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How to fake a TTV photo

Photography Tips, restore, Tips
By Elsie Larson

TTV photo tip 1Hi friends! While Kelli was staying at my house last month she taught me to take photos with one of my vintage cameras. I loved what she shared so much that I immediately grabbed my camera and photographed a quick impromptu how-to to share with you! Here is Kelli's easy method for faking photos that look authentically vintage… Enjoy! TTV photo tip 2

 

Collecting vintage cameras is something we all love to do, right? They look pretty on a shelf, but it's even more fun to be able to take advantage of their charm- even if they aren't in working condition or you are unable to find film. So, combining your digital camera with a super cool old camera….you will get a fabulous vintage photo that has a very authentic feel to it. When I saw Elsie's old Ansco Rediflex camera, I knew I wanted to try this technique out on her.

You will need two cameras to make this happen. A vintage camera with a waist level viewfinder (meaning, you have to hold the camera far from your eye- down by your waist- to see your subject clearly). In order to take a steady photo, I stacked a few books on top of a large moving box so I could place the vintage camera down so I could get a steady focus with my digital camera. I focused on Elsie through the viewfinder of the vintage camera. (see above) Depending on which lens you are using, you may need to manually focus in order to get the  clearest image. These old cameras have a tendency to have dirty lenses, which I love… it adds to the character….so you'll need to really focus on your subject, making sure your  camera isn't focusing on something else. At the same time- imperfections are perfect when it comes to this type of photography. There really aren't any rules and soft images can be really beautiful too!TTV photo tip 3TTV photo tip 4You can take this a step further and crop out everything but the black border in photoshop (or whatever editing program you use) to get a a real TTV look out of your photo. Dust off your vintage cameras and play around with the possibilities they have! Experiment and have fun!

Thanks so much, Kelli! If you're curious about where to find a camera like this try your local flea markets (where I got mine), etsy vintage or eBay (try searching "rediflex"). I love this easy method to create vintage style photos without film. xoxo. elsie

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