OK, let me get this straight. I spend (hypothetically, of course) a couple thousand for a really good DSLR camera, and the hot new thing I’m supposed to do with it is lock the shutter open and toss it into the air?
Welcome to the wacky world of Camera Toss Photography, a sure sign that some people have too much time on their hands. Wired has a wiki devoted to the subject, based on instructions provided by this blog devoted to the subject, which in turn links to this Flickr group that contains over 6,000 photos derived from the subject technique.
Sure, some of these photos are undeniably cool, but many of them could be replicated with the right software. And, frankly, I’d rather toss a copy of Photoshop in the air than my beloved Digital Rebel XT.
At least Wired brings a realistic perspective to the, um, technique, advising that this be tried around Christmas so that you can always ask for a new camera if you execute a fatal fumble.
Now, I might change my mind about this if someone will post a photo taken via their tossed Hasselblad H3DII, which retails for just under 31 large. I’m not holding my breath (even as I clutch my camera).
Discover more from The Fire Ant Gazette
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
I got my first digital camera about 11 years ago, a Sony Mavica, state of the art, as it was, then. I might try tossing it in the trash, but it was so slow it probably wouldn’t get a shot off before it hit the banana peels. I shouldn’t knock this antique, though, I did get some good shots and strangely one of the best I’ve ever taken, snapped on the quick from the Cumbres and Toltec RR out of Chama NM. Of a cowboy singer on the Chama station depot steps. It printed beautifully at 8×10.
Yeah, my first digicam was also a 1mp Mavica, using cutting edge floppy disks. I remember that it had a great optical zoom and pretty good low-light performance (those have always been Sony’s strengths), and it made decent images for web use. Of course, we had nothing better to compare it to back then.
I still have it proudly displayed in my Gallery of Obsolete Technology, along with an original Pong game and a Radio Shack 8-track tape recorder.