Just shoot Film if you Want 'IT" to look like Film...Dah!!

Years back I bought a new car…my first new car. This was in 1981. Yikes…. I wanted a Honda Sedan and when I went to the dealer, the cost of the new car was over my price point being around $6,000. My brother-in-law sold Subaru’s and convinced me that the Subaru Sedan was just like the Honda Accord and was $1000 cheaper, so I bought it. I wanted a Honda and got a Subaru. I can’t complain for I had that Subaru for 15 years so it was a good investment.

But the point was,…I wanted a Honda. I got a Subaru which at the time was a Honda Wanna-be. I learned my lesson 42 years ago. Buy a Honda if you want a Honda, or buy ‘anything’ you want if you want it and forget the ‘wanna-be’s’.

Point now……. I was watching some You Tube videos as people today are always trying to get a film like look/ experience….feel etc….from a Digital camera. They want digital but want it to be ‘film’ and look like film. Well, why go for the film-wanna-be in the first place? Buy a film camera and shoot film if you want film. Pretty easy; really.

What is Street Photography

It is here that I question what I see the masses doing. I don’t understand them as I see what is classified as street photography. It is more akin to just ‘passing people’ who are photographed on the sly by some digital tool ….snap, snap, snap and more snaps…How many snaps?

I am not stupid enough to think that there is only one definition (mine) for what street photography is….no, it goes way beyond that. It is the manner in which many photos are taken and what they represent, or better yet…what is not represented. The subject matter, the person, the action…etc…is all immaterial. With the advent of digital photography comes the ability to go beyond a 36 frame roll. It is all about pretending to take photo’s , although they are actually taken. It is all about finding the chance to walk across a crosswalk and snap away. Or, to snap someone from behind…..or to snap, snap, snap, snap…knowing that ‘one’ photo will come out looking good amongst the hundreds taken that day.

If you read my blogs…you know I am big into the analog feel. I want that feel for ‘me”….. I feel that my gear (Leica M3, Leica M6, Rioch GR111 and Leica X2) best allow me to maintain an analog feel even though some of those are digital. For instance, the Ricoh and X2 are digital, but by the time I take one shot, the subject in front of me has moved on. A single shot….a long lag time between when I take a shot, and when I can take another shot. That forces me to think like ‘film’…like analog. My Ricoh is pretty easy to manipulate since I do much ‘live’…. The X2 forces me to really think about my settings. It isn’t as forgiving as the Ricoh. In fact the X2 is more like the M6. I think about the F-stop, ….exposure, white balance, ISO. I turn the corner and I have to think again about the same, due to shadows or light or other.

I don’t just roam to roam and shoot and shoot. I have forced myself to slow down and take an image ‘one shot at a time’ so I have to wait sometimes to set up my shot. Today, I waited a good 30 minutes in one place as the ‘right’ situation developed. Today over the course of 4 hours, I took 13 difference scene shots. Now, some of those scenes, such as the one I just spoke of,…had more than one shot, while others (7 of the 13) had just one shot. So I end up with 7 scenes where I had the opportunity to have it right the first and last time. That is what I meant but slowing down….waiting for the shots.

But of ‘what shots’…’what scene’…. Well….does your shot have impact? Does it beg the viewer to ask questions? If so….that is solid street photography. It isn’t about shots in numbers, nor is it about getting cystal clear images. It isn’t about just a shot with no story behind it. It isn’t about random shots taken at hip, (to avoid detection) nor is it about having models working for me to pose in a certain way (the opposite of random hip-made shots). It is about finding that story, that ….question, that impact.

Gr111 Vs Gr11

I love the GR….it is absolutely the best camera for Street Photography. I am on forums and I read about other cameras, including my Leica’s but in practicality, the Ricoh GR just wins hands down. Yes, one has to get used to the 28mm (equivalent in 35mm mode), but hey, that fits my shooting style. See some of my previous blogs if you are interested in my shooting style.

But the GR is just a beautiful camera that fits the streets well. It is small, quiet…..in fact it almost looks like I am on my phone, which many people now accept as common practice, so it isn’t standing out. While any camera can produce excellent results, it is important to know your camera, regardless of what it is.

This brings me to my posting here….GR11 or GR111. But for months now I have been learning the minor differences between the two versions. For instance, the GR111 has a better and sharper lens so sometimes when I want more of an easy ‘film look’, I will grab the GR11. Since I never use a ‘flash’….the absence of a flash on the GR111 doesn’t bother me. There are also minor differences between function button placement or the approach on how to adjust exposure. Additionally there are a few inner work things that separate the quality of images in some instances. But those are things I am learning.

Each day I go out, I make a decision to either grab the 11 or the 111 or the Leica M6 film. It just depends on the purpose I have for that day. Sometimes I just want to get more analog so my option is the M6. But when shooting digital,….. the 11 or 111? Well, it is a toss-up as I go back and forth. Today I shot with the GR111 and loved the feel and the photos that came from my shoots. Yesterday was a GR11 day with a sprinkling of Lecia M6 towards evening.

The point, I guess……is to simply know your cameras. The photos you capture are a result of your creativity in the field, but also knowing the limits of your gear. The latter is not nearly as important as your ‘creativity in the field’ but it does become icing on the cake when you are not fumbling with buttons and menu issues (doesn’t occur with the Leica).

Anyhow…..I will add to this post or create a new one when things crop up on the differences…..

Oh….listen to this and you will go film too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yi3KQ8pmR48