Perfect for your post-Thanksgiving walk on the beach.
Treasure Island’s ‘Sanding Ovations’ sand sculpture exhibition extended through 2023
Photobook Review: Collaboration: A Potential History of Photography
How do you reconcile the conflicting powers that go into making a photograph? How do you balance power and control manifested by the person photographed, the photographer, the viewer of the image, the gallery, newspaper or archive it shows in?
The authors of this book describe it as a ‘messy book’, made in a ‘disorderly way’ through workshops, exhibitions and seminars in which the five authors had different ways of thinking about what collaboration is and how it can be organised.
The result is a multi-layered book where those five different voices exist layered on top of each other. Divided into ‘clusters’ with titles like ‘The photographed person was always there’, ‘Reshaping the Authorial Position,’ and ‘Iconization is preceded by collaboration,’ it’s a book that is directed to the reader with some prior knowledge of photographic history and practice.
Anthony Luvera (who is not featured in this book) described his collaborative process as one where, ‘Ultimately, I am interested in how involving participants as contributors to the processes of representation can inscribe a different, more nuanced view, or otherwise complicate commonly held perceptions of their lives.’ There is a lovely transparency to that idea, a transparency and accessibility that is at the heart of so many collaborative projects.
An example of this transparency, and the idea of adding nuance and humanity is evident in the project, Photo Requests from Solitary, a beautiful project where prisoners in solitary (subject to human and sensory deprivation) make requests for images from the outside world. It’s a project where the process is to the fore, a process that is transparent in the provision of some form of human and visual contact to the prisoners, but also one where the story of that process served as part of a broader campaign to end such a brutal form of incarceration.
More well-known projects involving participation with the people photographed come from Bieke Depoorter, Wendy Ewald (one of the authors), Jim Goldberg, and Carolyn Drake.
Transforming the archive is at the heart of the Feminist Memory Project in Nepal. ‘The feminist movement of Nepal has a deep history but there has been no sustained effort to document the progresses and the struggles of the movement…,’ writes co-founder NayanTara Gurung Kakshapati. The digitisation of photographs is part of making this progress and struggle visible. ‘To become public is to be seen and accounted for in history,’ she says. It’s a very simple idea, one that everybody can understand; if you change the archive you change the representation.
A related idea is apparent in Femen’s use of the politicised female body ‘to break out of the prison’ (of the male gaze). For Femen, the body internalises injustice, is frozen by injustice. To regain the joy of the body, to rediscover its freedom, ‘…you turn your body against this injustice, mobilizing every body’s cell to struggle against the patirarchy and humiliation. You tell the world: Our God is a Woman! Our Mission is Protest! Our Weapon(s) are bare breasts!’
The way images change in time are evident in iconic photographs such as Nick Ut’s picture of Phan Thị Kim Phúc screaming as her skin burns from napalm, or Steve McCurry’s portraits of Sharbat Gula, the fates of the people photographed changing something (though this, like much in the book, is up for debate) of the rhetoric of the image.
At the start of the book, there is a series of (Notes) towards a manifesto that explains the importance applying ‘the lens of collaboration to see how people who involved willingly or not in… violent photographic situations.’
Some examples of these violent photographic situations are Marc Garanger’s. identity pictures from Algeria (under the title, Forced to Collaborate), or Li Zhensheng’s pictures from the Cultural Revolution, and the identity pictures from the Tuol Sleng archive (an archive which formed a central part of the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum) in Cambodia.
This archive is one where (with the exception of the handful of prisoners who survived when the prison was liberated), the identity photograph was an initial step before torture and an inevitable and terrible death. Here photography is described as collaborating in the ‘bureaucracy of death.’
It’s something the prison’s main photographer, Nhem En participated in fully. In this 2008 interview he said, “They knew they’d die… The work was necessary,” he says. “We needed to know who our enemies were.”
The world should thank me for my work. If I hadn’t taken those photos, if it weren’t for me, no one would know or care about Cambodia.”
Sited in the Sovereign and civil power of the apparatus cluster, It’s an example of how the book stretches ideas of collaboration into those ethical areas that are beyond the pale, as a counter-example of how photography serves as a tool in larger, more significant histories.
