Hello All,
I took the opportunity when moving home recently to take stock of many things, amongst others my reasons for pursuing my type of photography in general and specifically the reasons for building up yet another dark room and thereby enforcing darkroom widowhood on Elizabeth. Two avenues of thought crystallized, being my way of seeing, or my photographic eye and the physical process of picture making. Basically nothing has changed, but the exercise was motivational to say the least!
As my personal introduction on this forum, I thought Id share, briefly, some of the pleasure I derive from my way of picture making and specifically the physical process.
- Delight in the tactile feel and odour of film and even reworking the leader for an old camera.
- During picture taking the utter pleasure of manipulating a mechanical, optical instrument and visualizing the resulting latent image crafted at the time of exposure. Even the careful evaluation of the effect of depth of field and the exposure settings, or simply relying on the hyperfocal distance and the sunny 16 rule!
- Developing and printing the film and imagining the processes at work, of the physical interchange of acid and alkaline with the emulsion of precious metals and salts.
- Finally the wonder of the resulting image and reliving the moments of exposure, and recalling the thoughts and events leading up to that moment.
The jury is still out on whether this physical activity gives me more pleasure than the creative process of seeing, or am I a technician or an artist?
I look forward to sharing this forum with you all.
Best wishes,
Charles
Dead Link Removed
I took the opportunity when moving home recently to take stock of many things, amongst others my reasons for pursuing my type of photography in general and specifically the reasons for building up yet another dark room and thereby enforcing darkroom widowhood on Elizabeth. Two avenues of thought crystallized, being my way of seeing, or my photographic eye and the physical process of picture making. Basically nothing has changed, but the exercise was motivational to say the least!
As my personal introduction on this forum, I thought Id share, briefly, some of the pleasure I derive from my way of picture making and specifically the physical process.
- Delight in the tactile feel and odour of film and even reworking the leader for an old camera.
- During picture taking the utter pleasure of manipulating a mechanical, optical instrument and visualizing the resulting latent image crafted at the time of exposure. Even the careful evaluation of the effect of depth of field and the exposure settings, or simply relying on the hyperfocal distance and the sunny 16 rule!
- Developing and printing the film and imagining the processes at work, of the physical interchange of acid and alkaline with the emulsion of precious metals and salts.
- Finally the wonder of the resulting image and reliving the moments of exposure, and recalling the thoughts and events leading up to that moment.
The jury is still out on whether this physical activity gives me more pleasure than the creative process of seeing, or am I a technician or an artist?
I look forward to sharing this forum with you all.
Best wishes,
Charles
Dead Link Removed