Tinkering Around

[Loupey]

Using a penlight flashlight and some string, I got some unexpected results. The following is the most uniform of the bunch.

Shot on Kodachrome 64
Canon A-1
FD 50mm f/1.8 lens
Exposure unrecorded
1983

[SmartWombat]

Like a Spirograph pattern - I like it.

[JamesV]

Cool looking shot

[another view]

Very cool shot - I see this and the other one were done a long time ago. What have you been up to lately? I don't mean anything by that; but you've been at this for awhile and I'd guess your recent shots are very good.

[Liz]

"Using a penlight flashlight and some string, I got some unexpected results. The following is the most uniform of the bunch."

"Unexpected results" - but everything is in the right place. This is excellent! The lines, color, framing (where you cut off the lines) - it's the best I've seen with this type of photography. I'm impressed. I would hang this one. Seriously!

Liz

[I_Fly]

Here's a silly question...was the penlight on the end of the string? It's a cool shot, I'm just trying to figure out how, exactly, you did it.

[Loupey]

Thanks for the comments, everyone! It sure is nice having people of similar interests to share work with.

How I did it: 1) mount a camera on a low tripod and aim it straight up, 2) hang a penlight flashlight on a string tied to an exhaust fan - for those using a bathroom like me, 3) turn off the lights, 4) turn on the flashlight, 5) start swinging with the camera on bulb

If I did it now, I could see me using different filters during the same exposure to get different colored segments.

Some more from that series shown below.

As for what I've been doing recently, I figure I shot 5x more film creatively during the 80's than the 90's due to career and family demands during the latter which consisted mostly of utilitarian or snapshot type photography. Only within the last few years did I realize I missed shooting for personal gratification. So my inventory of digital files is quite low at the moment. Meanwhile, I've got slides and negatives coming out of my ears. I still haven't scanned a single 120 image yet! That's the main reason I haven't shot medium format recently.

[another view]

So that's the secret! Thanks for sharing, I look forward to seeing more of your work.

[Loupey]

Actually, you don't even need the string (see below). Try it this weekend and show us the results.

[SmartWombat]

From the second set, thre's more to it than just a pendulum.
You couldn't get the motion in that 3rd image without the pivot point at the top of the pendulum moving, I think.
Anything from a straight line, to a circle, going through all shapes of ellipse is possible.
You can also make that simple shape rotate, if the attachment point rotates.
Or if your pendulum is long enough and slow enough to be stationary relative to the earth's rotation - which is your camera's point of reference.