Martha Rosler famously wrote that, ‘Documentary, as we know it, carries information about a group of powerless people to another group addressed as socially powerful,’ and even in the most collaborative of projects, there is the question of how class, caste, education, wealth, gender, religion, nationality, political power, and many more factors play out in collaborative projects.
Does collaboration always add nuance to a project or can it be used as a kind of participation-washing that will blind the viewer to the otherwise all too apparent power imbalances between the photographer and the people or communities photographed.
This book raises questions about who a photographer is, where they come from, who they work for, and what it means for them to photograph in a particular place at a particular time. Not all the questions are answered, possibly because they are questions that are too numerous and complex to answer in the confines in a book that, in the messiness of its multi-authored construction, will take multiple readings to even begin to try to answer. It might be that there are no answers. Only questions.
Cover image © Thames & Hudson
Wendy Ewald Reza, 2003–5, (Asylum Seekers)
Yoan Valat/EPA/Shutterstock Yoan Valet, Ukrainian FEMEN Movement Protest, Trocadero Square, Paris, 2012
Courtesy the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York. ©Carrie Mae Weems Hampton Yearbook, 2000
Collaboration: A Potential History of Photography
By Ariella Azoulay, Wendy Ewald, Susan Meiselas, Leigh Raiford, Laura Wexler
Published by Thames & Hudson: 2 November 2023
£60.00 hardback
Colin Pantall is a photographer, writer and lecturer based in Bath, England. His latest online courses begin in January 2024. Follow him on Instagram
“Charming Guangdong” Photography Exhibition amazes Egyptian audience in Cairo
GUANGZHOU, China, Nov. 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — The “Charming Guangdong” Photography Exhibition took place in Cairo, Egypt, on November 19th (local time), alongside a promotion conference showcasing the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area World-Class Tourist Destination. Nearly 200 guests from various fields, including politics, business, tourism, media and universities from both China and Egypt, experienced the unique charm of Guangdong at the event.
The event forms part of the “2023 Charming China—Cultural Exhibition from Guangdong” event, and is hosted by the Information Office of the People’s Government of Guangdong Province, the Department of Culture and Tourism of Guangdong Province, and the China Cultural Center in Cairo. It is organized by Nanfang Media Group, and supported by GDToday, Egypt China Trade Center, and Guangdong Photographers Association.
Hisham Zaazou, former Minister of Tourism of Egypt, said at the event that Egypt and China have carried out a lot of cooperation, and both countries should continue to have more cooperation, especially in tourism.
Dr. Mohamed Elsherbeiny, a tourism consultant for the Egyptian tourist authority, stated that China and Egypt are both countries with ancient civilizations, and the exchanges between the two countries can be traced back to the ancient Silk Road. He pointed out there are now 16 routes from the country’s capital, Cairo, to China, including a direct flight from Guangzhou to Cairo once a day. “Egypt welcomes the Chinese and is eager to maintain a good friendship with China,” said Elsherbeiny.
Guangdong, located in the southernmost part of the Chinese mainland, is adjacent to Hong Kong and Macao to the south, while the Nanling Mountains stretch across its northern region. Facing the vast South China Sea, this region enjoys a mild climate resembling perpetual spring. Serving as a pivotal crossroads connecting the eastern and western regions of China, Guangdong is constantly evolving and experiencing new developments.
Over a millennium ago, the Maritime Silk Road originated from this very region. Treasures such as the Cantonese language, Cantonese Opera, Cantonese cuisine, lion dances, dragon-boat racing, Lingnan arts, Yingge Dance, Wing Chun Kuen, congou tea, and other iconic elements have been the hallmarks of this ancient land, increasingly reaching out to the world.
The “Charming Guangdong” Photography Exhibition was divided into three parts: “Rivers and Seas Converge in Guangdong, Where Everything Coexists Harmoniously,” “Global Economic and Trade Connections Drive Innovation and Entrepreneurship,” and “Lingnan Customs Mingle in Stunning, Affluent, and Fortunate Locales.” With over 50 outstanding photographic works, the exhibition spotlighted Guangdong’s economic and trade development, customs, cultural heritage, natural scenery, and ecological environment to guests and audiences.
