The photos from these rolls have been much higher quality than I expected. I have tried to separate the images into themes and subjects but think that it has been beneficial for me to not focus on this whilst shooting. I hope that in a years time, all the black and white images I have taken since the wales trip will show some coherence despite having numerous subject matters. I worry that some of the portraits and more picturesque landscapes are too traditional and sometimes commercial looking, but as a whole maybe the more surreal and experimental images will change the way the straighter photos will be interpreted.
3 More Rolls
After receiving back three more rolls of the Fomapan 400, I’m still happy with the results. I haven’t spent as much time editing this time, mostly using auto levels to find the blacks and highlights. Hardly any dodging has been done and I think they come off more natural for it. I’ll definitely buy another ten because of the price but I’m still happy with the image quality. The only disappointing thing has been the over exposure in the highlights. It is not always the case but there is sometimes a fog in the brightly exposed areas. This may be my fault by exposing the film at 250 ISO but after reading so much I think that seems to be the most sensible setting. The frequency has made me take more decisive and looser pictures which is good, as in the past I have been too precious. Some of the work has a more commercial feel to it but I think most of it suits a uniform style. I think this is all good practice for a more serious defined project at the end of the year. This process feels like a sketch book and is still producing pictures I am very proud of. The instagram posting has become more of a drag and I find myself loosing motivation in the repetitiveness of the process and the images that the app suggests to me. Sometimes stumbling across work that seems unique means I should stick it out for a while, as it’s obviously made me more keen to shoot and more consistent with quality than I had expected.
Travel and Landscapes
More Portraits
Family Portraits
Fomapan 400 and High Output
The following shots were taken over the last month or so using Fomapan 400 shot at 250 iso. The film is much cheaper than Ilford and works out at about £4 per roll. This has some downfalls, the film definitely has less latitude and a more contrasty look. But, overall I am very happy with the quality, the only shots that seem to be unusable were back lit and were possibly bad due to an error on my part when using a light meter. Even without a red filter on the lens, the images have a great depth to the shadows and this may be due to shooting it at 250 as appose to box speed. The grain structure is much more prominent than Ilford which is a nice change from the super clean look I am use to. I will still develop the rest of the 8 rolls I have left before deciding wether to stick with Fomapan, but first impressions are good.
After challenging myself to upload an instagram post everyday, I have found I am much more engaged and keen to shoot when going about my daily life. Having the camera with me more often and not being careful about wasting frames has given me better results than I imagined. A lot of film photographers talk about slowing down and being more considerate but looking back at how small my output has been over the last few years, I would say I need to be less precious and speed up. The feedback has been positive as well and not distracting. Especially as some of my doubts in images have been squashed by unexpected praise. I am warming to the feedback and followers growing but have reminded myself that praise and acknowledgement is not the important aspect. The whole process has pushed me to make more images and also get a more consistent quality than I expected and so I’ll stick it out at least until these 10 rolls get used.
Dopamine and Film Photography
For some time now I have had a keen interest in the study of dopamine and its effects on human behaviour. It was thought for some time that dopamine was a pleasure chemical and so was released when humans enjoyed an experience. However it has since been proven that dopamine is more present in the brain when we are anticipating something we enjoy. The ultimate goal of this being to drive humans to obtain the things we want. The video below explains how in a simple experiment dopamine was manipulated and monitored in apes.
There are many parallels to photography to draw upon when listening to Sapolsky. If the desire for the treats that are given to the apes was replaced with the disire to take a quality photograph, the dopamine release and the patterns of behaviour are easily comparable. The strife for creative perfection is exactly the same lust that we see in the experiment. The analogy can be taken further by replacing the 50% chance of success with using film photography. Not only does this incorporate chance into the process but it also adds more time between the initial spark of dopamine and the recieving of the reward ( the processed image) thus lengthening the chemicals release. The third comparison is that digital photography can be replaced with the 25% and 75% success rate, as although there is still a risk that quality will not be achieved, it is monitored as the photos are taken. This removes some of the risk and our anticipation of the images, in turn giving us less dopamine.
It’s easy to see that when we put time between taking the image and being able to see it, as well as adding the risk of technical failure in the form of analogue photography, we increase our dopamine levels exponentially and not only enjoy the experience more but find the final image more satisfying having endured the prolonged process.
Wales
The images from this trip turned out much better than I had expected. There is a lack of bright top end in some of the images and this may be down to either the low ISO film or the lighting. I think I will end up sharing around half but keep the rest to print on silver with ilford further down the line. They were edited in pixlr which was the first time I managed to use the platform quickly and efficiently. This combined with the roll I am currently shooting will hopefully make sure I have one image a day to post, which is keeping me keen to shoot.
Instagram and Staying Productive
Knowing we were spending a week travelling around Wales in our van, Katie and I both ensured we would use the time to stay creative. I brought my camera with one roll of film and she took a sketchpad and oil pastels. I didn’t have exactly the tools I wanted, the film was a lower ISO and I had planned to buy a tripod but failed to get one last minute. This however wouldn’t matter as I realised the light was far too bright to obtain the longer shutter speeds I wanted, without using some form of filter.
I found some good opportunities for shots although I strayed away from my recent abstract/still life brief. I’m unsure if I am doubting the images before even seeing them based on this. I have grand ideas about sticking rigidly to a style or subject for years to come. However, I can only shoot the things that are in front of me and I want to shoot whatever feels right. Some images may even be minimal enough to go alongside my recent work regardless of intention.
During the trip, Katie was undecided on how to present her work and what direction it should go in. As an outsider, I think her work looks cohesive in style, whatever the subject. I also think that the best way she should present her work is to photograph her sketch book once a day, then produce large scale works based on her favourites. She thought this was too much work and so I argued that one drawing a day is an easy task. She replied by saying that a photographer would find that easy as it takes a fraction of a second to take a single picture once every 24 hours.
Using social media as a way to display photographs is not something I have ever got on board with. It seems too flippant and commerical to display things I have put time and energy into. But not involving myself with that community means I have no interaction with like minded people. I have now created an Instagram account with some rules I I mumust that follow. I must post one photo everyday and take at least one photo everyday. I will only begin to add friends after one month of daily posts. Finally, I must ensure I create and post for myself and not for compliments from others.
In Wales I used one roll of Ilford fp4. It was a bit too slow for some of the candid shots but served well for landscapes. I used a red filter for the entire roll and so have some concerns about underexposure. After the trip I ordered ten rolls of fomapan 400 and have already begun shooting daily. I’m shooting it at 250 iso as I have read it overexposes nicely. I have also decided not to use my red filter until I see results but have stuck with my Canon 50e with 40mm, despite occasionally veering off course by camera hunting on eBay. The trip to Wales showed me how capable the camera is and now I am using it more regularly, I can feel myself becoming comfortable and satisfied.
In all I’m glad I have become actively photographing each day. If posting on Instagram is what makes me a better photographer just by ensuring I never run out of photos to post, then I’ll be greatful to have created an account, regardless of likes or followers.
Collating Images
After looking through the images from the last few months I have collated my favourites and begun storing them online in full resolution. This way I can at some point either print them in silver via Ilford’s printing services or create a photobook when the time comes. I will still continue to log my images and ideas through this page but also keep anything of quality on this Flickr page.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/188975504@N02/with/50025617967/
A J Carlton 