For this edition, we asked staff and contributors to submit their unconventional photos, from experimental exposures to those taken on corrupted cameras.
Alex Woodworth, Multimedia Editor
These photos were taken during a week in northern Michigan this past summer. The last photo of the film roll was of the basketball hoop, which required me to take my camera into the lake. I tried unloading my camera while swimming back to shore and the roll fell into the water. This accident left my images with strange color shifts and blue water streaks throughout.
Meera Gupta, Video Editor
Experimenting with different materials, I used macro images of ink splashes in water and overlaid them with portraits to create these abstract images.
Rachel Ning, Social Media Editor
There was a cute couple lying in the park that I wanted to capture, but unfortunately, my flash didn’t go off, causing them to become a blob in the darkness.
Kiran Komanduri, Sports Editor
These photos capture actress Catherine Tate at Doctor Who convention Gallifrey One last year. Out of focus, underexposed, but a legend nonetheless.
Krish Dev, Digital Director
As every photographer knows, it’s a bad idea to take photos of fireworks without a tripod. But when I found myself on the Coney Island beach one summer evening as fireworks burst into the air, I was forced to improvise. For the photo on the left, I sat on the ground and carefully balanced my camera on my knee, taking a blurry photo of a young family enjoying the spectacle. The photo on the right is a product of my best attempt at keeping my hands steady — clearly I need more practice with that.
Suditi Sircar, Illustration Editor
Multiple exposures have always excited me. I find joy in experimentation and the act forces me not to nitpick my compositions in real time, but to enjoy the process of creating art. These images were taken across the city — at Times Square and Coney Island — and edited in Adobe Lightroom to accentuate colour and light.
Neil Tawney, Photo Editor
In 2021, I was bestowed with the best and worst camera of all time — the VTech KidiZoom. Since then, I have carried it across continents, events, cities and even friend groups. While the quality may be bad, the pictures always turn out nostalgic and become the gems of my camera roll.
Mason Kelly, Contributing Photographer
These three images were taken with a pinhole camera. Due to the nature of the camera, a long exposure is required, and the final image creates ghostly, imperfect figures.
This black-and-white film photo has a light leak on the left side. It’s an underexposed image, creating a silhouette of the figure on the right, further contributing to the imperfection of it.
Kyra Reilley, Multimedia Editor
Fair-goers photobombed these speedy long exposures, adding to the chaotic yet exciting energy of the fair, powered by neon lights and carnival games.
Zara Surti, Photo Editor
These were some of the first photos I took whilst learning how to use a digital camera. I was experimenting with shutter speed at Washington Square Park and happened to capture these abstract photos with a long exposure.
Contact Krish Dev, Meera Gupta, Mason Kelly, Kiran Komanduri, Rachel Ning, Kyra Reilley, Suditi Sircar, Zara Surti, Neil Tawney and Alex Woodworth at [email protected].