Shooting through the viewfinder
I was clicking around Flicker shortly after I join when I stumbled on the amazing photos of a member known as Dabadoo. The technique used to create these photos is referred to as TtV (Through the Viewfinder) and it turns out there are quite a few people trying out out. The idea is pretty simple. You point an old TLR camera at your subject and then take a shot of it’s viewfinder with your digital. The result will pick up all the scratches and specks on the viewfinder to instantly give the shot a funky aged look.
So yesterday while I was out and about I stopped in at a antique shop to see if I could find a TLR camera to put to use turning out my own TtV photos. I found two!
The first is an Argus 75, and it set me back a whole $2.
The second is a Kodak Duaflex IV. The Duaflex line seems to be a popular choice for shooting TtV, though the Dauflex II is more the preferred model because it lacks a popup shader to get in the way of things. The Duaflex IV set me back $7… yet one more example of how the middle class is being squeezed these day!
Both cameras came with these flash apparatuses that plug into the side of the cameras. But the Duaflex also had three super cool Sylvania flash bulbs. The filament inside of these bulbs looks like fine steal wool. And as I found out later, the Duaflex also had a used roll of film which I’m definitely going to get developed! Hopefully it’s not full of 30 year old home porn.
Now, since you’re actually holding your digital SLR about 8″~10″ inches away and focusing on the other camera’s viewfinder glass, glare and reflection are a serious issue. You need to put together what the kids in the know call a contraption, which is basically a tube between the two cameras to block out the stray light. I haven’t had time to work on that yet, what with this being Christmas eve and all. Just the same, there was no way I could wait to give the technique a try. Here’s my first test shots (one from each camera) taken of my 1950 Caddy, which makes the perfect model for this type of thing.
