July 27, 2015

Positive in a Negative World...

Music | Fidelity by Regina Spektor

8x10 Processed Film...

Music | La Wally by Maria Callas

I shot 6 sheets of film last Sunday and have been processing 2 at a time, which is what my tank allows. My thought process was to process the film over time and see where I stood regarding consistency. I'm feeling pretty good after the 2nd the 3rd go arounds, which I didn't feel the first time. I'm locking it down and feeling good about being able to get great negs for printing. Scanning too...

July 23, 2015

Moving to Another Dimension...

Music | To Build a Home by The Cinematic Orchestra

The move to shoot 8x10 has been exciting, especially since I just finished my first shoot of meaning with it. I am not confident to the point of not backing up the shoot with digital, but merely pulling the beast out behind the initial digital shoot for colour for Françoise was a little stressful. I found an amazing location, which was a ground floor parking garage in thee trendy neighborhood of Portland. Fortunetely, our shoot started early enough on a Sunday morning, we didn't have too much of the public to deal with.

After seeing the initial results of what we shot digitally, I was excited to see what the film would look like. Not so much as to compare, but what look the big format would portray. Initially, the digital 100mm wide open compares well to the 8x10 360mm. But there is a subttleness I can't define yet, but discernable. I do know in spirit, I have so much satisfaction with the image I shot on film. I am sure a lot of it has to do with the fact I am shooting on film and that I am brought back to the pre digital days where experience and knowledge were king. There is significant emotional value in returning to that era. Does that make the photography even better. I think it does!


8x10 Ilford Delta


Digital File Converted to Black and White

July 21, 2015

Saving Memories...

Music | Start Shootin' by Little People

I finished up a one month + visit with my daughter, who I don't get to be with often enough. Living over 2800 miles away, makes things very difficult. I make the best of my visits as I can.

One of the important things I've always understood about photographs is how they can stabilize memories. The visual reference of a time, place and people within the photograph is a deposit in the memory bank where merely looking at that image brings back so many feelings of the moment, you don't ever want to lose them.

I don't try and go out to create these moments, but I know with every visit with my daughter, they will happen naturally and hopefully be captured in an image. With my own memory, I know my brain has allowed remembrances difficult. Having the idea that age plays a roll in that doesn't help me deal with this issue. I can only do what I know how and try to hold onto my past, my memories as with the moment, all we have otherwise is our past...

 
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