Oddities of Life

Street photography is all about the street…It might take hours and miles to hit the pavement and find that one photo that says, you did good. While you can do street photography in any town, I surely find a difference in the definition of ‘any town’. IE….Tucson AZ is not nearly as doable as Philadelphia PA.

So the other day in Philadelphia I walked for 4-5 hours and put in 10 miles. I did the same the next day too. All told I came out with one roll of film or 36+ images to review. Not a lot, but I don’t press the shutter just to press the shutter. Although I must admit the ‘sound’ of the shutter on my OM2 is ridiculously addicting. I think someone should make a ‘white noise’ sound of that shutter being pressed to get people to sleep. It is ‘that’ gratifying!

So….I ended up with 38 images and of those, I elected to scan 27 images so not a bad ‘hit rate.” Out of those 27 possibles, I feel I really enjoyed 4-5 images. So pretty good, for film or digital or anything. Given that I take my time and set up a shot or, I see a shot in the making, …..I plan ahead. I am constantly roaming with purpose and not just snapping with ease. I want impact….I want uniqueness. I want my style in my images.

I shot my OM2…..with Arista 400 EDU. If you read my blogs you will see that thru the years I manage to shoot many types of film as each type brings with it a flair, a purpose…. And Arista is no different although you still have to take the basic attributes of that film (you get to know this thru time and experience with each) and transfer your skill and your ‘want’ out of each image so it matches the style of the film.

Below is an example….. I like this image. It is crusty, …rough and ready….odd….unique, different and has flavor.

Here is another example of what I enjoy seeing….

The latter is a reflection…. I just happened to be in the right spot at the right time for the foreground to shine thru and overpower the background of the van.

Now….experiment on your own. Find your style…..it doesn’t make a difference as to what your style is, ….just find it. It might takes years and within those years and miles and rolls of film, your style will most likely evolve. There is no one right style….just yours. Enjoy it….and learn from it. Grow and adapt and change and experiment as life is all about that.

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.

The Back End of Things

The past few days in Philadelphia can be described as hot, sultry, humid…sticky with minor drops of perspiration. But I don’t fight it, as I just go with the flow. Out of the depths of this sultriness comes an opportunity to stay inside and work on what I label as just the back-end-of-things. This includes …. film developing and ‘orchestrating’ one of my upcoming zines.

I usually always have a roll or two to develop. Yet today I didn’t have two of the same film type as I prefer to develop several at the same time. So that left creating the beginnings of my new Zine. Using Affinity I ‘started’ by determining the layout and size for my zine based upon half-frame negatives. I needed the right size to properly project how the half-frame negatives of my Pen F will fit onto each page. Now, this zine project won’t be completed until early 2025 I imagine. You see, I have a couple of dates I need to ‘shoot’ to be included in this documentary zine regarding an open art studio event gallery. I still have Oct, Nov and maybe December to document. But today, I began looking at some footage from June.

‘Above”….. An interesting shot…and one I ‘like’…I enjoy the film look….the grain/noise and especially the extra mood added by shooting half-frame + 400 Fomapan. I love the end result. A candid shot of a lady digging thru her purse. Some art in the background….and her just sitting crossed-leg on a bench. Totally un-aware of being captured on a negative. This is one of several I took of her as I formed a small visual narrative of this ‘slice of life’.

Another shot….this one being more associated with a regular diptych. Again, candid shots documenting this same event. Notice the water mark from the film processing I did on the left image. I left it there. Sure, I can clean it up but why? Why not add character unique to my process to my images? This is what I mean by why I love film. Collectively and thru-out the entire process of capturing an image to that of developing or even printing an image just adds a bit of ‘me’ to each shot.

Tomorrow….should be cooler and not sultry and sticky and me being shamefully relegated to the indoors. Tomorrow has hopes of being out there, about….walking….’legwork’ from the beginning stages.

Those Days....

Go ahead, take a gander at the shot below….. That is the top of my Pen F half-frame. A nice morning here in Philadelphia USA with the humidity bound to climb. I have no idea how the folks prior to air conditioning ever survived being back east with Humidity. Regardless, June 14th And my Pen F is telling me I have around 4 shots to go before I max out my film roll. Actually only 2-3 since going to the full 72, makes it really difficult to rewind the film. That my friends is an issue with all Pen F’s….. If you go to 72, the camera won’t rewind well and you risk ripping the film in mid ‘wind’…. So with a few shots to go, I take off to work on my “Alone” project.

With.an extra roll of 400, plus my notebook to record events, happenings…reflections. My project takes me to various locations on the streets of Philly and being summer….and getting into humidity, I knew I had maybe 3 hours before I needed to find shelter (air conditioning). Many times when I shoot in Philly, I make a line, half-way thru my day….to an air conditioned place such as the local camera shop, perhaps the National Park at Independence Hall or Constitutional Hall or the Museum of the American Revolution. I become rejuvenated.

Now, the nice thing about the Pen F is that it is small. Probably the smallest film camera I own. Today I decided to attach my 60mm (85 equivalent) as I did purchase this thing for $895 and dang-it-all Deputy Dog, I am going to get my use from it. So with nothing around my neck to attract sweat, and just my pocket stuffed with that extra roll of film and my notebook; with the Pen F in hand…..I wander.

