Evenhanded Luck: Appetite for Creation

Despite all appearances, the first two images in this ongoing series were slightly modified in Adobe Photoshop solely for size, color and contrast - what is shown here are pictures taken with a Samsung SCH-u540 phone/camera and the distortion effects are entirely generated by physical manipulation during the capture process.

Both pictures below were taken three miles from Delaware while standing on the shoulder of northbound I-95.

6-22-11 (Click to enlarge)

    Being informed that the camera lens is a line scanner rather than a radial opening allows for some less conventional photos should one be famished for entertainment; by synchronizing the camera movement with the direction of passing vehicles, the oppositional stretching of subjects became food for thought upon eventually returning to New York City.

    With a renewed appreciation for this outdated hardware, the idea of exploiting what seemed to be near-obsolete technology intensified. Although recent scientific advancements in the world of photographic imaging has leveled the playing field between amateurs and aficionados, crude ingenuity alone can still accomplish in mere moments what would perhaps require professional digital artists exponentially more time to duplicate. By observing the limitations of this device in camera mode, it was noted that rapid hand motions caused the sluggish lens to drag itself along in attempts to reacquire a stable image on the low-resolution screen. Encouraged by this discovery, further experimentation was imperative.

    The six images below were taken at various highway locations while traveling south through Baltimore and Washington, D.C.