Wallace Billingham
Regular
- Location
- NW, Pennsylvania, USA
Many years ago when dinosaurs still roamed the earth, film was all we had, and disco was still cool I used to shoot quite a bit with a Minolta Autocord TLR (Twin Lens Reflex Camera). Shooting with a TLR is unlike any other type of photography you can do. Unlike with most cameras that you held up to your eye to compose and focus, a TLR had a waist level finder and a large ground glass that you looked down into. It had two lenses one that collected and focused light back to the film (in this case medium format film) and another lens that collected and focused light back towards a mirror that bounced it up towards a large ground glass viewing screen that was on the top of the camera.
You hung the camera from your neck and looked down into the ground glass finder. This would give you a different perspective on the world since your camera was often a foot and half (half a meter) or so lower than when you hold one up to your eye. It also allowed you to see with both eyes wide open when you were shooting.
Many of the great masters of old used TLRs. A great example is Diane Arbus who used a Mamiya TLR in many of her shots. Like this one
Notice how you are not really looking down on the young boy, but instead you are looking at him, this also has the effect of allowing more perspective and sense of place with/in the environment around him.
I have not really thought about using a TLR in a very long time, that is until I got my Samsung EX1, attached the neck strap hung it from my neck, flipped out its amazing AMOLED screen, and turned it so I could look down into it. It was exactly like shooting with my old Autocord.
SAM_0848 by eye of wally, on Flickr
I had great fun doing that, and slowly I began to realize something. People around me had no idea I was shooting pictures.
trick or treat by eye of wally, on Flickr
I think in 2010 (soon to be 2011) people see someone with a camera like a DSLR held up to an eye, or a camera with a rear LCD screen held out in front of someones face like they are a zombie and they know you are taking a picture, one the other hand if one is just hanging from your neck or even better just held in your hand they have no idea. I think this is even more true as so many people today hold cell phones and send texts that they see you looking down at your hands that they think you are using an iPhone or sending a text and think nothing off it.
Corry, PA 11-7-2010 by eye of wally, on Flickr
If you really want to be sneaky you can turn the screen so that the camera is looking towards your left side with your body facing straight ahead
Corry, PA 11-7-2010 by eye of wally, on Flickr
By shooting this way you are able to grab candid shots without people interacting one way or another with the camera as they do not see a camera, just some guy sending a text
SAM_0853 by eye of wally, on Flickr
Corry, PA 11-7-2010 by eye of wally, on Flickr
Walkin' at the mall by eye of wally, on Flickr
You hung the camera from your neck and looked down into the ground glass finder. This would give you a different perspective on the world since your camera was often a foot and half (half a meter) or so lower than when you hold one up to your eye. It also allowed you to see with both eyes wide open when you were shooting.
Many of the great masters of old used TLRs. A great example is Diane Arbus who used a Mamiya TLR in many of her shots. Like this one
Notice how you are not really looking down on the young boy, but instead you are looking at him, this also has the effect of allowing more perspective and sense of place with/in the environment around him.
I have not really thought about using a TLR in a very long time, that is until I got my Samsung EX1, attached the neck strap hung it from my neck, flipped out its amazing AMOLED screen, and turned it so I could look down into it. It was exactly like shooting with my old Autocord.
SAM_0848 by eye of wally, on Flickr
I had great fun doing that, and slowly I began to realize something. People around me had no idea I was shooting pictures.
trick or treat by eye of wally, on Flickr
I think in 2010 (soon to be 2011) people see someone with a camera like a DSLR held up to an eye, or a camera with a rear LCD screen held out in front of someones face like they are a zombie and they know you are taking a picture, one the other hand if one is just hanging from your neck or even better just held in your hand they have no idea. I think this is even more true as so many people today hold cell phones and send texts that they see you looking down at your hands that they think you are using an iPhone or sending a text and think nothing off it.
Corry, PA 11-7-2010 by eye of wally, on Flickr
If you really want to be sneaky you can turn the screen so that the camera is looking towards your left side with your body facing straight ahead
Corry, PA 11-7-2010 by eye of wally, on Flickr
By shooting this way you are able to grab candid shots without people interacting one way or another with the camera as they do not see a camera, just some guy sending a text
SAM_0853 by eye of wally, on Flickr
Corry, PA 11-7-2010 by eye of wally, on Flickr
Walkin' at the mall by eye of wally, on Flickr