photographer from Without Lenses

Noriko Ohba: Featured Artist

Erin Malone — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 05:06:51 GMT

I am in love with you, zero2000 medium format camera

Our first featured artist is Noriko Ohba, a pinhole photographer living in Japan. I first noticed her work on flickr and have been following her work for the last couple of years. I hope you enjoy her work as much as I do.

Your Location? I was born and grew up in Hiroshima. But, I live in Osaka now.
Osaka and its surroundings is a very beautiful area. Classical and modern buildings, cityscapes and nature coexist well; Osaka is a wonderful city.

Breath, zero2000 medium format camera

How long have you been doing Pinhole work? I began to take the pinhole photographs from the early 2004. I am surprised because only four years have passed.

What cameras do you use? I use three cameras in large part.

1: Zero2000 Deluxe (Zero image)
This camera gives me courage to take the photo.

2: HOLGA (altered)
I removed all the boards and the partition of inside of this camera. and I'm taking 6x9 formatted. I love the tunnel effect of this camera.

3: Pinhole Blender
This camera annoys me very much. But, it's very happy and can take a fantastic photograph like the fragments of the memory, by taking different colors and different scenery from three pinholes on this camera.

My favorite???
It is very difficult to decide it. If you insist... I like the altered HOLGA. I have an attachment to this mostly because I remodeled this camera by myself but this camera is in the worst shape of the three.?

Reflection, Pinhole Holga medium format camera
Your favorite subject? My favorite subject is a flower, the gradation of the sky at the magic-hour (the time as it is darkening after sunset), and buildings. These have become the themes I photograph.

Pink carpet, zero2000 medium format camera
See more of Noriko's work: Website :: flickr

A Pinhole Diary of Eating Out

Erin Malone — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 08:00:00 GMT

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“...people seem to enjoy seeing the meal from this very different perspective.”

Close on the heels of one of the biggest meals of the year in the US, it is only fitting that we feature the work of an artist who has spent the last five years capturing the passage of time over a meal.
Nancy Breslin, takes her pinhole camera everywhere and brings it out for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Over the last several years she has dined, documented and created over 600 images. Starting in the fall of 2002, she took the images online in 2003.
Without Lenses asked Nancy to elaborate on how she started this project and where she is going from here:

Erin Malone: Is this a continuing, ongoing project?
Nancy Breslin: While the first was in fall, 2002, since the spring of 2003 I have been shooting my meals out (restaurants, friends homes...) with that pinhole camera very consistently, soon after I started posting them at fotolog (in May, 2003) I began to note the date, place and exposure time for each one.

What type of camera/format do you shoot with?
The Zero 2000 which takes 120 film. I typically shoot with TMax 400 and I process it myself.

With the f/138 opening of this camera, it gives me 1-2 second exposures outdoors, 10-30 seconds by bright windows, all the way down to an hour or more (e.g. a restaurant with low lighting and candles). I carry a light meter and mini tripod (along with the camera) all the time.

Do you ever build your own cameras?
I have built a number of pinhole cameras, including ones from photo boxes, cookie tins and, of course, an oatmeal box, but I've continued to use my Zero 2000 for all pinhole projects. I recently bought a beautiful Cameo 625, which takes 120 film like the Zero 2000, handmade by Mark Brown of Virginia, and plan to use it for a landscape project.

You mentioned that the waiters and waitresses often move the items you bring as well as the table items - do you tell them you are making a photo?
I try to keep an eagle eye on my camera when food is brought - if the camera is moved to make way for a platter or some ketchup, the shot is ruined.

I do mention the camera to people I am with, but don't make a point of telling waiters, although they often ask me what the pinhole camera is (it's more obvious if I have to put it on the mini tripod). When I explain, most people are really interested. I also try to keep a postcard from one of my shows with me, for people who seem particularly interested, or who can't understand how the camera works (some people think that a long exposure means the camera is recording a moving image, like video). I've had a few "camera phobic" friends who need reassurance that they won't be recognizable in the image, although one person still asked that the camera be pointed the other way.

Do you ever take a final image back to the restaurant - when the image is made in a restaurant?
I haven't taken images back to the restaurants. However, when I have lunch out with a friend, or at a friend's home, I send a link to that person when I post that meal on fotolog, and people seem to enjoy seeing the meal from this very different perspective (the blur, the different vantage point...).