I looked….I sat…I journaled in my notebook on my day….what I needed to look for ….I placed it back into my pocket and walked some more. A new place. I waited….sat, walked….skirted from one shady spot to the next. Wrote again in my journal as I sat on a cement bench, still cool to the touch from the night.

The funny thing is….2 hours into my walk and nothing….not one shot…no release of the shutter to even make it to 69, let alone 71. But I had time to ponder, sit…bounce my leg around a bit, twiddle my fingers and stare off.

With three hours nearing, it was time to pack up. Take note, there was nothing really to ‘pack up’. Along the return route, it wasn’t that there wasn’t anything to shoot on the streets as there always is, but when I go out with a project in mind, my brain focuses on that project. I seek out images for that particular project. Today, after near 3 hours I had zero shots. But, that’s okay as that is part of doing business….that is photography. With a stated purpose in mind and my brain focused on the shots I want, my mind isn’t just meandering and desperate to take shots just to take shots. I don’t work that way. If nothing comes my way, well….that is the day. Today just happens to be one of ‘those days’.

And You Don't See Me? Right?

Being a street photographer I am always amazed by how the vast majority of people have no idea of their surroundings. They are clueless… Are they Zombies? Are they Avatars from the future? ….Either way, they just lack any awareness of their physical presence and those around. These' ‘space cadets’ just walk around or stand or sit or look off in some direction and are pretty much there for a street photographers picking. Totally oblivious to that which surrounds them. For instance…take this couple below….:

There they are….about a foot away. Just staring. I am next to them and I have no idea of their names, where they are from….do they speak English? Are they Vegetarians? ….do they read books? Are they lovers? Do they prefer chocolate ice cream over vanilla? No idea….. But there they are, big as day.

Dah…take my shot…capture me. I am not posing in any way so a candid shot will turn out just fine….just fine. And yes, I did. I took their shot. In fact this is one of 4 shots I grabbed from them but I prefer this one as they are both looking ‘out’…..I like the closeness of it all. Just ‘Us”…hanging out…..far from good buddies.

Then on the other hand……

Zine Platforms

I have been into ZINES for years…..and have not really struggled but surely had my eyes open to new ways to approach a ZINE in terms of pre-production. Pre-production is what many are not even aware of regarding a ZINE.

Yes, pre-production does involve taking images and the process, be it film or digital…. One can’t do photo zine without photos. But let’s say you have your theme or project and your images are in your files, or negatives are ready to scan. How about transferring that to a physical Zine?

This is where some pre-production once more occurs. Two parts to this process. First is the laying out of your photos as in some sort of contact sheet. In the old days of film, we would always create a contact sheet of our roll of film. Looking at this contact sheet we could determine what was good enough to be printed. Printing in the old days and viewing was a long (time wise) and a relatively expensive process with chemicals and paper etc, so very few negatives on any given roll was actually printed. Now, whether digital or film (I scan my negatives), I come up with some sort of digital file. In order to actually view my images on some broad spectrum, I need to create a contact sheet with all of my images that I ‘want’ or ‘perhaps want’ to use in an upcoming zine.

Below….is my most recent contact sheet I am using (not done with this zine pre-preduction phase). As you can see, this contact sheet has icons of multiple images. This allows me to quickly view my potential images to use. If I don’t do this, I can have a hundred ‘best’ photos from any given project all strewn within various folders and files on my computer. In essence, I wouldn’t know where to begin as I moved forward. Hence, this contact sheet.

Also take note that within or next to each image I have various aspects written in….Sometimes I use this data in my zine and other times not. But data such as F stop, ISO, shutter and focal length. As I put together my photo zine, I do so by connecting images that flow. This ‘flow’ might be subject matter, sequencing of when images taken, groupings or solo shots….whether the image is mostly black, or white or in between. All of this makes a difference in putting together the right visual appeal of a zine.

It isn’t about just tossing images in…. It isn’t about placing in sequential order of when I took the image. It is just….what makes sense to create that all important visual appeal. Now in this project, I have hundreds of photos, so after scanning (if film) or downloading….I had to open up each image to select what I thought matched my criteria. My criteria was spoken to in the previous blog, so return to my blogs and read that one.

Once I have my contact sheet printed out, and I might add data next to each image….I then have to decide….what is my first photo? Make sure you start off on the right foot. Capture your audience with the first few photos. But don’t just load up the front half of your zine with the good photos and then run dry as you get to the end. Carefully and craftily you have to spread your “WOW” photos throughout. Thus, this is where the contact sheet comes into play.

Now….okay….I am ready to go, right? Well….not quite. Have you decided on what software to use to put together your zine? You need something as you can’t just send your images to the publisher (online or local) without them knowing the direction you are taking. Thus, software allows you to piece together your photos, one by one….. place in text or any little drawn on images, or arrows or whatever…..Remember you are creating a book /zine…. so take the time in this creation process and make it stand out.

