Camera Toss - Photographic Technique

[Greg B]

OK, it works like this....

1. You select a reasonably slow shutter speed.
2. You activate the shutter
3. You toss your camera into the air.

The next phase of the process is not clear, but I am strongly suggesting

4. You catch your camera

I can see the potential aesthetic here, but it seems like sheer madness.

Of course, it has already been done - the results are here

[wendellt]

beautiful work on that link

i expeimented with stuff like this way back but never got such aesthetically pleasing results, I better revisit this kind of long exposure madness. One trick is to tie the camera to your hand and then throw it.

[marcotrov]

Well Greg as interesting as the images look. IMHO it's lunacy. I don't think I'd like to gamble with my gear. Tremendous images some of them. I suppose that's why I'll never make a fantastically creative new image, I just don't like taking those sort of risks or then again I may just not be 'stupid' enough.
cheers
marco

[stubbsy]

Greg

Doesn't Leigh have enough problems when he gets bored already. Now you're giving him ideas

[rokkstar]

Wonderful.
I've seen something like this before and have tried it a little but never been brave enough to actually launch my cam. Used the strap.

I'm going to revisit this too.

Lovely

[stubbsy]

I can see it now - 50 camera toss shots in the next comp

[blinkblink]

I reckon they're a bunch of tossers

[Nnnnsic]

Doesn't Leigh have enough problems when he gets bored already. Now you're giving him ideas

Mwahahahahaha...

[Michael]

I think this is best achieved with less expensive point and shoot cameras.

if anyone tried that with a DSLR I would start to question thier sanity.

[Oneputt]

Bugger

[thaddeus]

Wow, what excellent pictures! Similar to lissajous curves http://mathworld.wolfram.com/LissajousCurve.html

I think you could get similar results (more safely!) dangling the camera from a pendulum or similar. Thanks for the link!

[kipper]

I have to agree with Michael here and I was already thinking this before I stumbled across his post.

Not because they're cheaper but more because their shutters are electronic if Im not mistaken where the SLRs are both mechanical and electronic. Chucking around a camera to me might put wear or shock through the shutter system.

[Heath Bennett]

Inspirational stupidity. Will I try this with mine? I think not. I want to buy a PnShoot right away though. Is the competition only open to DSLRs? I think so.

Good luck Leigh

[Greg B]

Honestly, I wouldn't have thought that tossing your DSLR in the air was
even a remote possibility. There are no issues to consider. The shutter
could be nuclear powered with satellite override. The body could be
made of the stuff they make black boxes from - no. No good.

I was going to put this in the humour section. Should have done so
to make my view of the technique clearer.

OK, that's it. The only people who want you to chuck your DSLR into the
air are the number crunchers at Nikon and Canon.

[Nnnnsic]

What if I throw it up in the air and have it land on my bed or on a couch or cushion?

[Zeeke]

crazy... but aslong as you catch the camera... wouldnt be any worse then what my d70 has been through... even tho i carry it in a pelican case... ive been in some shocking fishing conditions.. where we have bounced off 2 meter waves in small boats with bone breaking bangs as we hit the water on the other side.... things you cannot avoid when the weather turns awesome to crap...

Tim

[Greg B]

What if I throw it up in the air and have it land on my bed or on a couch or cushion?

Good point, I hadn't thought of that.

NO