Wayne Martin Belger's Amazing Pinhole Cameras

Deer Camera, Wayne Martin Belger, Steel, brass, bone and antlers, 24 x 5.

Varnish Gallery has a show of the most incredible pinhole cameras made by Wayne Martin Belger. They are also showing the photos taken with the cameras. There is an article about the show in the San Francisco Chronicle. And check out his web page, Boy of Blue. You can see more cameras, and 360 degree views.

The Book Arts Jam 2006

Book Arts Jam - podpodpost
Originally uploaded by bertmac.

The Book Arts Jam was wonderful. There were so many things to see, and I didn't see most of it. Every year I think, "next year I won't apply for a table, I'll just attend, volunteer a few hours and enjoy everything." But talking to people about art, and my work in particular, is very energizing and helpful for me. There are photos on flickr. I didn't have much time to look around, so it's a very limited assortment. Tons of stuff happened that I didn't see. I think photos will be posted on the Jam web site.

I have to say, it went well for me. I sold two books, which is great. And I did get a lot of positive feedback. Although I saw a lot of nice people, including people I haven't seen for years, there wasn't really enough time to talk on a personal level. And by early afternoon, my brain had stopped functioning, so I think I have forgotten some conversations already. I'm just not good in these large, loud settings. People were streaming through. But I loved it!

Packed and ready to go

Packed and ready to go
Originally uploaded by bertmac.

Today I am ready for the Book Arts Jam and plan to do laundry and relax a little. Sunday I will be tired, but I want to start my next pinhole camera. And Monday it's back to the real world.

I got two fantastic book arts links yesterday from judyofthewoods. Check out her wonderful handmade house. The first link is Magic Fly Paula's Star Diary set. This is a beautiful collection of star (as in the sky) imagery.
And Ninth Wave Design's Moleskine Pocket Sketchbook. He is doing alchemy designs. Fantastic! Ninth Wave also sells Moleskine notebooks on the web site. Some are on special right now. I didn't know there were so many choices. Now I think I need a bundle of these.

There are comments on my blog entries that aren't showing up. In the past it has taken days, or they show up when I do the next post. Even that isn't working right now. Either I don't know how to use blogger, or it stinks. Both are possibilities. I wish someone would come to my house and fix all this for me.

Memocam Information

Now Craft has a link to my tutorials page! Unfortunately there is a small mistake. I don't have a tutorial on making metal cameras on my tutorials page. There is a tutorial to make a matchbox pinhole camera. And I do have the metal book tutorial they mention.

Below is a quickly written description of making the Memocam. You can see the first stage here. I use very basic metalworking and jewelry skills. The sides were cut with a metal shear. If you are patient you could cut them with a jeweler's saw. There is some filing to clean up edges, then the box is soldered (actually braised) together. I use an acetylene torch and silver solder.

To make the base I cut the flange pieces to just fit inside the box. I can't do precise measuring, and approximating usually works fine. The design on the camera is etched with Ferric Chloride. Warning: very caustic acid. The coloring is a heat treatment.

The base has a piece of black plexiglass under the brass base. I cut it with a jeweler's saw. The little legs are beads and washers, held in place with nuts and bolts. The shutter is also attached with a nut and bolt. It's light tight in that area because I put the pinhole inside with a piece of gaffer's tape, which also covers the nut and bolt. The handle and the crescent shaped stop for the shutter are attached with rivets made from earposts. There are instructions on my tutorials page for these rivets.

15 minutes for the Memocam

I assume most of you are artists. And you probably all have moments of feeling like you're working in obscurity, with no notice, and no appreciation from other people (aside from your mother, of course). I feel that frequently. Well, today, I feel noticed. First, a week ago, Marc Snyder of Fiji Island Mermaid Press commented on the early stage of my brass camera. (Marc has a blog and web site. I love his Artist's book of the month club.) Then I got an email from Tinkergirl, saying she had linked to my blog. She is into the "lighter side of steampunk" at Brass Goggles. And here's my Memocam on Make magazine's web site! I am so pleased. Is it too uncool to say I'm delighted? I have had a ton of views on my "brass pinhole cameras" flickr set. And some very nice emails from a bunch of people. Including some fascinating links to check out. Is this my 15 minutes of fame? I am loving it.

Memocam

It's done, just in the nick of time. I'll take this little gem to the Book Arts Jam with me this coming Saturday. There are some small problems, but I have ideas for the next one. And I can't wait to start.

On the base the instructions read: 1. Fix memory in your mind. 2. Point Memocam toward memory. 3. Expose film. Click on the image to see more info on my flickr page.

3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . . JAM!

De Young Museum/James Turrell
Originally uploaded by bertmac.

The countdown has started. The book arts jam is only 7 days away. I have a list of things to do, including making a list. Today I finished the handout for the pinhole camera demo. What does that have to do with book arts, you might ask? Well, several people expressed an interest. Hopefully there will be more than two people at the demo. I'll try to get a few photos. Of course, photos are very useful for collage, and the pinhole cameras make great photos.

So the handout is on my website as a pdf, and on my flickr pages as a photo essay.

Later today I hope to work on my brass pinhole camera. I plan to bring it along to the Jam for good luck.