Small Steps

Remember my photo mojo problem?  As I was explaining to a friend I feel like I'm taking the same photos over and over again. Part of it is the type of photography that I do.  I don't do studio work, macro work or portraiture.  I'm not interested in those areas. I like being out and about in the city with my camera.  Yet after the second, third, fourth time I'm at the same event or location I feel like I'm just taking variations of the same picture.  I don't feel like I have a fresh perspective on things.  But I like going to these events and I like taking my camera so something else has to change.

I have been considering taking my toy cameras (Holga, Diana, Vivitar Ultra Wide & Slim) as my primary camera to events.  Using film will force me to slow down and think about the photos before I take them.  There is, at least in my mind, a certain type of subject and point of view that seems to fit film cameras that is different than the digital.  I would need to learn to see in a different way and that is the challenge.  I could go to my old events and locations with new eyes.  I even bought a new film scanner so I don't have to get prints made of everything.  So everything's in place right?

The theory is sound, but the idea of not having my digital makes me uncomfortable.  I'm afraid of missing out on something.  I know part of that is just my resistance to change, but I must say it is a pretty strong compulsion.  I like to imagine myself a year from now being like those amazing film photographers I admire, the ones whose blogs and Flickr streams are works of art. But the idea of being someone else, of leaving my comfort zone, of not knowing what the future is going to be like scares me.  Not to mention how little I really know about film or actual camera techniques for that matter.  I would have to start learning about some of this stuff and that has always been a mental road block in the past.  I just want to go out and take pictures and not have to think about the technical side.  That's one reason I was attracted to the Holga in the first place.

So I'm going to try doing small steps, something that I'm terrible at.  Terrible.  I'm the kind of person that sees all the future paths from a single action.  Or at least the kind of person that thinks she does.  This is definitely one of the reasons I'm still single.  I'm not good at just letting things happen naturally. I over analyze everything into future paralysis.  But I'm really going to try, I really am.  I made a compromise for the airshow.  I took my Vivitar one day and Diana the next and used those to take photos around the static displays.  I also took my digital and used that for photos of the performances.  I think it was a good start.  

Go with the flow.  Don't look too far down the road.  Small steps.

Comments

[Trinity]

Just remember the age old adage from back before the age of digital: film is cheap. As in, don't be afraid to blow through a few extra frames (or rolls!) to make sure you get what you want. It's easy to press the shutter button a few more times. It's really hard to go back in time and reshoot the parts you didn't for whatever reason. Not everything you shoot will be great, but probably not everything that comes out of your digi is great either. That's the way it has been for a long, long time, and I'm sure it won't change anytime soon.

Learning new technical things is simply adding tools to your toolbox. They open up new possibilities, and allow you to do more than you could before. Start with the basics, some of the simpler stuff, and work your way up from there. And if you don't feel like using any of those new tools, you don't have to; pick up the digi, throw it on auto, and off you go.

[twitter.com/wolf_brigade]

Hmm. I'm suffering a bit of that at the moment as well :)

Some easy things to remmeber for the Holga and the UWS are 100 speed for the sunny days, and 400-800 for the cloudy ones. Using that as a guide you should be able to pull off some decent shots. Of course, you should shoot in the open (ie. not shadow areas) with those speeds. Heavy shadow area requires a different approach.

The Diana is a little more challenging in that it is designed for 400 speed film in full sunlight. It kind of means that it is harder to use on non sunny days since there are few 120 films with a speed over 400.

One thing I heard recently on a podcast (about projects, but still relevant) is to ask yourself the question "What story am I trying to tell here?"; I got to thinking that for the most part, that could/should(?) apply to each photo I/you take. In my case I don't use digital so I tend to be a little bit more careful with what I actually shoot anyway, but there's no reason it couldn't apply to digital as well.

So, with that in mind, why not challenge yourself to shoot a story in 12 frames - even in your street? It worked for me. I didn't post the whole roll on flickr (just a single frame since I rarely post more than one frame per roll), but I know what I did and it got me thinking differently again.

[Let me know via twitter if you post a reply to me so I can see it :) ]

[wardy]

I think every one goes through this whether you're a teacher or a photographer or whatever or... Things get boring - it's a sign of growth... time to move on, get deeper, look closer, etc. Just keep your finger on the shutter - try something new.

A new camera might inspire something new - it does me, but ultimately it's the photographer, not the camera.

Regarding film vs digital...You have read this on my blog before (I know because you commented) but it's worth reading again - read the comments of the others too.
http://wardy.my-expressions.com/archives/5930_1640022077/219763

Keep rocking Laurie!

Chris