I've been spending a lot of time in the darkroom -- despite some bad migraines -- and in order to do that, I've been shooting more in black and white. Black and white is making me question my style and subjects even more than I did before. It's also pushing me to photograph new things, find inspiration in places I previously ignored. I've become aware of how much I hate black and white images of nature (especially mine), and food can work, but more often than not, it does not look appealing. With that comes a overhaul of what I traditionally shoot.
I've always been one to observe what's around me and notice little things that people leave in their window or their porch, but these days, I find myself wanting to do more than just notice them. That has led me to photographing some new things and scenes, like the dilapidated couch that I'd seen countless times, and the table and chair set up, not the pastries, at Pix.
In addition, even though this is hard, I'm also learning to take my time composing even with people around. I'm slowly accepting the fact that there are and always will be people walking down the street who might or might not find my subjects uninteresting and wonder what the hell is taking me so long to press the shutter and move on. And learning to not shake when I think the person whose porch or garden I'm shooting has seen me and is coming out to tell me to get the hell away. It's a process, but I'm seeing improvements. For instance, yesterday I composed a shot with a barista in the frame and didn't even think twice. Okay, I did, but I pressed the shutter nonetheless.
In order to slow down and be more mindful of the way I shoot and what I shoot, I've also started shooting medium format (6x4.5). I knew getting a waist level finder instead of prism would make shooting more difficult and time consuming, but I also wanted to have this obstacle to shooting mindlessly.
At some point in my life, I want to shoot 6x6 too, because I've noticed that I've been framing shots for 6x6 lately. But I don't want to acquire without getting rid of some of my things (*). I really admire the people who use one or two cameras, and don't collect stuff. As much as I like having one camera loaded with black and white, another with 100 speed color film, a third with 400 speed, and one with an empty film spool.
I'm stepping out of my comfort zone a little because I'm plain tired of just plants, cups and plates, animals, and things I can find in my apartment, with the occasional lookbook or product photography. I don't want to look back at my photos and see the same old subject photographed ad eternum. I don't feel like there are many negatives I would be that sad to lose if a fire broke out in my apartment. Sure, I'm attached to them, but do they have artistic value to me? Often, my answer is no. To change that, and start taking more portraits (what I want to be doing), on a coffee date with Jessica yesterday, I asked if I could take her photo, and I'm glad that I did.
(*) If you or someone you know in the Portland area is interested in a Canon 24-70 in excellent condition or a LC-A (also in great condition), tell them to get in touch with me.
I've always been one to observe what's around me and notice little things that people leave in their window or their porch, but these days, I find myself wanting to do more than just notice them. That has led me to photographing some new things and scenes, like the dilapidated couch that I'd seen countless times, and the table and chair set up, not the pastries, at Pix.
In addition, even though this is hard, I'm also learning to take my time composing even with people around. I'm slowly accepting the fact that there are and always will be people walking down the street who might or might not find my subjects uninteresting and wonder what the hell is taking me so long to press the shutter and move on. And learning to not shake when I think the person whose porch or garden I'm shooting has seen me and is coming out to tell me to get the hell away. It's a process, but I'm seeing improvements. For instance, yesterday I composed a shot with a barista in the frame and didn't even think twice. Okay, I did, but I pressed the shutter nonetheless.
In order to slow down and be more mindful of the way I shoot and what I shoot, I've also started shooting medium format (6x4.5). I knew getting a waist level finder instead of prism would make shooting more difficult and time consuming, but I also wanted to have this obstacle to shooting mindlessly.
At some point in my life, I want to shoot 6x6 too, because I've noticed that I've been framing shots for 6x6 lately. But I don't want to acquire without getting rid of some of my things (*). I really admire the people who use one or two cameras, and don't collect stuff. As much as I like having one camera loaded with black and white, another with 100 speed color film, a third with 400 speed, and one with an empty film spool.
I'm stepping out of my comfort zone a little because I'm plain tired of just plants, cups and plates, animals, and things I can find in my apartment, with the occasional lookbook or product photography. I don't want to look back at my photos and see the same old subject photographed ad eternum. I don't feel like there are many negatives I would be that sad to lose if a fire broke out in my apartment. Sure, I'm attached to them, but do they have artistic value to me? Often, my answer is no. To change that, and start taking more portraits (what I want to be doing), on a coffee date with Jessica yesterday, I asked if I could take her photo, and I'm glad that I did.
(*) If you or someone you know in the Portland area is interested in a Canon 24-70 in excellent condition or a LC-A (also in great condition), tell them to get in touch with me.
