miniverse- reading01

I think it’s interesting how dubious the scientific community was of photographs early on. Especially astronomers considering there was little venue for the general public to observe what they were seeing without a camera. There’s such a high overlap between the lens tech used for cameras and telescopes that I would think astronomers would be the most enthusiastic about using photographs. In some ways, the modern astronomer is also a photographer.

The practice of applying honey and sticky substances, having special development recipes, to old school plates breathes some artistry back into the medium. I’m too used to the click of a phone camera. I liked the photos of Venus and other planetary observations from multiple artists each using their own development recipe and photographic style. In some ways it more an objective documentation of each photographer’s quirks than an accurate record of planet.

I’m most excited about the use of the camera to scale time. Sped up videos of crowds, slowed down videos of objects crushed in a hydraulic press. It lets me experience different dimensions to a given object or experience. I also wrangle with its ability to warp distance and space. Whenever I pull out my iphone and the FOV, focal length, etc. make the camera different from what I see with my eyes it’s aggravating. I like that surprise especially when I use focal zoom on a camera and comb over the details in a scene.