I Make Mistakes

It would seem that after years of photography that I wouldn’t make too many mistakes but hey, I just made a big one and it involved two rolls of film. So….I just move on. No big deal.

I am in Philadelphia and every Saturday is the Italian Market where produce is sold, meats etc…. Actually, like many ‘Italian Market’s the market is now more a hispanic market as the neighborhood has changed but the ‘stalls’ remain. So still veggies….

The market is along a few blocks and is lined with stalls with canopies along one side of the street as people on the sidewalk can walk and still view the veggies. With so much action and frankly, I haven’t been here in awhile so I was pretty excited ….I decided to take my camera ‘off’ spot meter and manual with my Olympus OM2SP and place it into full Program mode. I was also using some Japan Camera Hunter so a new film and I thought by going into ‘Program mode’ that I would make sure I get right exposure so I could judge this new film.

So off to the races as I thoroughly enjoyed my time….3+ hours of walking the Italian Market and in my mind, I ‘nailed it’ ….lots of impromptu images, hands passing money, exchanges ….expressions etc. Perfect….Viola. Then after returning home my first thought was to immediately develop, dry and scan…..this was hot stuff. So I did….. and now the results.

The Program mode in this situation just plain stunk. … no bones about it. The exposure was all off either getting shots out of focus such as this:

Or dark like this….

Needless….. I was a bit depressed as my hopes for the day were so high, and then plummet the minute I saw the negatives come out of the tank. I was about ready to toss them all but decided to go thru and see what I could find out. I know the Program mode works well on my OM2SP as I had other shots, outside of the Italian market that were just fine.

So….what caused it? Well, in Program mode the exposures of F stop and shutter are selected by the camera automatically but based first upon the highlights from what I read. As I grabbed shots of people in the canopy area, it was way to backlit and the shadows became unusable, just too dark.

Next time…and there will be one, I will go in with all manual in this situation. I can expose for the shadows and if the whites are overblown I can always take care of them later on. But once the shadows are lost, they are lost. Thus, two rolls of Japan Camera Hunter was a learning experience. On top of that from what I found from my other ‘good photo’s, JPC is a very high contrasty film naturally so I had a double whammy going for me. I still have three rolls of JPC to shoot so I want to manually over-expose more so than I usually do with other film, allowing the shadows underneath the canopy to lighten.

Hey….live and learn…. Slow down…think….get settings right, regardless of the hoopla surrounding the location and people and event. If I miss that, well, I miss it all.

Olympus Half Frame Pen F results....

The other day I took out my Pen F and shot a roll of 24….knowing that I would get more like 48 shots from it. I played with it, I worked it….I experimented with it. I shot 1.4 in broad daylight without a ND filter….I shot F16 on a cloudy day, I used a combination of shutter speeds accordingly etc…. The point was I wanted to see how shutter worked, F etc on my Pen F….as well as a new Zuiko 85mm equivalent lens I picked up from a Japan camera store as I compared it to the 38mm lens on the camera.

All told….I was pleased. As you can see by the negatives below, the images are vertical and not horizontal (although you can still shoot horizontally). And more importantly, they ‘came out’ :-) …. I was a bit worried since when I rewound the film it had an odd feel to it like I didn’t take many images. Not sure why, but that had me worried, so seeing the results below had me jump up and down.

It is important when experimenting with a camera, lens, situations….that journaling comes into your focus and this becomes a natural process to you. Journalling, especially when working on a project, adds a written history to your images. It helps, let alone it is fun…..to return to your journal after completion of a project and re-read what occurred. Journalling becomes the frosting on the cake, with the birthday candle stuck to it. After every single press of the shutter, I would immediately write down my settings, so when I started to review my negatives, I could see the settings for each negative. Sometimes I used two settings for each half frame set of images. I learn from my mistakes and put the time in ‘during the process’, to do just that. A portion of my journal is below.

So, that brings me to the end result…or what did I take away. With film, it is important to expose for the shadows so in some cases within my experimentation I over-exposed several stops. The importance of this stood out within my images. It was easy to casually view a negative without perusing my notes and be able to determine this. The Second thing I learned? The wide open lens on the Pen F (38mm) or….. (53mm equivalent) is sharper than the 60mm (85mm equivalent). One reason why I picked up the longer lens was I am going to be getting close to people and at the same time take multiple shots of them. The Pen F has a problem. It has a very loud shutter….which would even alert a bent old lady with two hearing aides that something was amiss. .So the 85 equivalent promised me the ability to shoot somewhat of a close shot, but at a distance, far far far away from the noise of the Pen F shutter. And not to be forgotten, since this project will be done in downtown Philadelphia, the noises of the city will help.

