Long Format Photography – A Conversation with Rick Graves David Junker, Director of Media Assets, DVPA May 9, 2008

To many people, it may seem that with as many digital camera and image processing systems that are mainstreamed into today's content creation industry, film has taken a back seat to many digital alternatives.  While this is true in many applications, there are still a few creative individuals utilizing the characteristics of film for unique artistic purposes and finding ways to turn traditional practices into cutting edge methods against even the newest technologies.

Graves and his team of professionals at his Santa Ana, CA studio, are able to work with extremely high-resolution images because of the excellent inherent quality of the medium format film.

One of these artists is long time commercial photographer and owner of DistaVision™, Rick Graves.  He has developed a unique system using robotic motors and a modified medium format film camera to create stunning visuals on a standard roll of 220mm transparency film.  He calls the system DistaCam™. The resulting long format images are used for large print applications on buildings, walls, and other large surface areas.

Not only does Graves have a creative eye, his skills in mathematics allow him to make the necessary calculations in setting up a complex image acquisition system.  Some of the advisory board members of the DVPA had the pleasure of talking with Rick Graves last month in Las Vegas while attending NAB.  He has agreed to share with the DVPA the technology behind the DistaCam™ system.

DVPA: Tell us a little about your background and your experience as a commercial photographer.

RG: I graduated from Art Center College of Design in 1984 and started Rick Graves Photography in 1985. I began creating clothing ads for surfwear companies but my passion was in action photography. I shot for car magazines to build my portfolio. Since 1992 I have specialized in location automotive action photography for advertising and brochures. A partial client list includes: Porsche, Jaguar, Goodyear, Mazda, Toyota, Acura, Honda, Nissan, Infinity, Mitsubishi.

DVPA: What gave you the idea to create a camera that creates these unique images?

RG: A creative director once challenged me to show him something new and different that he had never seen before. I remembered a technique that Neil Leifer had used in his early days with Time Life and Sports Illustrated. You can't go out and buy a camera to do this, so I began building my own.

DVPA: How does it work?

RG: I modified a Hasselblad camera and attached robotics motors and electronics that allow me to move a roll of film through the camera at a speed that I determine. Once I determine the speed and distance of my subject I input the data into math formulas that I have written, and then program the camera's motor to spin at a specific speed. My goal is to move the film through the camera at the same relative speed as the subject moves through the frame.

DVPA: Why do certain objects have an unusual distortion while others don't?

RG: Distortion is caused by the subject's varying speed and distance relative to the camera's motor. If a subject is too close or too fast its image will be compressed; if it is too far away or going too slow it will appear stretched. A subject must be going the exact speed and be traveling through the frame at the exact distance in order to be rendered correctly. The image is exposed through a vertical slit, so if something stays in one place for a period of time it will be dragged across the frame. You can see this in the people walking shots. When someone's foot is placed in the area being exposed by the vertical slit, it is stretched out and looks like a “skateboard” foot.

[Small portion of larger image]

DVPA: Is it possible to shoot stationary objects with the DistaCam™?

RG: Yes. Normally the camera is stationary and the subject moves through the frame.

To shoot stationary subjects I just put the camera into a car or moving vehicle and point the lens out the window and calibrate my camera's speed to that of the car.

DVPA: How were you able to physically build a system that is so precise and that could be used with existing medium format cameras?

RG: It took about seven years of development and several prototype camera systems. Early on I used a cordless drill attached into the film spool in the camera.

DVPA: Why is it not possible to acquire these types of images using a digital camera?

RG: Digital systems might be capable of capturing a continuous frameless image but the resolution would not be as high as what I achieve with film. I can shoot a 66 inch roll of film in 1.5 seconds. This is typical of shooting race cars traveling at 200 mph.

[Small portion of larger image]

DVPA: Are these cameras for sale?  Could someone buy a DistaCam™?

RG: No, there are currently only two DistaCam™ systems, and I don't have any plans at this point to sell them.

DVPA: In what ways are your images currently used?

RG: I am a licensee of NASCAR and sell 8-foot long prints. With the popularity of super sized graphics and giant printers a few clients have used my images for building wraps.The largest one measures 300 feet long by 7 feet tall.

DVPA: What do you do once you've acquired the image and processed the film?

RG: We scan the original 66 inch transparency in eight 10-inch sections and reassemble the sections in Photoshop.

DVPA: As the future brings more new media options to photographers in the form of motion and video applications, how do you think that this unique style can be used in a digital world even though it is based on a technology that is quite old?

RG: Here is a 100-year old technique, and I've created something new and exciting.

I believe that as people become aware of my work, the most creative individuals will come up with amazing unimagined uses for my long format images.

            As more and more video professionals make use of mixed media applications, no doubt there will be others who are able to find unique ways to integrate older technologies into new applications.  The trends of today call for an extensive variety of image types and video footage to be integrated into animated compositions that define the style of today's digital artists.  While many of us claim to be digital content creators, many of our elements are acquired using non-digital methods, adding a bit of organic reality to the canvas.

            For more information about Rick Graves, DistaVision™, and DistaCam™, visit www.distavision.com.