What's the weirdest place you dined and made an image?
I'm not sure which would count as "weird," but some have been unusual, such as photographing my husband and daughter eating pretzels under one of Christo's gates in Central Park or eating pasties at platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross Station of Harry Potter fame.

Do you have a favorite image?
I don't think I have a single favorite, but am most drawn to some where the lighting is beautiful (while doing other types of photography, I'm very drawn to wonderful light, but for this project I have little control over that - the table by the windows looks great, but the hostess might seat us somewhere else) and also to images with teapots.

With over 600 images in this project, do you think you've captured it all?
I see no reason to stop now! Each image is so different, even when I revisit a particular restaurant.

Is it ever done?
Not yet. Maybe after 10 years of this...

In your bio, you say you came late to photography. Did you start out with traditional lens cameras or did you start out doing pinhole?
I took an intro photo class in 1996, and loved it so much that I decided to become a photographer. I used lensed cameras exclusively for the first few years (except for one failed attempt with a badly-homemade pinhole camera), but in 2002 I saw the Zero 2000 in the Freestyle catalog and bought it on an impulse. It's been in my bag ever since and it is now my primary camera.

What artists/photographers inspire you?
I think most of the photographers I'm drawn to use lensed cameras, but their work typically has some of the soft, odd, ethereal appeal of pinhole. Back in the 1970's, long before I knew anything about photography, I was grabbed by the unusual fashion photography of Deborah Turbeville. I love the work of Gertrude Kasebier and some of the other pictorialists, such as Clarence White. The dreamy dystopias created by Robert and Shana ParkeHarrison are strange and wonderful. Pinhole photographers I like include Martha Casanave, Craig Barber and Jesseca Ferguson. A favorite pinhole image is the funny and charming potato self-portrait by Ralph Howell.

What advice do you have for those just starting out?
If you tried building a pinhole camera on your own and it didn't really work, don't give up. I had built my own before buying the Zero: I used a needle and tin foil, had no idea about exposure, and got a small, dark, round image and gave up on it. Seeing the results of the Zero, I was careful when I built my next one, and when I have students build cameras they need to know the needle diameter, use pie tins or soda cans instead of tin foil, sand down the opening, and calculate the f/number of the camera. Most then get great results with little frustration.

What's your current project?
I have several ongoing projects, in addition to "Squaremeals." I have a growing pinhole amusement park series, part of which was recently exhibited at the Art Trust Gallery in West Chester, PA. This may sound peculiar, but for a few years I've also been photographing hotel "amenities"—the arrangement of soaps and shampoo that is left on the bathroom counter—and also the hotel pool if there is one. I have presented the soaps and pools from the same hotel as diptychs.

Aside from pinhole, I have also been printing on fabric, including cyanotypes as well as inkjet on silk.

Nancy Breslin with poodle

NANCY BRESLIN came to photography a little late, after spending a decade as an academic psychiatrist. She completed her MFA in photography at the University of Delaware in 2000 and received an Individual Artist Fellowship from the Delaware Division of the Arts in 2003. Her work has been exhibited in over 40 juried or curated shows, and she has had solo shows in Wilmington (DE), Arlington (VA) and Philadelphia. Since 2002 she has had several ongoing pinhole projects, including "A Pinhole Diary of Eating Out," "Amenities," and a series of amusement park rides. She teaches photography part-time at the University of Delaware. More of her work can be seen at www.nancybreslin.com.

Visiting with Craig J. Barber

Erin Malone — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 07:00:00 GMT

Mekong Central

We Entered Through the Back

We Were Each Questioning

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“For me it is important to get to know a place in an intimate way. When I work I am very slow, I like to look around the corners and behind the doors at the small, quiet details that make up the cultural landscape.”

Recently, Without Lenses spoke to Craig Barber, a speaker at the recent f295 Symposium held in Pittsburgh, about his work and his new book, Ghosts in the Landscape: Vietnam Revisited.

Erin Malone: Who and what inspires you as an artist?
Craig Barber: Actually, there are several: Paul Caponigro, Edward Weston, Frederick Sommers, Edward Hopper, Thomas Hart Benton, Annie Dillard, Olivia Parker and waking up every morning.

What’s your favorite non-photography thing to do?
Go to films, read good literature and enjoy my family and friends.

How did your interest in photography begin?
It just happened. I loved taking photos as a kid, never thought anything of it except that I liked it, was drawn to it, and just kept going from there. It was a very natural progression.

