Author Archives: Bob Venezia

Self Portrait with Bubble (Bubble Lights 2.4)

by Bob Venezia

Self-Portrait with BubbleOur fearless leader John has suggested we all enter self-portraits. So here you go. A couple years ago I was preparing to have a photo session with my friend (and master bubble blower) Tom Noddy. I wanted to work out the kinks before Tom came over so I experimented. Can’t remember if I had a digital slr at the time but that would have been invaluable. I’m sure I took readings from a flash meter plus I did some tests for DOF with a tape measure running away from the camera. My memory is that the tape measure showed focus on the inch numbers 28 through 32 but the notes on this image indicate a wider range.

This is shot with the TL-120 with Provia 400X, 1/60th of a second at f22. The focus was cranked to the .8 marker. The notes indicate that my face was at 32″, the bubble at 24″. There was a large potato masher style flash aimed at the ceiling and a Vivitar 283 equipped with a lightsphere (yes, I bought one of those silly things). There was black velvet draped behind to limit the depth in the scene. Shot in my dining room.

Zero Gravity & Rockets #2

by Bob Venezia

Zero Gravity & Rockets #2I’d been to the Puyallup (pyoo AL ip) Spring Fair on Friday night and saw a poster advertising fireworks on Saturday “at around 9pm.” I made the trek the next night, got there early, scouted where the fireworks would be and what I could get in my foreground, etc. My plan was to shoot with the TL-120, and I started capturing other images while I waited. At 8pm I had just finished a roll in the TL-120 when I started hearing boom-boom-boom behind me. Not knowing how long the fireworks would last, I zipped up my backpack, grabbed both tripods with cameras already set, and hurried over to my spot. I would have done much better with the TL-120, since I would only have to wind one camera, and there’s more to check on the 2 Hasselblads. And sync is not an issue on the TL-120.

Faded Red Ford

by Bob Venezia

Faded Red ford

I took a photo trip to the Palouse last year. It’s an area of Eastern Washington/Western Idaho that’s filled with rolling hills and old farms. the combination makes for some striking scenery, with lots of opportunities for photo-graphics. That said, a lot of those opportunities are seized using different lenses. Not an option on my TL-120. But I wanted to include a shot from my trip. It’s a well-worn route for photographers, and this truck was clearly left out front for the photo op. TL-120, Velvia 50, f22, shutter speed unrecorded.

Bob Venezia

by Bob Venezia
  • Bryce Trail Colors
    TL-120 • Provia 100F • f/22 • shutter speed unrecorded
    This is an image that was destined for the wastebasket. Most of the image area was boring, showing loose slides of gravel, and the corner of a metal fence I hadn’t noticed. But when I stuck it in a pano mount — magic! I love the subtle colors — it reminds me of an old theatre set. To me it’s alchemy, when you’re able to take something that’s not working and spin it into something beautiful. I like this slide a lot, but maybe that’s because I rescued it
  • Stud Horse Point #4
    Twin Hasselblad 500Cs • 50mm lenses • Provia 100F • f/22 • shutter speed unrecorded
    In October 2008 I took a vacation in the Southwest US. Mandy (my wife) had less time available, so I drove down a week early to Page, Arizona, and spent some time with photographer/guide Jackson Bridges. This is one of the spots we visited. By the time Mandy flew down to meet me, she’d been spared a long drive, and I had an extra week of photography.
  • Blown Glass Cyclone #1
    TL-120 • Provia 100F • f22 • 8 seconds
    One of my favorite subjects is carnival rides at night. This was shot at the Evergreen Fair in Monroe, Washington, August 2009.
  • Waveswinger & Coaster
    Twin Hasselblad 500Cs • 50mm lenses • Provia 100F • f22 • shutter speed unrecorded
    Shot at the Puyallup (pyoo • AL • ip) Fair, September 2008. Cameras were probably butted together as close as possible, meaning about 4.25” separation between lens centers.

…and the Clock Struck KAZAM! #2

by Bob Venezia

Carnival rides light up the Puyallup Fair at night

Carnival rides light up the Puyallup Fair at night

I have my night exposures of carnival rides pretty well set, but this particular ride was running without  the spotlights for most of the duration of the ride. It looked darker than usual, so I bumped the exposure. Taken with twin Hasselblad 500Cs, 50 mm lenses. Exposure could have been 16 seconds at f22.

The top part of the ride is swinging down, and looks to me like the pendulum on a clock. It intersects with Sinbad’s  extended sword in the painted  backdrop. It looks as though he’s hitting the pendulum with a loud KAZAM!

Canyon X Colors #34

by Bob Venezia
Reflected, unfiltered light in Canyon X

Reflected, unfiltered light in Canyon X

Last year I was on a break between contracts, and Mandy saw a window of opportunity to sneak off for a vacation. Picking the southwest US was easy. She had only 2 weeks available, but I was free as a bird, so I offered to drive down to Page Arizona a week early. That gave me a few days to spend with a photo guide, Mandy flew down to meet me, and we took it from there. I’ve seen shots of Antelope Canyon for years, but I had no idea what a tourist trap the place has become. When I went to Antelope, which is a fairly short Canyon, there were 200 other photographers crammed into this tiny space elbow to elbow.
I also went to Canyon X, which only one tour company has the rights to visit, and it was a completely different scene. Unfortunately, most of the day at Canyon X we were getting filtered light, but there were some lucky breaks, like this one. It’s all reflected light bouncing around. There’s no surface in this shot getting direct sunlight. I metered off the highlights.