The shots below show some of my results. You can see the first paired shots, which were with the 60 (85)mm…are just a bit fuzzy. With a half-frame, you are bound to get more fuzziness regardless of lens, simply due to the size of the frame (half frame), but in the images below, it is noticeable . I also shoot using Fomapan which is not nearly as refined as TriX or Ilford 5p.

The second set of connected images is also done with the 60 (85), but the light was more exposed in this image from both frames. Notice though the difference in exposure between left and right images, as the angle was opposite.

The third pairing of images was done with the 38mm lens (53 Equivelent) and I believe is sharper …..It just goes to show you how much you can learn if you elect to burn a roll of film or two. I am not done learning my Pen F.! But I am willing to put the time in for a project in which I will be using the diptych technique…. Take care all…

Projects

Hey dude….too many photos… and I shoot film!!! Imagine if I shot digital and came back from a vacation with a thousand downloads. Dah; then what? Then I would have to select ‘A’ photo from essentially 20 identical posed shots which occurred during the same scene/photo —all the time looking for the perfect one.

Lucky I shoot film, eh? Yet admittedly, even shooting film rends me with multiple boxes of stored negatives not to mention how many I have scanned to a digital file. But is it really the numbers game; or hold up, back up….return to the point where you haven’t even taken a shot. Ask yourself….what am I shooting? And when you do that, you find the real issue at hand.

“What am I taking photo’s of and why?” For years my idea of street photography was what many people did, done, continue to do….shoot anything that moves or looks cool, or shoot the bum on the street or totally mindless ‘tourist shots’ that belong on postcards, or look for insane anal features such as capturing nosehairs or butt cracks. Whoa Dude…. I soon bored of that. The same ole crap that gets posted to Photo websites as ‘art’ becomes mindless dribble and even then, then what? Tons of photographs/negatives (since I shoot film) and again, then what?

So listen man…take some advice from an old fart photographer….I ‘Project-out’ my photo-ops. IE: as a typical photo-shoot goes: I load my film, grab my lens and lock the door knowing that I walk out that same door with a true purpose in mind as I walk the streets. Mentally I have zoned in on a certain topic and know what to look for. I have peripheral mental vision as opposed to aimlessly wandering and shooting and coming home with “tourist / postcard?” photographs.

If you look at my photos in the navigation section of my site, you will see that some of my broad topics include a ‘Zine Option Available’. Those are the projects that I have turned into projects. You will also note that I have many other photographs but they are my aimless ones, although categorized. When I want to project them out, I will re-visit those photographs and like a musician creating a song, I will begin to orchestrate my project based photo theme. What do I have, what do I need….. You get it. I orchestrate it. I find what works, get a feel of where I want to be….and go out shooting with that in mind.

Try it….you will begin to find more meaning in your photographs, more purpose. Don’t become The Dude as in the Big Lebowski. Be a photographer with purpose…No aimless wandering…no Tourist Postcard photographs.

Why I enjoy my film cameras....(again)

What gives?…. I usually find myself on the opposite end of any fashion, be it clothing, cars….pop culture and yes, photography. I love film.

Don’t get me wrong for I have shot digital since it came out, just like many people. I can recall when I worked in sales/business, where I won a camera as a prize for winning a sales contest, and I was given this modern camera that had “auto mode” …The tech was fabulous and that was in the early 80’s.

I can remember dumping my film cameras and picking up tech from that point…digital camera’s…yeah!!!! But something happened between that time and lets say…..13 years ago. I dumped my digitals and picked up film once more. Yes film…… and let me layout a me reasoning here. First…what eventually were ‘bugging points’ about digital and second, what are my ‘love handles’ for film.

Digital Bugging Points:

First….I got tired of a 1000 shots (or seemingly) every time I would venture out with my digital camera. Like a machine gun; ratta-tat-tat….ratta-tat-tat….ratta-tat-tat, ratty-tat-tat. But I remember distinctly (during and after the capturing process) telling myself that somewhere within that ratta-tat-tat, that there was bound to be one good photo.