During the exhibition, a special guided tour was held for dozens of Egyptian teachers and students from the Confucius Institute at Ain Shams University. They were amazed by the beautiful scenery and expressed their wishes to visit Guangdong soon.
Samar Salah, a Chinese teacher from the university, said that she learned a lot about Guangdong through the event, and she thought the exhibition with Chinese and Arabic illustrations made it very easy for the audience to learn more about Guangdong.
Noura Gamal, an Egyptian student from the Institute and a marine animal lover, was super excited when she saw the photo of a Chinese White Dolphin at the exhibition. She said she couldn’t wait to go to Guangdong to see the Chinese White Dolphin with her own eyes.
Confucius Institute students Kerolos Emad and Ahmed Ayman also told GDToday that they are very interested in Guangdong’s beautiful landscape, rich culture and colorful folk customs and really want to visit Guangdong one day.
At the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area World-Class Tourist Destination Promotion Conference, participants were able to experience the abundant cultural and tourism resources, authentic customs, and vibrant urban ambiance of Guangdong and the GBA through the presentation of the intangible cultural heritage of Lingnan, a promotional video featuring Guangdong, an introduction by outstanding guides, and on-site interactive exchanges.
During the conference, Deng Hong, Deputy Director of the Information Office of the People’s Government of Guangdong Province, presented Hanfu to the China Cultural Center in Cairo, showcasing the charm of traditional Chinese culture and enhancing communication and exchanges between the people of China and Egypt.
Furthermore, similar activities have been held in Italy and will also be held in Malaysia in late November, in a bid to promote cultural exchanges and mutual learning between China and countries in Europe, Africa, and Asia, showcasing the profound cultural heritage of Chinese civilization and the charm of Lingnan culture to the world.
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Eastman Machine CEO takes to national TV to boost his company
The Traveler is a hyperrealistic sculpture of a jetlagged felow at the Orlando airport
The Traveler is a hyperrealistic sculpture of a jetlagged fellow at the Orlando airport. If this sculpture weren’t protected behind glass, I’d absolutely think it was a real person. It was created …
Time and Again: Vashon carved totem poles
Editor’s note: This week’s edition of Time & Again explores the history of Indigenous art in the region, and how the region’s Coast Salish artistic identity is being reclaimed.
Otis and Mary Baxter lived on Vashon Island in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Mary was Makah, and Otis claimed to be a nephew of a Makah leader and identified his grandmother as Seminole.
Mary was a well-known and highly respected weaver, and Otis carved totem poles and art works in the Northern style for Tillicum Village and other commissions around the Puget Sound.
Otis, trained as a carver at the Makah Reservation, carved the pole that was located at the top of Vashon Heights at Top O’ the Isle Realty along Vashon Highway from the 1950s to 1970s.
That pole was one of the first things visitors saw when they came to the Island, but it helped misrepresent the Indigenous people of Vashon.
Later, in the early 1960s, Otis was commissioned to carve two Northern style 16-foot poles and a 22-foot crosspiece for the newly constructed Ye Olde Curiosity Shop building on Pier 51 in downtown Seattle.
The poles and crosspiece were delivered in early 1963 and formed the entrance to the shop until they were taken down as part of the Coleman Dock remodel in 2020. The poles and cross-piece were stored outdoors in Seattle, until they were going to be demolished and taken to a land fill in 2022.
Alex Kostelnix contacted the Vashon Heritage Museum to see if the Museum would preserve the poles until an appropriate location for them could be found. The Museum agreed, and last year took possession of the poles.
These Olde Curiosity Shop poles, and Otis Baxter’s other carvings, are part of a much larger, complex, and nuanced story about how Seattle, Tacoma, and the Puget Sound Basin, traditional lands of Coast Salish Indigenous people, became identified with Northern style totem poles from British Columbia and Southeast Alaska, while Coast Salish art and carvings were dismissed and ignored for over a century.
