still not feeling it though (will write more about that another time).
Putting the contact sheet here – I may relook at a couple but mostly they don’t interest me. Some have had a bit of fiddling in LR/some have been left as shot with all the WB issues laid bare.
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Did you try a custom WB using the empty light box to fill the frame?
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Just tried it, it’s still not great. Am
Going to revisit this light box tonight. I like the idea of the the light box more than the strip of film I think …
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I quite like some of the close ups where you can see snippets of the film.
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That’s what I was trying to explore but I don’t like what has come out. Too ‘photographic’. Just tried with an old Tamron macro – which I had to retrieve after giving it to my mother – cheap but can get in closer. And still not any better! It’s just not what I’m after, or like. However, the wider shot which looks like a cinema screen is far more my thing – it’s more suggestive of what I’m exploring – and I hadn’t planned that at all.
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It also references Hiroshi Sugimoto’s screens and I love that about it
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The snippets of film enticed me to look closer and try to see actual images. I like the minimalism of the lightbox too. there’s something very precise about it – forensic too which fits with archive.
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I like the idea of seeing parts of the film in closer detail but I also like the wider view! It does remind me of Sugimoto’s Theaters but you perhaps have a chance to play around with the objects around the outside, kind of like a still life. It looks interesting to me either way!
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Yes, will set it so there is something to see around the edges. Something to do tomorrow or in a few days. I find the others a bit too – “oh, look at this ‘gear’ – it can zoom in really close”. They’re not me. But glad you like the wide shot.
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