photography « Four Fifths Design

May 25, 2012

InstaCRT – Just a Bit More Genuine Than Instagram

Designer: Harald Martin, Ruben Broman, Erik Wahlstrom

So. This is quite the venture. A group of individuals set out to create an app that achieves a visceral quality in photos… something that Instagram can’t always achieve perfectly (not to say this is a perfect solution either). Rather than recreating a retro effect with software, InstaCRT actually uses the aging titular tech to achieve its goals.

The concept is simple. You take a photo on your iPhone using the InstaCRT app. You upload that photo to a developer. This developer displays your image on a 1 inch CRT in a defined space (office or otherwise). A picture of the photo is then taken with a DSLR, and sent back to your iPhone.

The results are really nice. The scanlines are genuine, the distortion doesn’t follow any equation, and the look and feel are pretty spot on. It results in a standard that many other apps are striving for.

However, it has to be equally as inefficient. The more people begin to use the app, the more time is needed to deliver a result. So what if this app soars? Would it take days, maybe weeks to get an image sent back to you? Is there a better way to streamline this process? There are plenty of possibilities, as well as many conflicts begging to be solved. But nevertheless, the idea is nice, and the effort is present. The results could potentially be fantastic.

You can currently buy InstaCRT in the app store for $1.99.

April 2, 2012

A Macro Look at Nanoscopic Material Structures

Designer: Zeitguised

I’m unfamiliar with the name(s) behind Zeitguised, but I can tell you it wouldn’t matter because I’ve fallen hard in love with their work. Zeitguised boasts the intricate biography, “The strange, obscure twin of contemporary zeitgeist imagineering.”

From what I gather, they’re a motion and 3D creative studio that dabbles heavily in obscure, abstract, and visually stimulating work that proves effective both in motion and in print.

This piece in particular is a more recent example of the experimental nature of Zeitguised. “Sample Sample” is the portrayal of nanoscopic materials inspired by images of fabric materials. In essence, this is creating the simulation of photographed space which seduces the viewer to imagine an existing material reality.

The piece is created with two different levels of translation of textile pattern. The first is color – where a scan of the textile is taken to directly color individual parts of the structure. The second is fabric weavings – 3D dimensional stacks of interlocked platonic bodies. The key then is to offset these layers in relation with each other which results in the visual effect we see here.

It’s no wonder the work was shown at Kiss The Design Gallery in Lausanne, Switzerland. It’s smartly constructed, and visually gorgeous.

By all means, explore their portfolio…it’s pretty intriguing stuff.

(If I happen to misread or misunderstand the making of this piece, I apologize in advance!)

February 1, 2012

Eric Cahan’s Sky Series

Designer: Eric Cahan

Eric Cahan might be considered a good designer, but he’s definitely considered a phenomenal photographer. He’s a devotee of contemporary art, and is always inspired by color and nature. This is evident yet again in the ongoing Sky Series. These pieces are captured scenes of sunrises or sunsets.

Cahan uses as many as four separate cameras in capturing the amazement housed in these colorful compositions of nature. Employing dozens of graduated filters, his objective is to create a window into a time and a place, and to play with the abstract through color gradients, shifting, and manipulation. Cahan produces chromium prints of each piece numerous times until he has reached a seamless result free of any sort of blemish. Cahan’s drive to mesh the elemental beauty of color with the hidden complexity of nature is admirable. And the results: astounding.

1 comment

May 10, 2011

Nonspace Photography

Designer: Emily Grundon

I’m sure a lot of people may disagree with me on this one, but I strongly believe Emily Grundon’s Nonspace photography series is an extraordinarily successful series. Negative space, or white space in particular, is one of the strongest elements in any visual representation. It seems here that the idea of white space has been pushed to the boundary, flooding full compositions, but still retaining an engaging appeal. I’d imagine it has much to do with the straight edges, subtle shades, and strong balances created in each photograph. …Or maybe I just love white!

April 12, 2011

Emotive Photography

Designer: Luis Beltran

This small set of photographs comes from the Spanish photographer Luis Beltran. Each manipulation (assuming) is evocative and expresses a fantastical emotion. The use of color, or lack of – depending, makes for beautiful surrealism and environmental distortion.