Theft and appropriation
Northern-style totem poles were used by commercial interests to “sell” Seattle and Tacoma as the gateway to Alaska during the Klondike Gold Rush of the 1890s. In 1899, the Seattle Chamber of Commerce removed a 60-foot pole from the Tlingit village of Tongass in Southeast Alaska, without the knowledge or consent of the owner, the Kinninook family.
The pole was erected in Pioneer Square in downtown Seattle in 1899, and thereafter became a symbol of the City of Seattle, whose businessmen were promoting the city as a gateway to Alaska. The 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition held in Seattle used the Seattle totem pole as part of its promotional efforts, making it a symbol of the fair as well as the city. Models of this totem pole were sold in large numbers as souvenirs to tourists.
Not to be outdone by Seattle, a group of Tacoma businessmen commissioned a taller pole (76 feet) to be carved in secret on Vashon Island and erected in front of the Tacoma Hotel, in advance of a 1903 visit by President Theodore Roosevelt. Said to have been carved by “two Alaska or British Columbia Indians” or “Tlingit Kagwantan carvers from Sitka,” there remains a question as to who actually carved the pole.
The price paid for the commission ($3,000) is much higher than the fees Indigenous carvers were paid at the time, and the style of the carving differs in many ways from traditional Northern Style poles. Given that the carvers’ identities were kept secret, it is most likely that non-Indigenous carvers created this pole working from photographs of Northern style poles.
The pole was later moved to Fireman’s Park and was restored several times, In August 2021 this pole was removed, following protests by the Puyallup Tribe of Indians that the pole did not represent the Coast Salish Indigenous people of the area, and replaced by a Coast Salish welcome figure carved by Puyallup artist Sean Peterson.
When the Seattle Seahawks professional football team was formed in 1976, the team’s logo was derived from a picture of a Kwakwaka’wakw transformation mask. After the Seahawks created their rendition of the mask, Native American Seattle artist Marvin Oliver created a refined version of the logo, which better adhered to Northern style Northwest Coast design principles.
Because of these “totem poles” in Seattle and Tacoma, and because of the efforts by these cities to use Northern style art to represent the region, capped off by the 1970s Seattle Seahawks logo, the Puget Sound region became identified by Northern style art instead of by the Indigenous Coast Salish style art of the original inhabitants of the region.
This cultural appropriation of Northern style Indigenous art for commercial reasons led to more than a century of suppressing and ignoring the Coast Salish style art of the region.
Identity and art
Despite this use of Northern style formline art to represent the Salish Sea region, Coast Salish art, while overshadowed, did not disappear. Indigenous Coast Salish artists continued to work in their traditional style.
Beginning in the 1980s, a resurgence of Coast Salish art began as Coast Salish artists including Susan Point (Musqueam), Gerald Bruce Miller (subiyay) (Skokomish), Ron Hilbert (Vadesqidab) (Tulalip/Upper Skagit), Shaun Peterson (Qwalsius) (Puyallup), and many others have fought against decades of underrepresentation and sought to revive and share their unique style of art.
Vashon Center for the Arts presented an exhibit last year titled “Indigenous Art of the Salish Sea” which highlighted how the mainstream art world has long prioritized northern Indigenous art from British Columbia and southeast Alaska over the less well-known Coast Salish art traditions and styles from the Salish Sea.
While this is a complex story about the cultural appropriation of Northern style Indigenous art to represent the Salish Sea for commercial reasons, Coast Salish style art is emerging as the true representative Indigenous art of this region. Preserving the Ye Olde Curiosity poles as a display until an appropriate location for them is found provides a way for the Vashon Heritage Museum to help tell this story.
By telling this story, the museum can help to develop the understanding of how Northern style art came to identify this region and how the struggle of Coast Salish artists to reclaim this region’s true Indigenous identity is beginning to succeed.
Bruce Haulman is an island historian. Terry Donnelly is an island photographer. An expanded version of this article appears online.
How a Jamestown Mall Sculpture Was Saved from the Wrecking Ball
All hell broke loose in the north county mall’s final days. But all was not lost
Why dental photography is beneficial for patients
Matt Swinney, head of image sensing solutions, SES, and specialised business unit, Sony Europe, explains how documenting progress and precision with dental photography can benefit the practice and patients.
