I am now going to do something very very silly. I have to produce a set of abstract images, on slide film, for a uni project. While researching I came across camera tossing - a technique in which you throw your camera into the air while it’s taking a picture. This can produce utterly lovely results:

And it can also total your camera beyond repair. Various techniques and approaches for avoiding this outcome are detailed here, but it’s always a risk. I’m generally an ok catch - a benefit of learning to juggle - but I hadn’t twigged that I’d have to catch the camera in the dark. I had a brief, terrifying attempt with my digital SLR, and came out with this:

Which convinced me it’s worth trying out on slides. I originally intended to use a Very Old film SLR which could be destroyed without causing upset, but on inspection today it needs old+weird+expensive batteries, so I’m instead going to go with my Old But Still Pretty Good film SLR. I could cope with its devolving into a million pieces, but I’d really rather not.

I’m using old-school Velvia film, which has frankly insane colour saturation (never, ever photograph people with it). Should be fun, although I have visions of my SLR hitting the floor on shot 36 and sending the film spilling out…I’ll report back in a bit, if I’m not sobbing in a corner.

Update: Ok, that’s one roll exposed. Nothing broken, thank goodness. I put a load of pillows on the (wooden) floor, and the camera hit them a few times. I also caught it by the lens once or twice. My camera now hates me. I’ll take the film into Jessops tomorrow, then it’s a quaint 48hr wait for the results.