What led you to working with pinhole?
I was at a point in my photographic life where I wanted to make a change and remembered back to a class I took in school that involved the pinhole camera. I was living in Seattle at the time and came up with an idea where the pinhole was central. My intent was to work on the project for a year or so and then return to a “normal” camera. I never did do the project, went off in a different direction, but embraced the pinhole and never looked back. That was over 20 years ago.

What type of camera do you use? Homemade, a modified or store bought?
Mine are handmade from cardboard, gaffers tape, felt and a pie pan.

What format do you shoot?
I shoot a variety of formats. Ghosts… my diptichs and triptichs were made with a combination of 2 or 3 – 8” x 10” negatives; The Other New York series is shot with a 12” x 20”: and my Prague work is shot with a 8 1/2” x 14”. I use sheet film, both Tri-x and HP5.

Do you process your own work?
Most definitely. I tray process the film and my prints are all platinum/palladium prints.

Your use of pinhole in the Vietnam images, essentially erase the people. This ghostly approach is loaded with implied meaning… was this a planned approach or did it evolve as you made the images?
It definitely evolved, but the idea of ghosts felt like the perfect metaphor for my ghosts, America’s ghosts and Vietnam’s as well.

How long were you in Vietnam to make this series?
I went back three different times and each of them for an extended period of time. The first time I ventured to SE Asia was for nearly four months and the last time for three.

What drew you back to explore and work on this series?
I served there in the 1960’s as a combat marine and this was an opportunity to be able to revisit a land that had a profound effect upon my life and to be able to come to terms with it. I always remembered it as a beautiful land that I wanted to return to, just didn’t think it would take me 28 years to do so. I consider the work I did there, to be a visual diary, hence the title: Ghosts in the Landscape: Vietnam Revisited.

Do you plan your thematic works in advance or do they evolve?
Both. Vietnam was planned, but all of my other projects evolved in more serendipitous ways. Serendipity plays a large part in my work.

How often do you visit a place? Do your series come from a long visit or repeat visits over a long period of time?
My projects are always long term and I generally make several long visits. I have never been very good at just dropping in, photographing and leaving. For me it is important to get to know a place in an intimate way. When I work I am very slow, I like to look around the corners and behind the doors at the small, quiet details that make up the cultural landscape.

For the book — how many images did you make and how many ended up in the book?
I don’t remember exactly how much film I shot, but a fair amount. I edited quite a bit and 46 are in the book. While we could have put more images in there, it felt more articulate to use fewer verses overwhelming the viewer with redundancy; most books are a bit too long, in my opinion.

Was making the book a good experience? Would you do it again?
Both making the book and the traveling exhibition that accompanies it were very positive experiences. Nan Richardson at Umbrage Editions (my publisher), Tanja Geis (the designer) and Amy Deneson (the publicist) were just great. And Alison Nordstrom at the George Eastman House (who are traveling the exhibition) was fantastic. She wrote the essay in the book and was very instrumental in helping this entire project move forward. From the first day Alison saw the work she was on board. The entire project was one of agreement; everyone believed in it, we all wanted it to happen, and we made it happen. I know that this sort of cooperative spirit runs a bit contrary to the normal tales you hear about in the publishing world, but it could not have been a more fitting end to my Vietnam journey; it seriously contributed to the healing process. Would I do it again… can’t wait!!!

What’s your next project?
I am working on a portrait of the Catskill region of New York State (and beyond). My working title is “The Other New York”. And I am also working on a project in Prague, where I have been teaching for the past couple of years.

Craig J. Barber

CRAIG J. BARBER is a photographer who travels and works exclusively with the pinhole format and focuses of the cultural landscape. During the past 10 years he has focused his camera on Viet Nam, Havana, and the Catskill region of New York State. In 2006 Umbrage Editions published his book, “Ghosts in the Landscape: Vietnam Revisited.”
See more of Craig’s work at his website.

Spreading the Pinhole Love :: Behind the Scenes with Tom Persinger of f295

Erin Malone — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 07:00:00 GMT

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“Photography to me is about trying to reveal something about the world. It's the method that works for me to try and dig down to really cut through everything extra—to try and see and reveal the fundamental essence of our world.”