Photography is becoming an increasingly important tool in the arsenal of dental healthcare professionals, given the extent of ways it can elevate their practice.
Photography, once confined to capturing personal memories, now provides numerous tangible benefits across a range of dental treatments.
Beyond the aesthetics, photography has become an indispensable tool for tracking progress, engaging patients, fostering professional growth, simplifying insurance processes, and strengthening marketing strategies.
If you aren’t yet making full use of photography, here are a few reasons why it will be beneficial for your practice and patients:
Monitoring progress and engaging patients
One of the primary benefits of dental photography is its ability to meticulously document treatments with unparalleled accuracy.
These visual records stand as a tangible timeline of the patient’s journey. More than a routine archive, sharing these images with patients sparks a fresh understanding of their dental health. This facilitates informed decisions about treatment avenues, cultivating a collaborative bond between practitioner and patient.
This heightened patient involvement not only instils confidence in expert guidance but also holds the potential to bolster treatment approvals and positive outcomes.
Illuminating professional development
Beyond patient interaction, dental photography presents a unique channel for practitioners to evaluate their professional development.
A well-organised visual archive of patients’ dental conditions offers an introspective window to scrutinise your progress as a dental healthcare practitioner and identify areas for improvement. This retrospective analysis, often underestimated, could potentially serve as a catalyst for transformative growth.
Streamlining insurance procedures
In an era where paperwork and documentation can be taxing, dental photography emerges as an effective solution. The authenticity of photographs adds a new layer of credibility to the claim process.
These captured images, serving as clear evidence of dental work carried out, speed up approval processes and payments. This not only saves precious time but also fosters trust between the dentist, patient, and insurance provider.
Mastering marketing and financial efficiency
In the contemporary digital landscape, visual content reigns supreme. Proficiency in dental photography empowers practitioners to craft compelling and authentic marketing material. No longer reliant on external photographers, dentists can capture the essence of their practice firsthand.
Beyond creative control, this expertise translates into considerable cost savings. Funds that once went towards professional photographers can now be channelled into equipment and skill development.
If you’re just beginning to explore the potential of dental photography in your practice, the choice of camera and accessories might seem overwhelming – here are a few tips on what to look for and the decisions you might need to make:
Efficient data management
The integration of digital photography demands a robust approach to data management. The sheer volume of images generated requires efficient storage solutions. Embracing digital cameras not only facilitates seamless image uploads but also streamlines the organisation of patient records. This strategic move translates into heightened efficiency and improved patient care.
DSLR vs mirrorless
In the quest for the ideal camera, the Digital Single Reflex Lens (DSLR) vs mirrorless debate often arises. While DSLRs have held sway for years, mirrorless cameras have emerged as the drivers of innovation.
Recent market shifts underscore that the most cutting-edge technological advancements are becoming exclusive to mirrorless cameras. Notably, some entry-level DSLR models are no longer in production, affecting future availability of spare parts and servicing.
The compactness, reliability, and innovative features of mirrorless cameras have propelled them to the forefront of dental photography. The advantages are numerous – from lightweight portability to enhanced viewfinder accuracy, mirrorless cameras are poised to shape the future of visual dental documentation.
Sensor selection: APS-C vs full frame
The heart of the camera lies in its sensor. APS-C and full-frame sensors offer distinct photographic experiences, each with their own merits. APS-C, known for its compactness, enhances depth of field – ideal for capturing intricate dental details.
On the other hand, full-frame sensors capture more light, resulting in finer, noise-free images. The choice between the two hinges on a practitioner’s specific needs and preferences.
The magic of macro lens
Macrophotography is a crucial component in capturing essential images during patient interactions. This specialised form of extreme close-up photography is indispensable for attaining the desired intricacy when photographing teeth.
A macro lens, with a reproduction ratio of at least 1:1, is the architect of these visually comprehensive images. With a focal length of 90mm, the lens strikes the perfect balance between focus and field of view, ensuring every shot is exceptionally detailed.
Optical illumination and colour
Proper illumination is essential in dental photography and is achieved through well-chosen camera flash gear that balances effectiveness and unobtrusiveness. The ring flash encircles the lens for uniform illumination, while the twin flash offers a distinct effect, especially for close-ups. LED flash, which is gaining popularity, reduces glare and reflections for improved image quality.
