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Saturday, September 25, 2021

Baseball GIF


Someone created this GIF from Muybridge's original still frames,
but there are clips on line of his sequences as they would have appeared back then.

 

6 comments:

  1. I wonder if the arm action might have been different had he actually thrown a baseball. The musculature does show clearly (and it's easy on the eye.) Again, I can't tell by the light if it's indoors or out.

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    Replies
    1. If you look closely, I think the ball is visible in a few of the early frames. Some of Muybridge's work was obviously outdoors, but it's hard to tell in much of it. Working outdoors in Philadelphia would be difficult in winter.

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    2. This is Plate 44 from the book The Human Figure in Motion. Images 1,2 and 3 (of 12) clearly show a ball in his hand. This set also includes the 12 images taken by a second camera set up behind the model. Those images clearly show that the images were taken outdoors.
      For informational purposes: Muybridge took his Philadelphia pictures between the spring of 1884 and the fall of 1885. He and his team exposed 400-500 negatives per day, with a total count of almost 100,000 negatives. Subjects included men, women, children, horses, mules, oxen, dogs, cats, goats, lions, elephants, camels, deer, pigeons, vultures, eagles... The primary background was 120 feet long; the main battery of 24 cameras was located 49 feet from the background. There is no indication in the book I have that any photos were ever taken indoors. And finally, this was before the days of flexible roll film. To get 24 consecutive images took 24 cameras fired sequentially. Amazing technology for the time!

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    3. Thanks for the details. It's not surprising that Muybridge's work was done outside. Although his tech was very advanced for the time, I somehow doubt that it could have handled sequential flash processes at the speed required.

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  2. Stunning.. If only Baseball were played naked..

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