Focalpoint #18

Issue #18 of the Focalpoint print mag is out now. Available in good places around Australia. Remember that it’s a free magazine!

Tech corner

So, when looking through my Google reader updates this afternoon not just one, but TWO really tech edits popped up, one featuring Standard’s Rob Ridge with 4 pegs and 2 brakes, the other featuring Mike King, who rides for GT, with less pegs and brakes. That’s tech in 2 flavours for you to enjoy…

At least one of these is not on TCU yet, so take that A22!

Holga 35mm mod

A few years back when I used to shoot way more photos than I do now I was really into experimenting with my Holga camera. For those of you who are not familiar with Holgas, it’s basically an all plastic camera (even the lens) that shoots on medium format film and often creates interesting and characteristic photos. I figured out this mod for the camera so that you could shoot normal film in it. Here’s what you have to do:

• Get some thin rubber bands, a few peices of foam rubber (I took left over padding from a helmet), a completetly opaque (non transparent) piece of plastic or similar and some sticky tape.
• Wrap some rubber bands around each end of the film spool to create a narrower space for the film to be rolled up on.
• Cut some foam rubber to size so it holds the regular film canister in place in it’s compartment. The thinner piece of foam rubber is optional. I just found it to help keep the canister in place even better.
• Use the opaque material and sticky tape to cover the little window on the camera back. The normal 35mm film does not have the protective backing like medium format film, so any light from there would damage the film.
• Insert your film canister. Make sure the film will wind up properly on the spool. Put the camera back on and shoot away. Remember to turn 35 “clicks” on the film winding knob between each photo. It’s usually enough. Do a few less of you want the shots to slightly overlap — it’s a pretty cool effect.

NOTE! There is no rewind function on this. So when you’ve finished the roll of film you will need to enter a completely blacked out room to unload the film and manually wind it back into the canister.
When developing, remember to tell the people at the lab to NOT cut the film since the frames are oddly sized.

Here are 2 shots of what the resulting photos can be like. Sorry about the shitty quality. I only had the old prints I made ages ago and I had to photograph them with my camera as I don’t have a scanner.

Video embedding

Some P.A trails goodness. Found on Trubmx.

Geoff Slattery — Two by Four DVD section

Austin & Houston trails. Also found on Trubmx.

FP Desktop Backgrounds

Cooper just launched a new feature on the Focalpoint site. Monthly desktop calendar backgrounds. Featured this month is Sam Illman and the background is available for a bunch of different screen resolutions.

Computer Assisted Design

Here’s a funny video I found on the web somewhere (duhh YouTube!). It’s a music video about CAD. How great is that?

La Source mini edit

La Source is my favorite trails in the south of France. I’ve only been there once for a couple of days and it’s the only trails I’ve been to in France, but hey… they’re still my favorite because they’re great. La source has names for their sections, like: Donut, Tic, Tac, Frelon, Lombric, Snek… don’t ask me what the words all mean but they bring back good memories from when I was there at a jam a few years ago.

Now they’ve had a jam there again and here’s a mini edit (found on the Deluxe site) from the event.