Achieving accurate colour reproduction is paramount in dental illustrations, where precise hues are essential.
Therefore, choosing a camera that guarantees the highest quality, true-colour images throughout the dental workflow – not one that produces reddish, greenish, or purplish tones – is an important factor in the decision-making process.
Dental photography serves several functions within day-to-day practice, including instilling patient confidence in treatment progress, supplying vital evidence for insurance reimbursement, visually chronicling dentists’ professional evolution, and serving as a promotional mechanism for attracting new clients.
Whether you’re curating a budget-friendly dental photography kit or venturing into a more sophisticated setup featuring a larger camera sensor, embracing dental photography offers a substantial pathway for advancing your professional journey.
Follow Dentistry.co.uk on Instagram to keep up with all the latest dental news and trends.
Vivitar ECO35: The ‘disposable’ hero of photography
KF article top
During the latter half of the 1980s, the disposable camera went from a standing start to worldwide craze.
Fujifilm and Kodak had both investigated the concept, though seemed to be looking at it through different lenses. Fujifilm was first out of the blocks with the Quicksnap, which married a roll of the Japanese giant’s colour negative film with a simple shutter and aperture and a plastic lens. You shot the film to the end of the roll, then handed the entire thing in for processing. You got back your negatives and prints and no camera – it went to the great camera graveyard when the photo lab pulled it apart to get your film.
Kodak, who had already Fujifilm was developing a disposable camera before the Quicksnap appeared on the shelves, also unveiled a use-it-then-lose-it camera called the Fling in 1987.
Only one problem with the Fling; Kodak thought that 110 film – not the ubiquitous 35mm – was the perfect choice for a disposable. After only two years they ditched it and redesigned the Fling for 35mm film instead.
Disposable cameras sold first at a trickle, then a flood. Disposable cameras filled the same niche as mobile phones do today – the camera you take along when you don’t want to take your expensive “proper” camera. In the US, sales jumped from a little more than three million in 1988 to more than 20 million just two years later.
Fujifilm and Kodak were followed by other film manufacturers like Agfa and Konica, and all this first generation of disposables were broadly the same. A simple plastic body usually covered in a cardboard sleeve was discarded along with the camera’s simple mechanisms as soon as the film was removed. The concept of a camera that was completely disposable was something entirely new; previously, cameras had largely been considered expensive, prestige items.
“The original Quicksnaps and Flings were sonically welded together, which required them to be destroyed for the film to be extracted,” wrote Della Keyser in the blog Disposable America. “Camera companies could have recycled the destroyed plastic parts, but that would have meant additional costs. Consequently most single-use cameras ended their lives in landfills. As a result of these practices, by 1988 manufacturers were experiencing a backlash.”
The beginning of the disposable camera era came amid the start of consumer pushback against single-use items. At least one camera maker’s chief was among them.
In 1990, John Bourne was the president of Vivitar, a US photographic distributor which had started life in the 1930s as Ponder & Best and in the decades since had become one of the world’s biggest photographic brands – in some cases getting camera and lens manufacturers to make designs to their specification. After a turbulent 1980s, Vivitar has started to pivot from high end goods such as its well-regarded Series 1 range of lenses to cheaper goods such as point-and-shoot cameras.
Bourne wanted Vivitar to join the ranks of disposable camera manufacturers, but he didn’t want to contribute to the growing amount of waste produced by these use-once designs. He told Vivitar’s designer Steve Shull to come up with a “reusable disposable” which could be used again and again, but would still be easy to operate. Shull teamed up with Alan Stone Creative Services, and between them they came up with a camera that completely redefined what a disposable camera could (and should) be – the ECO35.
The ECO35 doesn’t look like rival disposable cameras, but like them it is ridiculously simple. It has only three moving parts – the shutter, the film advance knob and the rewind knob. The camera is smooth and curved and bulges out at one end: YouTuber David Mihaly (The Old Camera Guy) is completely correct when he says it feels like an old-school computer mouse. (Watch the video below.)
