It started when I was a kid; taking things apart and sometimes managing to get them back together. The result was a closet cluttered with broken toys that I couldn’t get back together. As I got older, bicycles and motorcycles became my focus with a new caveat; they had to go back together or I wouldn’t have anything to ride. So it was only natural for me to take apart photography gear; always holding a camera and always curious about what was happening inside. It started innocently enough, dissembling old broken lenses to make bracelets. But, after finding a junked Canon FTB online, suddenly I was a kid again disassembling the object of my affection. Once I figured out how to take the top off and saw the inside, I knew I had to capture macro video of the gear mechanisms. The inside reminded me of the clockworks in an old watch. (Yep, I’ve taken one of those apart as well.) I setup some hot lights and stacked all of the extension tubes I had on my camera to capture some cool footage of the camera’s inner workings. Along with the macro video I shot a fun stop-action zoom from 17mm to 400mm. Also capturing the entire shoot with a behind-the-scenes multi-angle time-lapse. Take a look at this project about a project and the making of said project. It’s a journey that takes you into a mechanical microcosm and then lets you become the spectator of the entire event. 

 Video and photos shot with a Canon 5dMIII and Canon lenses. Edited in Photoshop and Final Cut Pro.

* note: Camera hidden in closet and currently still disassembled.