In the middle of planning and coordinating the f295 Lensless, Alternative and Adaptive Processes Symposium scheduled for April 26-29 2007, Tom Persinger took a bit of time out of his busy schedule to share insights and thoughts about his work. A busy guy, Tom is passionate about building a global community around this specialized aspect of photography while still finding time to keep a day job and raise a family.

Erin Malone: What artists inspire you?
Tom Persinger: My influences range widely and mostly consist of artists, musicians, writers, and thinkers who are not photographers—Basho, Baudrillard, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Dogen, f64, Glacier National Park, Allen Ginsberg, Mark Rothko, Gary Snyder, Thoreau, and—of course—all of the members of f295. I admire the work of many photographers but I find that my work is influenced more by other artists. This list could go on for a long time…but if you were to force me to choose one influence, it would have to be nature and wilderness.

How did your interest in pinhole & lensless photography begin?
A few years ago I was doing quite a bit of woodworking and spotted an article in one of the magazines on how to build a large format pinhole camera that used modern film holders. I had seen single-shot paper negative type cameras before but they didn't hold much appeal for me. I had been shooting in medium format for awhile and had been thinking about moving up to 4x5" when i saw the article. It seemed like a fun project to marry the two interests. The first camera I built was made from poplar and was meant to be a prototype. If it worked and I liked the results, I had planned to build a working camera from oak or maple. Well, the 'prototype' became my main camera for quite a while and I never rebuilt it, though I have built other cameras. That first camera had an fstop of f295.

What type of camera do you use?
Constructed or bought?
I've never bought a lensless camera. To me, part of the process of making these images, is being involved in as much of the process as practical. And with lensless photography, that can include making or adapting the camera. For a long time I used that first camera, the poplar prototype, exclusively. Later, Daryl Duckworth gifted me a wonderful little (fairly) wide angle medium format camera made from the shell of an old AGFA folder that has had the bellows removed. It's a wonderful camera that makes remarkable images. Recently I've been using a Crown Graphic Press Camera with a pinhole in place of a lens. For this I carry multiple apertures to accomodate various focal lengths which allows me to have a wide angle, normal, or telephoto camera all in one package. I probably have 10 or 20 other cameras, but i stick with those three for 95% of my work.

What is your favorite camera that you wouldn't leave home without?
I suppose if I had to limit myself to one camera it would be the wide angle medium format I received from Daryl. I seldom enlarge images more than 8x10" and rarely crop, and this camera's negatives render beautifully at 8x8". I almost always get images I really like from it. Compositionally, I have a great feel for the angle of view and what the camera is seeing. A lot of people talk about chance and luck and the unknown in lensless photography, but I don't see it that way. Not with this camera. I almost always know exactly what I'll get when making an image. I also usually carry the Crown Graphic out in the field, but I never leave home without the medium format.

When are you most happy?
This is an interesting question. It reminds me of those bumperstickers: “I'd rather be (fill in name of favorite activity here)” which, I think is ultimately a rather sad statement. I always feel badly that the person (with the bumpersticker) isn't golfing or hang-gliding or sailing, but is driving—I enjoy driving, driving to and from places - those transitions - can be extremely interesting moments. But in the end this moment, right here, right now is all we have—THIS IS IT! To have a happiest state, to wish you were doing something else— this is not to say that I don't enjoy certain things more than others—but to make a declaration of one happiest state seems really rather depressing…

When did you start f295?
f295 was started in June of 2004. I began the forum for several reasons. When I began my lensless work, the forums at pinhole.com were a great source of information and inspiration, but around the end of 2003 - early 2004 they took their forums offline. I had found them enormously helpful and since I had the technical skills, I decided to fill the void they left and started f295. I find it enormously satisifying to provide the site for a global community that is focused on a common interest of lensless and alternative photography. It transcends all of the usual barriers that separate us—space, time, language, politics—and unites people from around the world around a common interest.

The participation seems to have grown exponentially. How have the features and your involvement grown? Has the growth been planned or has it been fluid/organic?
Yes, membership and participation have both grown at a rather rapid rate—especially considering the niche subject matter. We now have over 1,100 members, from every continent (except Antarctica!). We had over 300,000 clicks last month and moved over 8GB of content. I've done very little long term planning per se with the f295 site. I try and keep it nimble and try, as much as possible, to respond to the needs that I see arising in the community.

