Brownie Doing A Heck Of A job

Sorry to bring up a memory of an incompetent former president, but that title fits this post. These images were shot using a Kodak Brownie Hawkeye camera with a reversed lens. The Brownie Hawkeye camera was a popular snapshot camera manufactured in the 1950’s. I had one which I kept in my office at work as a knick knack, but after reading online about reversing the lens, I brought it home to play with over the summer.


Reversing the lens was easy, it just involved removing a couple of screws, flipping the plastic meniscus lens, then reassembling the camera. Doing this restricts the range of focus from about 3-10 feet in front of the camera.


The resulting photos taken with these reversed-lens cameras have a sharp center and increasingly diffuse focus closer to the edge of the image. It’s a really appealing look that works well, depending on the subjects shot.


Unfortunately, shooting with the Brownie Hawkeye camera is kind of a pain in the butt. Brownie Hawkeye cameras were made to hold 620 size film, a Kodak proprietary film format which is no longer manufactured. Luckily, 120 size film, which is still widely manufactured, is basically the same size as 620 film. The main difference is the size of the film spool, which is wider in 120 film. Of course, Kodak knew this, and designed the body of the Brownie Hawkeye camera so that 120 spools barely fit into it, forcing their customers to buy 620 film.


The camera I own had a 620 spool in it, which I use as a take-up spool (A 120 spool will not work for this). With only one 620 spool, however, I have to use use a 120 spool to hold the unexposed film. These spools fit so tightly in the camera that they don’t rotate properly when advancing film. This makes advancing film really difficult. It’s very hard to turn the film advance knob. In two out of the three rolls I’ve shot, the paper film backing ripped while loading the film into the camera, forcing me to open the camera in a film changing bag and repair it with package sealing tape. I also cannot get the camera to advance past 11 shots, leaving a blank frame of film at the end of the roll.


When it works however, the result is interesting shots. They look a little like shots made with a Lensbaby, but have a more organic, handmade feel.


If anyone knows where I can pick up a few 620 size film reels cheaply, let me know.

Real Banksy Or Faux Banksy?

I was riding my bike today, not too far from home, when I saw this graffiti painted on an abandoned building. I've ridden by this place dozens of times, and it wasn't there the last time I rode by it (sometime before Memorial Day).

It looks like it could be a Banksy. It's known he was in Chicago not too long ago-photos of a piece he did here are on his website.

Here's a closer view:



and a closeup of the figure:


That could be the artist's signature to the right of the figure, or it could be something someone else left. It doesn't look like Banksy's sig, but than again, it looks like most of Banksy's pieces are unsigned.

If you want to check it out for yourself, the building is located in Chicago at 9030 S. Hermitage (corner of Hermitage and 90th place). It's easy to get to if you're not familiar with the area, just get on the Rock Island Metra line. The building is about 1/2 block from the 91st St. station (the graffiti should be easily seen when riding the Metra northbound into downtown).

So, what do you think-real Banksy or faux Banksy? I'm leaning towards faux myself. although it would be cool if it were real.

Market

I shot this photo outside of a market in San Francisco's Sunset District when I was visiting there a couple of weeks ago. I like the photo, even though it could be better technically (It was hurriedly shot through the windshield of a parked car). I like the colors of the fruit and the green stand, and the blur in the guy walking by.

Pay It Forward

Here's some recent work, made as part of a Facebook game. One of my friends posted, offering to make something for the first five people who responded, as long as those five people in turn offered make something for five people. That sounded like fun, so I responded (and received a beautiful felted wool bowl from Sara).


I decided to make cyanotype prints for my five pieces. I was in the middle of printing work for my exhibit at McCord Gallery (currently in it's final week-the show ends on Saturday), so it was easy to run a few more prints. These are all approximately 8.5 X 11 inches, cyanotype on Arches cold press paper.


The first one, at the top of the post, was made for Dan Jarvis, who is exhibiting with me at McCord (I gave him his print the day we hung the show). His piece is based on a collage I made back in February. The second one, made for Heather in Belligham, WA, is based on a collage postcard I made about a year and a half ago. The one immediately above this text was made for Kat. The image is one I shot for my show at McCord but didn't use. I couldn't resist making it for Kat, as she's been making really great paintings based on used menstrual pads.


This one was made for my sister Kelly. Her reply to my post announcing this read 'my hovercraft is full of eels', a line from Monty Python that has been stuck in my head like an earworm since I was about fourteen. I just interpreted that phrase literally.


This one was made for Melissa, who teaches Art Appreciation at the same school I do. The original image was made by placing a piece cut from an old Artforum magazine into a slide mount and scanning it.


Are you an artist or creative type, and are you on Facebook? Do your own pay it forward challenge. Making work for specific people is fun and rewarding.
You can also visit my Facebook fan page.

McCord Collaborations

This is my final post of images from my exhibit with Dan Jarvis currently on display at McCord Gallery. The exhibit goes until June 26, so you still have time to see it.


These pieces are all collaborative pieces between Dan and myself.


The working method was pretty simple. I shot a roll of film, purposefully underexposing it by one full stop. I concentrated on shooting the same sorts of images as my work in the show, images from old magazines.


After shooting, I wound the roll slowly into my camera (to leave the leader exposed), and gave the film to Dan. He shot the same film, also underexposed, concentrating on signs and suburban scenes.


The film was developed, and scanned in long strips. Dan and I chose pieces from these strips of scanned negatives to print.


Keeping with the experimental nature of these pieces, we did minimal adjustments to the scans. Dust, color shifts (it was expired film), etc. were considered part of the images and largely left intact.


We made large (approx. 13 X 19 inch) archival inkjet prints of these images (and a couple more not seen here) and hung them unframed in one of the rooms at McCord Gallery.


These turned out better than Dan and I were expecting. We actually like them quite a bit, and are thinking of doing a similar collaboration in the future.

McCord Gallery II

Here are more of the pieces I'm currently exhibiting at McCord Gallery in Palos Park, IL. Click on any of these to see a larger version.


I have twelve pieces in the show, along with some collaborative pieces made with Dan Jarvis, which I'll post in a few days.


I didn't get a chance to shoot two of the pieces before hanging them, so obviously I can't post those here.


As I mentioned in the last post, these are all cyanotype prints, measuring 13 X 19 inches.


Tyler Hewitt and Dan Jarvis
McCord Gallery,
9602 West Creek Road (130th St. at La Grange Ave),
Palos Park, IL

May 25-June 26, 2010

My Show At McCord Gallery

The opening reception for my two-person exhibit with Dan Jarvis was last Friday. Thanks to those who made it out there. For those who didn't, I'll share some of my pieces in the exhibit over the next few days.


These pieces are all cyanotype prints, and all measure 13 X 19 inches. They were all shot the same way, by placing pages from old 1950's and 1960's era homemaker's magazines on a light table and shooting throuhgh a macro lens.


The resulting photos show the interactions between the images and text on both sides of the magazine page. They were edited as little as possible, an element of chance being an important part of the process.


I'll post a few more n a couple of days. Click on any of the images to see a larger version.