Marine base to be captured in world's largest photo

[question everything]

Marine base to be captured in world's largest photo

By Gillian Flaccus
ASSOCIATED PRESS

June 15, 2006

IRVINE – Walk into the massive air hangar and the first thing you notice is an oppressive darkness broken only by a tiny beam of light from a gumball-sized hole in the wall.

Then, slowly, an upside-down image emerges on the opposite wall that is startling in its clarity – a dilapidated air traffic control tower, an overgrown runway and palm trees clustered amid rolling hills. Once home to roaring fighter jets, this decommissioned Marine Corps hangar is now the world's largest camera poised to take the world's largest picture.

If all goes well, within days the hangar-turned-camera will record a panoramic image of what's on the other side of the door using the centuries-old principle of “camera obscura.”

(snip)

Yesterday, the six photographers with the nonprofit Legacy Project were to begin testing their massive camera and hope to have a photograph completed within two weeks. The ambitious project is the latest by photographers who want to capture the Marine base before it's gone and document the transition of a nearly 5,000-acre chunk of land that's an important part of the region's history. The base was decommissioned in 1999 after more than a half-century of use.

(snip)

The photographers are using a nearly 33-by-111-foot piece of white fabric covered in 20 gallons of light-sensitive emulsion as the photographic “negative.” After exposing the fabric for up to 10 days, they will develop it in a huge tub made of pool siding, using 200 gallons of black-and-white developer solution and 600 gallons of fixer.

(snip)


Find this article at:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20060615/news_lz1n15read.html

[Richardo]

1. Hold still!

[BrklynLiberal]

2. and where are they going to get a frame and non-glare glass for it?

:rofl:

[The_Casual_Observer]

3. What a waste of time.

[Buck Laser]

4. Actually, I find it kind of interesting...

Years ago, in an empty office suite next to mine, I saw the "camera obscura" effect projected against a wall. It was fairly amazing to see, and I had fun showing it to other people. I'm pretty sure it was random occurrences like that that first clued people into the possibilities of the camera. But someone had to put the idea of using light-sensitive chemicals together with the camera obscura, AND figure a way to fix the image.

But then, I guess I'm from the generation that still gets excited about simple little things

[question everything]

5. Or that still is amazed by developing of images on film

rather then digital photography.

Thank you for your comments.