Second…photography became easy. Even 13 years ago the ‘skill’…the ‘challenge’…the process of taking a shot was just stale. Like an old lady…a dry piece of bread. Not sure how best to describe but the word ‘stale’ comes to mind. I walk out the door and just press the button and, yes….place in auto-mode please. Auto-focus, aperture priority….ISO at 20,000 or whatever….take a shot. Wow, wasn’t that fun. Let me pat myself on the back or….should I say, pat the camera on the back.

Third….I would have those same 1000 images to go thru in photoshop. I might spend days on the computer pouring over shots that were essentially the same and yet taken ‘nano-seconds’ apart…. “Let me see, which one of these exact same 20 photo’s looks better than the others. Okay, that one, I guess. Now for the next grouping of 20, and the next and the next until I get to the end of what that memory card holds. Now, how to store all of these and where and how and will I really ever look at them much again? I am imaged out man….It is like the postal system and never runs out. More mail….mail today, mail tomorrow and mail the next day. Images now, a 100 tomorrow, 500 the next day, 200 the day after ….. I am going “postal’….Help me…..

Fourth…no character, just looking for total sharpness. Can I see that person’s nose hair? Blow up the shot to 200% on photoshop and what does it look like? Perfect, right? If not…toss it. Is the image in correct exposure? Do I need to do something in photoshop that might take me hours to produce, just so I can gain perfection…total sharpness….anality to the nth degree in all aspects…. EEEEEEK…. turn off that computer. Stand up and say “I am as crazy as hell and am not going to take it anymore. “….

Now….for the Aspect of Wanting FILM:

Those and other reasons just led me to film. Film demands for me to not only ‘be in the zone’ when I take it, but film provides a very tactile experience for me and film simply has character. Let me speak to that first—-character.

Character…. what is it? It can be deep shadows…..roughness in how they look and play against the whites and grays. Just look at that photo I have to the left, or just go thru my ‘pages’ and view my projects. Do you see the difference between my film and your digital? If so….you have found character. Oh, scratches, and dust and water marks are also character. Together, they represent an image that just has mood. I love it. It is like being forgiving with your lover who might be carrying a bit more weight than normal, or ‘goes off on a dime’ and freaks out about some odd thing she/he heard about. Sure, they drive you nuts but ….you still love them. You make love to them despite the flaws because it is those same flaws that allow the hormones and juices to flow for desire and lust.

How about tactile feel….. The minute I open up the canister with the film and just exist…(look ma, no hands)…. I smell the film. mmmmmm, it smells rich. It immediately takes me back to my entire 60+ years of life when I would load film and that ‘odor’, so unique to film, connects me to my past. Then I load the film….stretch it out, …hit the sprockets….feel it catch and take a few blank shutter presses. I haven’t even taken a shot and yet, look at the tactile-ness I have hit upon. Like feeling your lover’s body….knowing their skin…knowing their spots that emit a sharpness of breath, a gasp…a moan….a release. Without your sense of feel making love….you lack that pure lushness within.

Now….in taking the shot—-depending on my camera but since I use old film camera’s …well, I do it all. I go thru the steps of the entire process….… Know how connected I become to each image I shoot. I don’t press the shutter just to press. Rather, I approach each shot as a piece of art. Carefully I craft the image with settings, scene….composition etc. One shot….not 20-30 ratta-tat-tats…..no, one shot. Then I move on. Sure, I might move around the scene a bit and take another shot, but not 20 in the same area. I slow down…my mannerisms are keen to what is around me more so as I take only one shot. What will work best. My tactileness of knowing the situation and scene. I bend low….on my knees….I turn sideways or cramp into a corner. I take a step back or forward. I take a shot…..one shot. I take my time as I take one shot, I caress the scene and merge with the light. I make love with my eyes as I am captured by the beauty in front of me as I have control….I manipulate my hands and fingers onto the camera and settings. Hago amor….ah, one shot.

That shot…the pressing of the shutter….a snap, a mechanical noise of a ‘click’…. Each camera of mine has a different click…The Olympus OM-1…Canon AE-1…Leica MA…. Barnacks model 1 and 11…. ooooooo, that click is so unique. When I press the shutter I know, ….I just know I took a shot. I feel it in the release of the shutter let alone that sound. But that sound….oh that sound. My senses are enlightened….my breath is faster…. I am drawn to that sound. It is like a moan during an erotic intense love act…. I am drawn to wanting more. That click….that sound, so akin to my lover releasing ….a shallow groan, a drive for one more….not over yet…one more…… It just draws one to do more. …..hmmmmmm.