I think this makes a nice complement to John’s ice cave.

Above Lake Viviane

by Bob Venezia
Golden larch in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, Washington

Golden larch in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, Washington

Mandy and I went on a backpacking trip into the Alpine Lakes Wilderness in September 2007. Permit required, hard hiking, heavy pack, uncooperative weather. The whole point for me was photography, and by 3 days in I had taken 1 stereo pair in 35mm. Winds died down some on the 4th day and I went nuts with the picture taking. This area is known for its pristine lakes, granite peaks, and larch turning gold in the fall. It’s a stunningly beautiful place.

This was taken with my Sputnik, tuned up by Don Lopp. Thank you, Don! Please forgive any mounting errors — the focal lengths of the lenses are a little mismatched.

Tornado Bubble #10

by Bob Venezia

Tom Noddy and the Tornado Bubble

Tom Noddy and the Tornado Bubble

In the last loop, I included a shot of my friend Tom Noddy with one of his marvelous bubbles. That was shot with the TL-120 and some bounce flash, but when I tried to figure out the exposure, I made some gross errors. So why did the pictures come out okay? I apparently made a whole bunch more errors in making my settings. Yes, I’m an idiot. But I’m an extremely lucky idiot.

This year I did some test shots before inviting Tom over again. There’s black velvet hung behind, because the DOF is extremely shallow. I think we had sharpness between about 28 and 32 inches. I had several flash units triggered by slaves, mostly bouncing off the ceiling here. (I’ve been reading the strobist blog a lot lately, and trying to learn more about the use of flash.)

To create this, Tom blows a bubble and catches it on the wand. He blows a second bubble below it, filled with smoke, so the smaller smoke bubble is attached and hanging below the clear bubble. Tom sticks a wet straw through the wall of the top bubble and blows gently, so the air is swirling inside. Then he break the membrane between the 2 bubbles, so now the smoke is inside the bubble with the swirling air, and the smoke is still somewhat concentrated. Finally, he opens a  hole in top of the bubble, so the bubble deflates like a balloon, forcing out the swirling smoke. I shot a bunch of these. Every time you shoot one, you watch what it continues to do, and you think, “Dang! It got even better after I fired!”

I like the detail of the swirling smoke, and the saturated colors on the top of the bubble.

Sinbad & Tornado

by Bob Venezia
Sinbad and Tornado

Sinbad & Tornado

Taken last September at the Puyallup (pyoo AL ip) Fair, about 40 minutes south of Seattle. I had avoided the Fair for years, and finally went 2 years ago. Now I can’t get enough of it. Be warned — neither of my spuds has perfectly matched lenses. So any mounting errors are not my fault :^)

Sputnik modified by Don Lopp, f22, 4 seconds, pushed 1 stop, Provia 100F.

Tetrahedron

by Bob Venezia
Tom Noddy and Bubble Tetrahedron

Tom Noddy and Bubble Tetrahedron

One of my best friends is Tom Noddy, aka “the Bubble Guy.” Tom appeared on the Tonight Show back when Johnny Carson was still host, and he travels the world doing his act. I’d always wanted to shoot some of his bubbles, but I had no experience shooting portraits in MF 3d. This is one of the simplest bubbles he makes. He also makes a cube, a dodecahedron, a 6-pointed star, a carousel, etc, etc.

Settings unrecorded. I had help from Don Lopp, who attended the shoot. We draped black velvet behind Tom, had a floor lamp beside him, and I bounced a flash off the ceiling.

EMP Backside #1

by Bob Venezia
Experience Music Project, Seattle Center

Experience Music Project, Seattle Center

The EMP (Experience Music Project) is Seattle’s version of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Museum, at the Seattle Center. The building is designed by Frank Gehry. I’ve never been inside (it’s kinda pricey – I’d rather have a new camera filter) but the outside has given me a lot of photo ops. Remember waaaaay back in loop 19A, when Dave Casey had a photo of the “sculpture thingie by the EMP?” The shadow of that sculpture thingie can be seen in this shot.

Shot with a TL-120, Provia 100F, 2 minutes.

Spinning Wheel & Needle

by Bob Venezia
spinning_wheel__needle_up-close_4801

Spinning Wheel & Needle

Also taken at the Seattle Center. The Fun Forest is a funky collection of carnival rides below the Space Needle. It’s destined for the scrap heap soon. I wanted to get down there and get some shots before it disappears.

I really enjoy taking shots of carnival rides. There is definitely a lot of patience involved (waiting for the ride to unload, then load, and once the ride finally starts going, trying to discourage folks from walking right in front of your camera) but it’s totally worth it. There are so many great surprises after you get the film back. Most of my night shots of rides are from the Puyallup Fair, a huge Fair that runs about 3 weeks in the fall, and one weekend in April, about 30 miles south of Seattle.