There are several software programs out there….. For instance for years I used PAGES which is free on my IMAC. While I got used to this software, it had its limitations and it was frustrating to move back and forth between pages, grouping and regrouping images and text….having things disappear on me etc…

So…I went looking on line….. I won’t provide you with a listing of software but will tell you I settled on Affinity Publisher. It was a one time $69 US dollar fee and not a monthly fee. I hate monthly fees. So for $69 I get my registration number which I can transfer to multiple computers so my IMAC is Arizona has it installed as does my IMAC in Philadelphia, as does my laptop. COOL! ….

I like Affinity for several reasons. First the $69 is cheap. Second….this is more user friendly in terms of setting up pages and moving pages around. Third, it has a ‘master page’ or pages, where I can create my own template to use for the entire project instead of inventing the wheel each page. Fourth, I can turn and twist images and text so it isn’t plain and dry and just straight on. I am creating something I want people to view, so I want to be ‘funky’ where funk is needed. Fifth….lots of room to grow. Tons of options, tons of things I have no idea exist in this software but room to grow. For instance, I can have backgrounds that are not one solid color but have gradients where colors meet, or blend or fade etc… That all offers a chance to enhance my final product.

So Affinity Publisher….. And, one of my goals is to get others on board with ZINES and teach this. So now I have a teachable software that is available for both PC’s and MACs and is relatively cheap,

Stay tuned…. my Melbourne Series is being worked on as we speak…..

Key Notes

When I do these blogs….many times I do these for ‘myself’ as opposed for others. I use these blogs as one approach to note taking. What am I doing right or wrong or why isn’t something working etc.

For instance….I was working on a recent book/zone project where I was going thru some of my past images and attempting to make a narrative from them…a visual form of an essay. But it wasn’t working. I was telling Deb just this morning that ‘it isn’t working’….and then I proceeded to create a list of 5-6 things as to why it wasn’t working. Then I mulled around with it once more thinking I could make the project work and no, it didn’t. Then I mulled a bit more and finally it occurred to me why it wasn’t working. And yes, it goes back to the way I shoot, the look I want…what and how I shot yesterday compared to today etc….

This is what I came up with. In order for my images to work and my overall workflow to be successful I need to make sure I hit upon ‘my basics’…or the thing that motivates me. Not what I hear from You Tube or know from other great photographer, but from me. What do I require.

First….when I go out shooting….I go out with a purpose now. No longer just shooting but a purpose in mind. So that really curtails the number of shots I take (film usually but digital is okay). I have a purpose and I seek to find that within my images. That is essential as I enjoy putting together zines and books that represent the central theme.

Second….I want the following in my images. I want movement. But, what is movement? I had to define that. Movement to me can be actual movement as in someone walking or running. But movement can also be action within what that person is seen as doing or represented as doing. So…take a look at these two images below.

Is this movement in the traditional sense? No…but what action is being presented here is movement. It shows this lady who is reflecting upon an image and caught within two separate images, not quite mirror of each other since I stepped back and shot in a refocus. But, the movement or action here is represented in her ‘reflecting’ and wondering to herself about this painting. Movement. Now take a look at the second image below.

This one is shot from behind the person as they walk down a narrow alley. Traditionally this might be thought of as movement but not in my eyes. The act of moving is caught by having his head turn back to me and look at me. That is movement. He is responding…acting….reflecting on ‘what I am doing’ as I take a shot of his movement. That is movement

In goes on and on….as to what qualifies but it has to have my definition of movement. A question that comes up after the fact about the image just taken.

Third…I want visual impact. If I take a nano-second to look at an image…does it create an impact within the viewer that stirs them? Does it make them go Wow?…If not….I don’t have a good picture. This impact can be done in several ways but many times, if not all it is accomplished by the shadows, light….and most of all geometry of the two as they play against each other. Okay, take a look below. What do you see initially? Do you like it?

Look at this one time and do so quickly. Like it or not? I think you will. Then look at it more thoroughly. Look at the shadows below…the harsh light above as it masks whatever he is pointing to (movement) on the table as the other guy looks on wondering (movement). Look at the angle of the table….the pole above the shoulders of the waiter etc… All off center. Angles….angles…. together with shadows and light. A great visual image from the start.

So….that is what I finally came down to today. What works…what doesn’t and why and why isn’t my current project not working? Because it lacks all three components to a degree. Theme, movement and impact.

FUNKY...general notes

For some reason I have used this term (FUNKY) several times now in regards to a project I am working on. FUNKY…. from the onset I wanted images that were unique….not run of the mill, and a bit on the wild, funky side. Not polished for sure.

I am beginning to turn away from being polished. It appears that most everyone and including AI (the image cheating of all cheats )….Oh, think TOPAZ, has polished images but I want images where my creativity come into play. Most people lack creativity and that includes photographers, and AI isn’t quite there yet. I am still daubing on this funkiness issue and have been since completing my Paranormal project. The funkiness in me has come out and now it doesn’t want to go back in it’s hole.

Keep being funky….odd….connect to a theme, but do so without a sense of Normalism. I will continue to be a bit more realistic when I print with my salt printing process as the image needs high contrast and due to the heaviness of grain, when I print…..the image can’t be overly funky. My opinion of course.

Notes on———