Actor Jeff Bridges is a fervent fan of film photography, often bringing his Widelux panoramic camera on set, and capturing behind-the-scenes pictures.
Bridges – who has started in films as diverse as Tron, The Big Lebowski and True Grit – compiled a well-reviewed book of his photography called Pictures, which was released back in 2003.
He’s followed it up with a second volume – Pictures Two – and on Monday he appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! On ABC to talk about his photography.
After talking Kimmel through some of the shots – which include some decidedly creepy shots of “extras” on the set of the film Seabiscuit – Bridges took his Widelux out of the bag and asked Kimmel if he could take a shot of him (Check it out in the video below around 7.00)
Kimmel posed for a few snaps by a wisecracking Bridges before the segment ended with the 69-year-old actor taking shots of the show’s audience.
Widelux made a range of 35mm and 120 panoramic cameras with the lens contained in a travelling drum which panned from one side to the other. They remained in production until 2000.
“The thing about these cameras here, especially this one, is I don’t know if it’s come out. They break all the time,” Bridges said.
Bear that in mind if the sight of a Hollywood legend shooting panoramic has you suddenly lusting for a Widelux.
I'm a New Zealander who has been living in London since the mid-1990s, shooting film seriously since the year 2000. Kosmo Foto was launched in 2012 and has since become a film brand, with the release of my first films Kosmo Foto Mono 35mm (2017) and Kosmo Foto Mono 120 (2019).
I’m doing everything I can to promote film photography in the 21st Century, and help it survive and thrive. If you want to write something for Kosmo Foto, please drop me a line at foto.dowling@gmail.com.