For example, we started off with just a few categories, but soon it expanded to provide separate sections for zoneplate, pinhole, color, black and white, polaroid, alternative process and others. That was when I began using the term 'lensless' to describe the content. It seemed overly general to call it a pinhole forum—and I think probably somewhat annoying to those who use zoneplate, sieve, etc. As membership grows so does my involvement, which is taking more and more time.

Are you seeing a lot of crossover between the lensless and the alternative processes practitioners?
In the f295 forums there is some crossover, but not as much as I had originally envisioned when I set up the alt side but I think over time that will change. Lensless, in my opinion, is an alternative process in it's own right—a very specific one but not dissimilar. The site separates lensless and alternative processes for ease of categorization and also to help structure our content. What I see beginning to happen—still in its infancy—in photography at large, is not so much a crossover between lensless and alternative, but a general division that is more about manufactured and DIY. There's such an explosion and interest going on in building, adapting and modifying equipment—it's quite exciting.

How much time do you dedicate a week?
It varies. In the past few weeks I've been working upwards of 40 hours a week just on f295 but most of that has been Symposium planning. The great thing about f295—the website—is that we have such a great community of members that we very rarely have any of the issues that plague other online communities. There are seldom rants or arguments and when they do arise, I try to extinguish them as quickly as possible. It's nice to have such a great group of members whom you can rely on to keep an eye on things.

When do you photograph?
Lately, I'm embarrassed to say, not much at all! But, generally, I almost always have a camera with me, if not in my bag, then in the trunk of my car. I try and squeeze it in whenever I can. I often photograph during my lunch hour at work and a couple of my current favorite images were made during those shoots. I really enjoy the fact that when people see these images, they say, 'That was taken there?' 'Really?' It's very pleasing to be able to show people another side of an area that they thought they knew as only a sort of post-industrial, decaying, small town, outside of Pittsburgh.

With the Symposium planning, the forum, photographing and a day job, do your kids ever see you? When do you sleep?
Hmmm, I sleep increasingly little. It's just after 1am and I am only starting to think about sleep, but I have more work to do… so, to be brief, I spend as much time with my wife and kids as I can. I don't cut back on my time with them too much for f295 and my personal photography work. My kids are young—ages 3 and 6 months—and those years are precious. I don't want to miss a second of these young minds developing, and the wonder they see in the world—it's inspirational—their presence, their way of being here right now, it's amazing…so, I cut back on what I can and sleep less.

I notice you also teach workshops - how often do you do these?
Workshops are a lot of fun. The direct hands on involvement with the students is wonderful! It's great to see the wonder and enthusiasm they have when they see that a box made from cardboard can really be a camera. Even though they've seen my cameras, I dont think it really sinks in until they actually do it themselves. I'm teaching several worskhops this year—at The Mattress Factory, Photographers Formulary and Peters Valley Craft Center. They're all different and will all be very enjoyable. And for those experienced photographers who come, I think they just might pick up some fresh ideas to reinvigorate their work. Lots of people have said that pinhole photography has made photography 'fun' again and it's great to be able to put some fun into peoples lives, dont you think?

What inspired you to organize the Symposium?
While the f295.org forum is great, it's not great for personal contact. The internet is perfect for the forum—a way to connect geographically dispersed individuals with niche interests—but it just isn't the same as sitting down with someone for a cup of coffee and talking and handling images. About a year and a half ago, I surveyed the f295 community to see if there would be interest in such an event. There was a lot of response and enthusiasm for the idea—so, in keeping with my MO of responding to the community's wishes, I began organizing. Then when I started meeting with Pittsburgh arts organizations, they had such enthusiasm for the event it just kept getting bigger and bigger.

I should probably ask you this after it's all over, but, will you do another Symposium?
Yes, ask me when this one is over. A few weeks ago, I thought I'd never even consider it, but thankfully those thoughts are behind me now, and even though this one hasn't started yet, there are already discussions about possibly doing one on the West Coast. But let's not get too carried away—ask me again in a week.

Editor's Note: The Symposium took place for April 26-29, 2007.

Tom Persinger

TOM PERSINGER resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with his wife and two sons. His photographs have been included in numerous exhibitions and can be found in private collections in both the United States and Europe. He founded and directs www.f295.org an international organization with more than 1,000 members interested in furthering the dialogue regarding the art of lensless photography and the craft of alternative and adaptive photographic processes. He has been a coordinating committee member of Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day since 2005.

See more of Tom's work at his website.