Solitude | 06:04AM Oct 21, 2007
Today I had what I would refer to as the photographic equivalent to a spiritual experience, four hours, alone, in the woods, with two rolls of 120 film and my borrowed Hasselblad 500C.
There is nothing quite like being alone in the woods with a camera. All your energy focused on the world around you, the textures, colors, and forms that inhabit every square inch of this magnificent planet now become yours to mold into a composition. The task is anything but simple. After all there are myriad options available, and no matter how you might try the world just does not fit confidently into a 6x6 frame.
Growing up in the digital age, though it clearly allowed me to learn at an elevated rate, I fear removed me, at least in some respect, from the true magic of photography.
The magic I am referring to is not what happens to a piece of film when it’s exposed to a light source, that is simple chemistry. The magic I am referring to is what happens every time you look through the viewfinder. That moment when all the elements align, when you adjust your focus, decide on your final f-stop and shutter speed combination, and finally, after everything has been checked twice, squeeze the shutter.
In that instant, everything is perfect. You nailed your exposure, your composition is flawless, the dynamic range perfectly equal. It is that millisecond after the shutter trips on an analog camera, that holds to true magic of photography.
With the innovation of digital, we now spend that millisecond awaiting our image complete with detailed histogram. The problem with this mini image that appears on our LCD screen is that it represents the truth, and the truth, as we all know, can often be disappointing. The magic of analog is in the suspense, the realization that you may not have captured that perfect exposure, but that little glimmer of hope that you very well might have.
Now, I certainly will not be trading in my digital gear for a Hassey any time soon. However, I would most definitely recommend a day in the woods with a manual camera for anyone looking to revitalize their photographic wander lust.
There is nothing quite like being alone in the woods with a camera. All your energy focused on the world around you, the textures, colors, and forms that inhabit every square inch of this magnificent planet now become yours to mold into a composition. The task is anything but simple. After all there are myriad options available, and no matter how you might try the world just does not fit confidently into a 6x6 frame.
Growing up in the digital age, though it clearly allowed me to learn at an elevated rate, I fear removed me, at least in some respect, from the true magic of photography.
The magic I am referring to is not what happens to a piece of film when it’s exposed to a light source, that is simple chemistry. The magic I am referring to is what happens every time you look through the viewfinder. That moment when all the elements align, when you adjust your focus, decide on your final f-stop and shutter speed combination, and finally, after everything has been checked twice, squeeze the shutter.
In that instant, everything is perfect. You nailed your exposure, your composition is flawless, the dynamic range perfectly equal. It is that millisecond after the shutter trips on an analog camera, that holds to true magic of photography.
With the innovation of digital, we now spend that millisecond awaiting our image complete with detailed histogram. The problem with this mini image that appears on our LCD screen is that it represents the truth, and the truth, as we all know, can often be disappointing. The magic of analog is in the suspense, the realization that you may not have captured that perfect exposure, but that little glimmer of hope that you very well might have.
Now, I certainly will not be trading in my digital gear for a Hassey any time soon. However, I would most definitely recommend a day in the woods with a manual camera for anyone looking to revitalize their photographic wander lust.
