Pinhole photograph in Prospect Park
I got a chance to try out my new 4×5 pinhole camera in Prospect Park this weekend. I think this is a nice counterpoint to the sharpness of the photos I take with my Hasselblad. It’s also a good complement to the palladium printing process, which lends a soft and dreamy feel.
I’ve sometimes thought of pinhole photography as a bit of a gimmick; more about the technique used to create a photo rather than the photo itself. But, as with every photographic instrument, the real challenge is in the hands of the photographer to transcend equipment and technique to create something representative of a personal vision.
I have been spending a lot of time in the woods lately, but there has been something off with my photographs. They are too sharp, almost hyper-real, and not at all representative of the way I feel about being out there. So I’ve decided to go retro and see if I can capture that feeling in some other way. This image is almost a bit too soft and indistinct, but there’s definitely something there. Clicking on the image for a larger view helps quite a bit, as would a bigger print, I think. I am going to continue working on this for a while and see where it takes me.
September 15, 2008