Camera Distortion Studio Fun

An idea of how to make documenting studio sessions fun in a smart phone era. -by Larry Crane

“This camera takes crazy lo-res photos and prints them out on thermal paper. Try it out! Please leave us some prints in the box here, and if you want us to use them as Instagram posts let us know what artist/session this is and what you were up to by writing notes on the back (not with Sharpie!). If you use it a bunch, charge it up for the next session, and if the paper runs out pop the bottom off and reload. Thanks!”

So states the note on a little box at Jackpot! Recording Studio that contains an odd toy camera. The brand name seems to be Yehtta, and my pal Craig Giffen turned me onto this device recently at a party so I picked one up via Amazon for $30.

It’s always amazing how distorted images (and sounds) appeal to human perception. This pixilated mess makes images so fuzzed out that they look way cool; even photos of a scrubby old geezer like me.

Here’s a photo of the console during a mix session this week for Malawee Jones.

And here’s the patchbay during that session.

I’ll be posting more crazy shots here (and on Instagram) from the studio as people take them.