E19 Aesthetics

Nick and Graham tackle aesthetics in this episode, including a discussion at the start about the reactions of the subjects when using non-standard camera designs for portraiture.

They discuss Steampunk design styles, retro, futuristic, craftsman and others along the way.

Graham mentions 3hands_studio (https://www.instagram.com/3hands_studio/), the Instagram feed of a Korean watchmaker, camera maker and tool maker (28:00).

Nick hurts Graham’s brain stem by introducing the concept of “haptics” whereby an electronic device creates a vibration or motion based on user interaction. A bit like Sensurround for your pocket (42:45).

We get a lesson on the meaning of Mary Shelly’s classic book Frankenstein (53:45) and how it is a metaphor for the great potential for good and evil of technology. What that means for Graham’s Frankencameras and whether they will eat his young is not concluded, sadly.

The discussion shifts to methods of creating different aesthetics with homemade cameras and modified cameras (1:01:45).

Graham quizzes Nick about leather, vegan leather and hotboxing (1:06:45). Nick talks about wood and wood veneer.

There’s a bit of a lesson about Darwin and evolution in the middle of the discussion of cameras (1:23:45). Seriously, it makes total sense if you listen to it. It shouldn’t, but it does. 

How does a pink BB gun work into our conversation? It’s at the core (1:29:30).

Color Photography a Working Manual by Henry Horenstein is the Book of the Ep (https://www.amazon.com/Color-Photography-Working-Henry-Horenstein/dp/0316373168).

After about a dozen episodes of forgetting, Graham finally remembered that the person who was wrapping pinhole cameras in Fabric was Martin Scarland (@mscarland on Instagram). Of course, he didn’t remember while recording the show.

Matt Loves Cameras, a podcast from Sunny Brisbane, Australia, is mentioned a couple of times. To find a link to that and other podcasts, go to http://www.filmpodcastnetwork.com and click on the listings.