[embedded content]The ECO35 has a fixed focus 34mm lens with a fixed aperture of f/11; the shutter speed is also fixed and 1/125. Loaded with 200-ISO film, it would have been fine for outdoor photography on sunny days.
The ECO35 is completely black apart from a bright blur shutter button, sitting just in front of the oversized film advance knob. It looks more like a low-end compact than a shoot-once disposable, which it actually is. Virtually every other disposable was designed to only be opened when taken in for processing. The ECO35 has back door accessed by pressing a catch on the left side of the camera. You load the camera as you would any other simple compact.
The way Vivitar marketed the camera was almost unique. Vivitar sent film in bulk from Australia to China, where the cameras were made, and the film was loaded into each camera during assembly. (Early on the ECO35 usually came with 200-ISO film before Vivitar started using 400-ISO film.)
Once the film was shot, the photographer had three choices:
- Take it to be processed and disposed of like a normal disposable camera
- Ask the film lab to load the camera with fresh film so it could be used again
- Use the camera again with film they had already purchased
Vivitar intended the ECO35 to sell for a similar price to that of most other disposables, but they were essentially offering a loaded simple compact which could be loaded again and again and again as long as the photographer had access to fresh film: and if anything happened to it – well, it was cheap, so you could buy another one.
The ECO35 was introduced in 1990 and made an immediate impact – it won the 1991 IDEA Gold (Industrial Design Excellence Award) by the Design Society of America. Tucker Viemeister said of the camera: “You can use it and throw it away – or you can keep it and save the environment.”
“As a reusable disposable camera, the ECO35 breaks the mould,” wrote Bloomberg’s Bruce Nussbaum after the cameras won the award, in an article titled “To toss or not to toss“.
The ECO35 was successful enough for Vivitar to introduce a follow up. Spurred, perhaps, by the arrival of higher-spec disposable cameras with a battery-operated flash, Vivitar released the ECO35H, which added a flash hot shoe on top which you could attach a small flash unit. Popular Photography called it a “polycarbonate Brownie” in a 1991 round-up of cheap compacts, but was impressed with the results. “We loaded up the economical ECO with [Ilford] XP2 and shot in conditions from cloudy to bright sunny,” the magazine wrote. “And dang if it didn’t work. Granted, the imaging isn’t quite the equal of a more sophisticated autofocus P/S, but we think you get quite a lot for the money.”
The concept the ECO35 ushered in did not survive the 1990s: both simple compact cameras and colour print film became more affordable. By the time the 2000s arrived, digital started to make headway. While disposable cameras survived the changeover, the casual compact mostly folded once digital compact cameras became cheap enough.
But the “reusable disposable” camera didn’t die for good. Even before the digital take-over, Lomography unveiled a camera in keeping with the ECO35’s cheap-but-not-disposable ethic. In 2005, Lomography launched the first of its Lomolitos cameras, a disposable-like simple compact with fixed focus, shutter speed and aperture and pre-loaded with a roll of 200-ISO film.
Though the Lomolitos was discontinued by 2010, Lomography revived the concept again in 2017. Its’ Simple Use compact cameras – like the ECO35 more than 25 years before – came loaded with various Lomography films (from CN400 to Lady Grey to Metropolis). It offered a similar shooting experience to Vivitar’s design – with one big difference.
The ECO35 has a standard film take-up spool built into the camera, and you wind and rewind as you would any other manual advance camera. The Lomography Simple Use, on the other hand, requires you to advance all of the film out of the cassette before you can start shooting it.
The ECO35 might not have lived out to the bold claims of it saving the world, but it was a far-sighted response to the growing waste mountain produced by photography.
I’m Kosmo Foto’s founder and editor.
I’m a New Zealander who has been living in London since the mid-1990s, shooting film seriously since the year 2000. Kosmo Foto was launched in 2012 and has since become a film brand, with the release of my first films Kosmo Foto Mono 35mm (2017) and Kosmo Foto Mono 120 (2019).
I’m doing everything I can to promote film photography in the 21st Century, and help it survive and thrive. If you want to write something for Kosmo Foto, please drop me a line at foto.dowling@gmail.com.
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