Brownie BULL'S EYE

18 x 30 inches
Archival Giclée Luster Print
Mounted on archival substrate

With Front Matt & Black wood frame 26 x 38 inches
Limited edition of 4/10

Brownie BULL'S EYE was manufactured between 1954-1958   

This portrait was made using macro or “close up” photography in other words I photograph the camera in sections, I then stitch the sections together in Photoshop, just like a landscape photographer would do to create a sweeping panorama. I've created a sweeping panorama of a relatively small object which enabled this large-scale print. I want the viewer to see the camera as I do. I want you to sense the magic this instrument brought the world.

I love the 1950s design elements in this Kodak camera, from the lightning bolt in the view finder, which reminds you to wind the film for your next shot, to the red dot withe the Kodak logo in the center, to the fonts and the simple wording around the lens which act as a focus guide.

"Portraits of Cameras Series"

This series combines the past and the present, my admiration of analog photography equipment with my digital photography workflow. Each photograph is a large-scale portrait of an analogue piece of equipment from the 1900s that has historical importance, great design and was broadly used. This exhibition is dedicated to the new generation discovering these tools and to those who have designed, created and used these instruments in the past.

• Macro: Photographing small objects using close up photography equipment so that the object can be printed greater than life size. From Greek "makros" meaning “large” as in macro photography.

• Pan: Photographing several slightly overlapping sections of a scene or object by tilting or swinging a camera from one side to another or up and down. From Greek "pan" meaning “all, all-inclusive” as in the word panorama. - GRR

• In my studio I’ll take several test shots in order to choose the angle and lighting that draws attention to the beautifully designed features of my subject. Once the angle and lighting are worked out I’ll shoot close-ups of each facet of the object. I shoot each close-up using a macro lens and sized in camera to print sharp and render excellent detail at approximately 16x20 inches. Using Adobe Photoshop I then merge as many as thirty of these photo files together resulting in a file that can be printed gigantic with uncompromising detail at close inspection. Next in Photoshop I'll transform the image to bring the object back to its original perspective. Finally the retouching; often the objects I’m choosing are decades old and show tremendous wear and tear, my challenge in retouching is to leave the character that only use and age can produce while ensuring the original design elements shine through.