For my first project, I expanded on a basic concept of photography that we read about in Benjamin Singer's From the Medical Gaze to Sublime Mutations. That is, the way that you take a picture affects the way in which the object is percieved. It sounds simple, but I wanted to take this idea to a new level. I wanted to find a different way to take a picture. So, I built this thingy:

As you can see, there is a camera at one end and an object at the other. Essentially, by using the tripod as a fulcrum, this contraption allows for the movement of the object while keeping it in focus, creating a blurred background. When such a picture is taken in front of lights in the middle of the night, it has a neat effect. The photos I thought came out the best are displayed to the side. Unfortunately, there are still some kinks to work out, such as making the invention more stable and working with the camera itself to create less of a blur on the object, which proved to be the biggest problem. All in all, though, it was a fun and rewarding project.

The additions to the tripod are made of pvc pipe. I chose this material because it was lightweight and somewhat adjustable in height and length. This is my dad and me piecing it together:

To secure the camera to one side of the pipe, I used a Gorilla Pod -- a Christmas present from my boyfriend that proved to be very useful. Because it just wraps around whatever you attach it to, it provides a steady, adjustable platform for the camera. So, in essence, I just put a little tripod on a bigger one:

After it was all put together, I fastened various objects to the other end of it and began taking pictures. Since I was doing this at night, I had to wear a light on my head to illuminate some of the objects that would otherwise come out too dark. I also extended the length of time the camera shutter stayed open so that the background would be sufficiently blurry. When I was ready to take a picture, I would loosen the big tripod head (the fulcrum) to allow movement, press the button on the camera, and then wiggle the hell out of the pvc pipe:

And thus, you have the final product. I feel like taking a picture in this way puts much more of an emphasis on the subject of the photograph than anything else, since it is the only seemingly static part of the picture. I also like the idea of creating the illusion of motion in the background when, in reality, it is the object in the foreground that is moving. I hope to take this invention and improve upon it to produce better quality photographs and explore the extent of its possibilities.