In the zone…….establishing a quiet mind. You can’t do any artistic project and not have a quiet mind. One always needs to shed themselves of worries, ….work, family stress etc before doing photography. This is no different for digital as it is for film. But, the process of getting into the quiet mind or ‘the zone’, for me….is partially developed in the beginning. You know I love the forwarding of film as I twist the knob 360 degrees…. Then it stops. I am ready. I have advanced the film and I am ready. I am in the zone my mind is quiet. My brain is totally on the next ‘one shot’ …Is it just ahead, or around the bend, or on the sidewalk, or above or to the side. Not sure, but I know I am in the zone, I have a quiet mind. This is why I hardly ever take good photo’s when out with a group, big or small…..I just don’t get in the zone. I also don’t get in the zone when I know I have endless shots. No sir….with my film, I have at most….36 and that is if the roll is brand new to begin with. But usually I shoot at most 12 or so images in a 2-3 hour walk. Twelve (12)…. for I force myself to be in a zone. With digital, I take a 1,000 or even a 100 but I don’t take just 12. Now, I can…..but I don’t. It is just the culture behind digital as opposed to the culture of thought behind film. If you are in love with a person, you know what it is like to be in that ‘true zone’.. The mind stays in focus, your brain becomes one-dimensional and you slow move in unison with scene as you undress it…play with it…. make the scene come to you…allow it to open, be open…. be vulnerable.

All done…… the roll is done, when that might be. I have to now rewind the film and reload. Again, tactile….smells, feel, sense…..touch….grabbing and pulling and turning. When home again, …..the entire experience of the developmental process. Some people complain that for every few rolls (two per tank) that they have to spend 30-40 minutes in the dark room. Complain..? What….this is fun time for me. This is creative time…..judging and calibrating my time I want or the shots I have and how much I might want to add to the contrast or development of each roll…. I love this ‘me time’…again, my ‘in the zone time’ but at the other end…… This is when I am spent…..I lie almost in a corner, tired….my energy at a low…. ready to rest. I have captured a love.

And of course when all is said, it is pulling the film from the tank, unraveling it from the spool and catching that first glimpse of actual images on the negatives. Too light? Too dark? Just right? ….either way I pull and hang. I run my fingers over to get rid of most of the water drops and feel it as I snap the water off at the end of the strand. I leave my film to dry, like a pair of women nylon stockings hanging in the bathtub…..an allure that makes me return. Left over cuts of film lay on the floor like underwear torn off in a rage of want and desire.

I love film………

Strive for Film

Film……..my eyes just long for film….that ‘look’. I suppose I can define that ‘look’ by pointing out technical aspects such as lack of sharpness, too much contrast…..or too little. Noise ….. blurriness. But I allow my eyes to define the look and not the technical aspects of the camera coming in.

What is it about film then that makes me strive for it? Heck, I bought an old Ricoh film camera and although I have taken a few rolls, I have yet to actually develop them to see the quality of my Ricoh film. I will; I will…. Just like Christmas, I postpone those negatives/developing.

I recently bought an old digital Leica X2 and did so purposely so I can compliment by Ricoh GRiii which I feel I have mastered the settings (on the camera and in the field) to match TriX film. The older X2 is just rough around the edges and is going to force me to shoot ‘analog with digital’….. I look forward to it and since it is a 35mm and my Ricoh GrIII is a 28mm, the two will blend for me.

But …..film….. analog….

One can always state that they will take their new DSLR or full frame Fuji or Leica or Nikon etc and although it shoots multiple frames per second (20 or so), they can just slow down and take ‘just one’—-at a time. But you know, it doesn’t work that way.

The camera that someone buys that shoots 20 frames per second or has 50mp or has 50,000 ISO etc, is purchased to USE those features, thus they are. Mentally a person comes onto the streets with an idea of their shooting style in mind, and if you come in with ‘that camera with the latest features’, one tends to use them to the utmost. The same applies to the opposite. If you come onto the streets with a camera that is either ‘film,’ or ‘filminsque’, your frame of mind tends to linger around a slower approach to your capturing process.

My new old Leica digital X2 slows me down. It just doesn’t take ‘fast shots’ ….a slow auto-focus and features not up-to-date. My Ricoh GRiii has settings that digitally I provide myself with a chance to imitate film. That along with how I shoot and what I look for, makes for that ‘filminisque” feel. Of course my Leica M6 and Ricoh GR10 are film…so viola; my images tend to ‘be or appear’ film. And I welcome the Leica S series.