Jenny Cisney's Posts
Through the Viewfinder Photography
Everything old is new again! Just like Art's post yesterday about the Kodak Stereo camera, I have a story about breathing new life into some very old Kodak Duaflex cameras.
Being a Kodak employee, I always felt that vintage Kodak cameras were an appropriate thing to collect. Eight years later I have a collection that fills three large boxes in my attic. I had lofty plans of actually using some of them to take pictures, but that turned out to be harder than I expected. Mostly they serve as conversation items on my mantel.
Then I read about Through the Viewfinder (TTV) pictures. This technique involves using a digital camera to take pictures "through the viewfinder" of an older camera. Goodness knows I had enough of those so I decided to give it a shot. After fiddling around with an old Kodak Duaflex, I quickly learned that because of reflections it is necessary to build a sort of box to block light out between the digital camera and the viewfinder.
I needed some foam core for this, so I went to the photolab down the hall from my office. Not only did I get foam core but I got a whole lot of help from the team there. They measured my Duaflex, used their air gun to blow the dust out of it and cut some foam core for me.
Armed with my new contraption I headed out to take pictures. The results surprised me. Seemingly ordinary scenes became much more interesting when framed through this cobbled together device.
I have more TTV pictures and some pictures documenting my Duaflex contraption on our blog gallery. (There are some of Tom's in there too!)
I realize that what I am using is nothing more than a really awkward, funny looking filter. These aren't even what pictures would have looked like had I taken them with the Duaflex, since they are taken through the viewfinder and not the actual lens.
If I bought a camera today that took pictures likes this I would think it was a horrible camera... the pictures are blurry, speckled with scratches and distorted. What is it that makes these images so appealing?
There must be something about them because there is a Through the Viewfinder pool on Flickr and even pictures of other people's handmade TTV contraptions.
Comments
Posted By: Carole (8/26/2009)
Comment: And Mike, I do understand where you're coming from. I've gotten tired of seeing digital photographs that are overly saturated, brightened, colorized, so that the subject no longer looks 'real'. That seems to be the trend right now though, even amoung people who call themselves professionals. When I've attempted TTV photos I've tried to keep my subject interesting, and still have an eye for what I'm photographing. It's just a fun way to play with my photography for me, and to give it a different look from time to time.
Posted By: Carole (8/26/2009)
Comment: I love this technique and have taken a few shots of my own, but definitely need to work on my attachment because mine is just cardboard and doesn't work too well. I need something more stable. The one you had made is wonderful! I also love to collect old cameras!
Posted By: Carolyn, a Jersey Girl (7/30/2009)
Comment: I'd never even heard nor seen this technique used until this week. Being an addict of anything old is new again I had to track down my father's old viewfinder camera. Found it at my daughter's house on a shelf of memorabilia and snagged it for myself. Now to give this whole thing a try. I can't wait!
Posted By: fortes (1/14/2009)
Comment: Oh my! I must try this! I have never heard of this until now.
Posted By: gp (8/17/2008)
Comment: sorry Mike, but you, make absolutely no sense in what you said.
Posted By: Amais (2/29/2008)
Comment: Wow!! Amazing photos...
Posted By: Constantin (9/25/2007)
Comment: test comment
Posted By: Jenny (9/25/2007)
Comment: I followed the directions that can be found on this site. http://www.russmorris.com/ttv/ Best of luck on your TTV photography! - Jenny
Posted By: matt (9/17/2007)
Comment: I recently learned of this technique and am chomping at the bit to try it. I purchased a Duaflex III this weekend to retrofit it to take 120 film (I know it's technically not retrofitting it since 620 preceded 120 film. I think.) I also would like to try this TTV technique. What are the dimensions of your TTV box? Any help or hints you can email me would be awesome.
Posted By: Drew (7/6/2007)
Comment: Apparently, they're more interesting than even I thought. Some punks recently broke into our house and one of the things (of the oddly-few random objects they took) stolen was an old Kodak Twin Lens. I'm guessing they don't have a stockpile of old 620 film they've been dying to try, though, and that they're just moronic.
Posted By: Steve (11/10/2006)
Comment: Mike, There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs. - Ansel Adams
Posted By: http:// (11/9/2006)
Comment: Mike, you point out a distinction between photography and photographs. Photography being the process - equipment, deciding what pictures to take, being engaged... and the Photographs as the resulting output. While most people do only think about the output, the process can be equally fascinating.
Posted By: Kendall (11/9/2006)
Comment: The appeal to me is the built-in nostalgia of the TTV photo. They remind me of the pictures my mother used to shoot of us in the early 60s with her twin lens camera. Some images are best shot in black & white- especially those whose major points of interest are the play of light & shadow. For some, color is the best choice. TTV can work for images that are meant to invoke a sense of history. Photography is art, and not all art is precise or as beautiful as it might be. Sometimes it's the flaws that make a piece artistic. I like the TTV look, as long as there is something to look at in the image. I wouldn't use it for just anything, but it has its appropriate applications. Now I have to call Mom and ask if she still has her twin lens camera. I wonder if there is room in my bag for it...KK
Posted By: Mike (11/9/2006)
Comment: I find this all very amusing. Don't get me wrong -- I too have tried TTV with my own twin-lens reflex camera. What's funny/amusing/sad depending on your level of cynicism is how fixated people get on the "look" of a photographic system. Whether it's TTV, Holga, Lensbabies, pinholes, HDR tone mapping, cross-processed film, Fisher-price video cameras, whatever -- the result has a specific look that is somehow appreciated over the actual content of the image. A friend of mine was joking about marketing a "Sh*t-filter" plugin for Photoshop that would destroy your image in an "artistically interesting" way and thereby improve it. Don't take me as a grump on this, but I guess I've gotten a little jaded when it comes to pictures that are interesting solely because of their process or look, rather than because they are interesting, compelling, emotion-evoking images. That being said, I certainly applaud anything that will inspire the photographers and hobbyists out there to try creative things. And really, I can't wait to try out the next trendy look for crummy photos. I do shoot pinhole pictures!