Toss a Camera

PICTURE Pointers

GEAR UP. The cheapest digital cameras often are the best. You don't want to risk damage to a high-priced model, and digital is much simpler and cheaper than film. Also, the infuriating shutter lag of cheap digitals actually is an advantage: It allows time for the camera to leave your hand before making the exposure. The camera's shape, weight distribution and shutter speed also will influence the final image.

KNOW THE BASICS. A shutter speed of about a second is a good starting point; much more than that usually results in too much activity. If you don't know how to change your shutter setting, read your manual or try your camera's "night" setting. Toss the camera straight up; the catch will be a lot easier. And make your first attempts over a soft spot, such as a bed or cushion. Some camera tossers keep hold of the wrist strap or a yo-yo string -- just in case -- and even the most experienced camera tossers have their share of drops. A three-foot toss is a good place to start, though some have tried tosses of more than 20 feet.

DEVELOP YOUR STYLE. Many tossers use a light source as the subject; a string of Christmas lights or a neon sign is a good choice. But as the Thomas Lewis series featured on the Sunday Source's cover shows, a sunny day at the park also can bring good results, blending or blurring elements. Also, different flicks of the wrist will produce different results. Johnson says spinning (keeping the lens toward the subject) produces a more fluid effect, while flipping (end over end) often results in a choppier, grid-like pattern.

TRY, TRY AGAIN. If you don't like the first results, try something else. One of Johnson's first tosses produced her favorite image, but most camera tossers take many shots to get a few good ones. Gallagher estimates he makes 30 throws to get a decent series of eight. "If your goal is to get a particular shot, it might be one in 100," he says. "But if the goal is to let chance and the random process produce something for you, you'll be satisfied with the results you get."

Resources:

Gallagher's Web site, http://www.cameratoss.blogspot.com , showcases many excellent camera-tossing photos, and discusses camera selection and techniques.

http://www.flickr.com contains thousands of camera-tossing photos. Search for "cameratoss." To find photos from the photographers mentioned here, search by their screen names: Gallagher goes by "clickykbd," Johnson is "TaGurit(SS/NB)" and Lewis is "Nod."