Photo: Ryan Gallagher
It may be the most dangerous photographic discipline imaginable: camera tossing. At least for the equipment. Its founding father is Ryan Gallagher: You just have to throw it.
Discoveries are often a matter of chance. Take Ryan Gallagher, who became frustrated with his camera's limited capabilities, threw it into the air—and came away with an extraordinary photo. Much to Gallagher’s surprise, the device ("more like a glorified battery-powered webcam") was able to capture the light trails created by the camera's movement.
You just have to throw it
The ‘invention’ began to take shape as a concept when the Texan started a Flickr community (www.flickr.com/groups/cameratoss), and the simple premise of tossing a camera into the air gained popularity—not only among experimentalists but also among ‘ordinary’ photographers. Photography had acquired a new discipline: camera tossing.
A visit to his website shows that a camera spinning through the air can produce bizarre and sometimes highly abstract images. Streaks and patterns of light form psychedelic pictures from which all kinds of shapes emerge, as though they were the work of a digital painter. They are photographs that barely look like photographs anymore.
To be clear: camera tossing is all about movement
Its beauty is nevertheless appreciated, judging by the many comments from visitors. ‘This is simply one of the coolest things I’ve seen in a long time,’ ‘I once took long-exposure photos of hundreds of flies gathering around a light in the dark. They look like your photos,’ and ‘Do you remember the Spirograph from the seventies? That’s what this series of images reminds me of.’
Some people go further and now bravely follow Gallagher’s example, willing, like him, to surrender their camera gear (usually lightweight, reasonably priced digital point & shoot cameras) to merciless gravity for a few seconds in pursuit of that one stunning photograph.
To be clear: camera tossing is all about movement—"You just have to throw it." By working with the timer, shutter speeds, and flash, while also varying throwing and rotation techniques, photographers can achieve a wide range of results. The popular ‘self-portraits,’ for example, look more like reflections in a fun-house mirror. Photos taken from a sometimes impressive helicopter-like viewpoint are amusing for another reason too: here and there, you can see the tense look in the photographer’s eyes—‘I just hope I catch it again...’
Gallagher describes camera tossing as a "specific form of kinetic photography." According to him, the camera must be airborne and must not be impeded by the photographer or anything else.
To capture the moment immediately after the camera leaves the hand
One interesting aspect is the moment the camera ‘clicks.’ Gallagher explains: "Most tossers prefer to rely on shutter lag rather than the timer function. Many photographers see the delay as a minor flaw, and designers do everything they can to minimize it in each new digital camera.
But camera tossing can exist precisely because of this limitation: it captures the moment immediately after the camera leaves the hand."
Gallagher realizes that his influence may lead to hundreds of cameras being destroyed around the world. That is why he recommends tossing above a soft surface such as a cushion, not throwing too high, or using only a camera you can afford to lose...
He nevertheless surprises us by saying that he has never lost a camera to tossing. "I have lost them in other ways, though. My cat once got a little too curious about an object that wasn’t safely placed on a shelf. I lost another camera because I was careless with it—even abused it.
In any case, the misconception about tossing is that it is more dangerous for your equipment than ordinary photography. What we have actually found is that doing something ‘deliberately’ is less risky than handling your gear thoughtlessly."
More information is available at www.kineticphotography.net
or search for camera tossing...
