The Sandpit by Sam O'Hare

The Sandpit from Sam O'Hare on Vimeo.

Lomo LC-A+ Gold

The new limited edition of the lomo LC-A. I'm personally not too keen on it! It doesn't look like real gold although I'm not sure if it's just the photo but I would really like to see one. I do really like the small detaining though but not a huge fan of the giant leather feature.

"The Lomo LC-A+ has always been worth its weight in gold, but now we can say that literally. This limited edition is gilded with 24 carat gold and wrapped in the finest brown leather. Only 130 pieces have been made so it’s a real exclusive! Every camera is engraved with a unique number and a certification sheet guaranteeing its authenticity. The camera comes with 2 rolls of Lomography 800 Film and the “Lomographiere" hardcover book - all presented an elegant wooden box.

As well as being an extremely rare and beautifully crafted collectors’ item, it’s the same pocket-sized, Minitar-lensed LOMO LC-A+ we love that delivers those signature jawdropping photos with the deepest saturation, punchy contrast and shadowy vignettes. The icing on the cake – an original Russian Minitar 1 lens."

Disney Pixar's UP

Last week I watched UP, classing it as essential research for my project, thinking that it would give me some inspiration for my project. But, as much as I liked it as a movie, I love the book even more. Last week, in Waterstones, I came across a book called 'The Art Of UP' by Tim Hauser (Author) and Pete Docter (Foreword). The illustrations and drawing style behind the movie was more inspirational to me than the movie itself. Here's a couple of images from the book, which I hope to buy soon.

Here's some work on the development and production of the movie by Lou Ramano: http://louromano.blogspot.com/2009/05/art-of-up_3697.html

Platform Prototype 4

Here is another prototyped idea that I had. It's based on the assumption that I would be using a propeller for the device to create extra lift when attached to the balloons.

Propeller blades are situated underneath the main body of the device and the camera components are compacted into a compartment on top.

Platform Prototype 3

This is the third platform idea that I had, a varied version of platfrom prototype 1.

I found that with the propeller attached to the platform that it was lifting at one side and not going straight up in the air. So I took cut off any unneccessary material and attached the propeller firmly onto the middle of the structure. From this I then created a simple box, which would contain all the camera components, and this would be placed on the top side of the platform.

Using the same string attachment method from prototype 2, the platform was attached to the balloon without causing the platform to spin continously.

Platform Prototype 2

The next platform idea that I had to encase the camera and attach it to the balloons was of a capsule type. Based on research that I had been doing on attaching cameras to balloons, I wanted to make a lightweight and compact structure.

All the essential components are placed within the capsule which is made from foamcore presentation board and acetate. Firstly, I wanted to leave the structure see through so that all the components could be seen, but after testing this it looked very rough and would give an unfinished look to the camera. So, I decided to black out the acetate and leave a small window where the lens is located so that photos can be taken.

I then made 4 connection points to attach the platform to the balloons. On my first try i made these 4 lengths of string all converge towards one point and then attached this to the balloon. This didn't work as well as I thought as the capsule kept spinning as it was held in the air.

Therefore, I attached the 4 pieces of string seperately to the balloon with masking tape to balance out the platform. This worked and left the platform to hang from the balloon in a sturdy manner.

I have still to test test this platform but I will post up the results when this is done

Platform Prototype 1

This is the first platform structure that I tested and can be found at http://tinyurl.com/yl33a53
It's made using foam core presentation board because it's light weight but also got enough strength to hold objects. Before testing the structure to see if it lifted my camera components, I tested to see how many balloons were required to lift the structure. I had 4 19inch foil helium balloons at the time and this wasn't enough to lift the platform. Because of this I then attached 5 ordinary latex balloons along with the 4 foil balloons and there was enough lift in this.

After this I then tried to attach the components to the platform to take some test shots. But there was not enough lift from these balloons. I then had a thought!!!

I thought that if i attached a propeller to the platform I could generate a little extra boost to the lift the camera into the air. This didn't work.
If the camera was taken out of the platform and a couple of balloons were let loose, then the propeller idea worked and lifted the balloons into the air. This has got me wondering whether using lots of balloons to lift the camera is the right way to go, or whether to use a mixture of balloons and a propller!!

Balloon Project By David Trawin

This is a project by David Trawin which is similar to my final year project. I really like the clear shots that were taken in wide open spaces. When writing about his project he said that many people were interested by the project and that people supplied email addresses so that their photo could be sent to them. This fills me with a little more confidence about my project but I still have a lot of work to do.

You can see more of Trawin's photos on his Flickr page here: http://tinyurl.com/yjrg5gq

Sorryimanasshole

A humorous take on the bubble project called Sorry, I'm An Asshole.
"We make people look like assholes while appearing to be assholes ourselves. We aim to do this without the person knowing until after the photo is taken (sneak attack photography)."

http://www.sorryimanasshole.com/

The Balloon Project

In 2005, Ira Mowen and Luca Antonucci had an idea to capture an aerial view of their fair city of San Francisco. After, only a few days of planning, they strapped a video camera to 30 red, helium-filled balloons and let it go from the highest point in the city, Twin Peaks. As this Eye-in-the-Sky slowly lingered over the city, the co-conspirators stood spell-bound. Quite suddenly, a gust of wind blew the camera south and the adventure started.

That day something clicked for all of the participants: they were moved by this image and began to realize how important it was to retrieve that camera; that they were in a sense, chasing beauty.
Ira and Luca took the project to Berlin, Germany where upon retrieving their first aerial footage realized the beauty and potential of the project.

Upon uploading "Berlin By Red Balloons" to Youtube, they received a huge and immediate response. Over half a million views, interviews by CNN, and other news organizations as well as numerous features and awards. It was evident how much people loved the idea. Both Balloonists (as they came to be called) immediately created a website, built a loyal Youtube following, and began planning for a Balloon Project Tour.

The Balloon Project comes with no strings attached: just wind, gravity, and a mad chase to discover the balloon-lifted camera’s final resting place.

Ira and Luca are currently seeking sponsorship for their Balloon Project Tour. The tour is all inclusive, as Ira and Luca, intend to reach out to as many diverse communities, across the world, as possible.

The Balloon Project’s arrival in New York drew out twenty participants and yielded two successful launches; one in Times Square on New Years Eve and a week later in Central Park. As more people joined in, Luca and Ira realized The Balloon Project serves a dual purpose: it is both a community-building event as well as experimental, Do-It-Yourself, filmmaking radicalness.
As the Balloonists began posting more aerial camera footage online, they found the reaction noteworthy. Simply through word-of-mouth, friends began telling friends about this “balloon project" and thousands began logging on to follow The Balloon Project and see where it would go next. Many viewers asked when a launch would come to their own town. Thus, the tour was born.

A great project for some excellent inspiration for my final year project. Take a look at one of their many videos in an earlier post or even better, check out their website http://theballoonproject.org/table.htm

Berlin Balloon Project

Orientation Aware Camera

Check out this video at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/amagill/2610193676

Just Amazing Inspiration

Kite Camera

Awesome High Speed Cameras

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSg8cwXqJn8

Mousetrap High Speed Camera

Stop Motion Photography

et cetera from jacattack on Vimeo.

Shadow Art

Capture 180

I really like the music used for the video, so dramatic

Timeline Of The Camera