Shared Source Collaborations are Here!

DSC00919, originally uploaded by QuakkauQ.

This photo was created as part of a multi-photographer Camera Toss Group collaboration.

The pattern primitive image used with permission and under the terms of the Creative Commons; Attribution, Non-Commercial, Share-Alike 2.0 license.



See Shared Source Collaboration #1 and results.
See also all results of such themes.

Our first collaboration theme (#1) was posted to the group today by Jens. The image above is a result from working with a graphical source displayed on their computer monitor, we are encouraging everyone to try out this same primitive source image and share their results, hence the "shared source" of this little project.

More to come as more results are shared and new themes are posted.

Call for Submissions: Icon Design!

Hey readers and aspiring graphic designers!

Starting some changes to the community that will hopefully help it remain vital and active. One of which is finally retiring the original group icon, those little b&w dudes throwing the other dude in the air. As much as I like it, it doesn't read too well as a tiny icon.



It's actually hilarious that I've never changed it, considering the amazing graphical fodder that community produces every single day with camera tossing. But it's time.

So...

Call for submissions for the new flickr community icon!

Rules...

It cannot actually be a camera toss, nor a photograph. It should be a piece graphic artwork that symbolizes the ideas/patterns/spirit behind camera tossing. Reasons for this limitation is I don't want it to become a "best of" camera tossing photography contest. This place isn't about individual achievement via contests, it's about community and shared inspiration.

You can design it at whatever size is easiest, but keep in mind flickr will always present the final form as a 48x48 pixel square (even smaller in some contexts).

Submissions: If you are a flickr member, pop over to the thread in the community and share it inline. If you are not a flickr member, I'll accept designs via the email address listed for press inquiries on the blog sidebar. Sorry for not just typing it, hate spam.

Selection process. Very informal, no voting, but I hope the community will be able to come to a consensus. If there is more than one clear winner then I'll find a way to utilize both in the various camera tossing literature.

Deadline: non-deterministic. I.E. we'll keep accepting entries until someone submits something we absolutely love. Although I would hope to conclude it within the month, August 1st soft deadline.

Prizes, satisfaction!...and attribution/links in the group description and on this blog. Check out my page-rank if you don't think that's a cool prize! Additionally, I'm considering trying to find some other ways to thank the creator of the final icon. Perhaps a pro flickr account if they want one, a print or two? We'll come up with something fun.

Eligibility, anyone!

Happy Designing!

Hey, I got one!

Kinetic 331_Brane Waves1, originally uploaded by mtnrockdhh.

A recent photograph by mtnrockdhh posted to the photo pool and shared in the live gallery on exhibition at command-z. FYI, we are entering the last 3 days of both the command-z exhibition in LA, and the digiarte exhibition in Florence, Italy.

---
I pretty much gave up on the idea of the readers donating old equipment to the camera toss community after this old posting went without response for a long time.

But last month 2 people actually offered to send a camera, no idea how they found the posting. One of which arrived the other day! It's a modern P&S film camera, the lens-cover (containing on/off mechanism) had come off and it no longer worked. But the former owner sent the parts along to fix it. Wee projects!

I don't know how effective it would be for tossing, but I have lots of other tinker projects to possibly use it for also. To the reader who sent it, thank you!

Donate to Camera Toss

If you've enjoyed our blog, perhaps you can contribute something that will help the community take this to the next level. I'm not really expecting donations, but it would be silly not to put the request out there. If you think you have something we might be able to use please email me at cameratoss[at]gmail[dot]com (replace the bits in brackets).

Things we could possibly use and why...

2nd & 3rd generation digital cameras

Have an old digital you don't use that still works? Consider donating it to be utilized by the public during possible performance art or kinetic photography happenings. I have an idea for one to take place this month, but would need 5-10 cameras to get things rolling.

Also, several community members have broken cameras already, it would be nice if I had the capacity to get them shooting again by sending them a donated piece of gear. The earnings from the AdSense account (camera insurance fund) is currently not keeping up with demand.

older manual/legacy film cameras

Because of risk to the equipment, very few people are using modern high resolution digital cameras, but the desire to get high quality (print worthy) results is still there. If you've got some dusty piece of photographic equipment hiding in your closet, consider sending it us. Personally it is a goal of mine to be working with film for these experiments in 2006.

free web hosting

I have some related projects that might benefit from web hosting other than flickr and blogger.

high end photography gear

I'm mostly being silly, but if any independently wealthy philantropic individual wants to contribute to this "starving artist" by equipping me with something like a Canon EOS 5D or digitally-backed Hasselblad H2... I certainly won't complain! Perhaps you have a morbid enough sense of humor and would take full masochistic pleasure in knowing that I just might be crazy enough to throw it into the air, among other bizarre activities.

me myself and i

If you appreciate my efforts, and wish to fund me directly, that is an offer I can't refuse... visit my blog find the paypal donations box in the sidebar.

Just putting it out there, thanks for having a laugh, or perhaps considering it seriously. Again, send material donation inquiries to cameratoss[at]gmail[dot]com.