The Negative and The Positive
I have been thinking a lot about presentation of images. As my workflow becomes more and more analogue, I still see a use for digital. The ability to share with people not in my home feels important, even if you lose the tangible quality of a print. However I've noticed a few things happening in the digital spaces of photography. People are mimicking film, the qualities of film stocks can be downloaded as Photoshop actions. I've also seen people present their images with white borders as if it was a print. In the most rare but agrregious of these mimics, I've seen people add a border that looks like a film negative, even putting “Kodak Portrait 160” on it.
Broadly speaking, If you cannot trust a presentation is authentic, I think the value in doing it authentically is cheapened. So how do you present a film image as a film image, what is one thing a digital photo can't mimic? The solution I've come to, present the negative - flaws and all. Show the ingredients to your work. Show what you started with and where you ended up. The physical negative is something no amount of Photoshop can create. Sure, you could make a fake negative that exists only in the digital world, but I will still have my physical film as evidence - which cannot be faked - at least not without an exceptional amount of resources and skill.
Going forward, on this blog, and on social media, this is how I will be presenting my analogue work.
Fiddlers at GSFC
I often bring my film camera to work, and Monday was one of those days I was very happy to have done so. I came across a group of coworkers who like to play the fiddler on their lunch break. I am a firm believer that taking a good photograph is mostly just showing up. That is to say, 90% of photography is simply bringing your camera with you as you walk out the door.
Recent 35mm Scans, Ilford Delta and HP5
Two rolls of film, 35mm trying out a Nikon N8008 that I was gifted. took a walk along a creek, some backyard flowers, some pet photos, and interesting light shining on the walls of the house.
Birthday and Anniversary Week - Glenstone Museum and Old Town Alexandria
My wife and I took a week off of work as this week in June we celebrated our five year anniversary as well as my birthday. We didn’t do any big travel plans, instead opted for a stay-cation. It was really relaxing and fun. We got to explore the place we live in and came across some rather unexpected experiences.
First we had some delicious food at the Barca Pier and Wine Bar in Old Town Alexandria. We also stopped by the Torpedo Art Galleries down by the Harbor. We then continued to simply walk around and explore the area before everything got too hot. Below are a few of my favorite frames from the trip.
This crooked little staircase stopped me in my tracks. The contrast of it all, the textures of the old stone. It was very much in keeping with the vibe of old town.
I like groups of 3. The clouds here served as an interesting background to an otherwise simple foreground. I am reminded though of how much work Ansel Adams would put in to make his skies seem dark. The blue really is not much different, tonally than the clouds in the negative. I worked them a bit in lightroom for the scan, but to do that in the negative for a print will be quite a challenge. Possibly better off using a color filter to make the blue sky much deeper contrast from the white clouds.
We did a little shopping at a consignment shop as well as just poking our heads in to a number of different stores. They were a great respite from the heat.
We then got turned around a few times looking for where we parked. We eventually found it just past with this mural on the Linder Academy. I remember hearing these words she wrote and spoke at the inauguration and being absolutely enthralled. If you have not heard it, I recommend you find the time. Here is the link to the speech.
We eventually came home and I saw this light coming in through the bathroom window. I took a number of frames on my Pentax 6x7 as well as my Intrepid 4x5 of the sink. They are all stunning though I am most excited about the 4x5 frame. I may scan it, I may not. It may just become a print. I am reminded of Edward Weston’s Excusado, 1925. He wrote at length about his attempts to get the image just right.
A couple days later, on my birthday, we went to the Glenstone Museum. The Pavilions were unfortunately closed for construction, but we will certainly be returning. We saw a number of artists work and I am surprised at how many names and works I recognized or simply knew by the art itself. (thats what an MFA degree gets you I suppose). I was very surprised to see a handful of original Diane Arbus prints. But Richard Seras installations sort of stole the show. His use of steel and the common thread of balance is palpable in each of his works at the museum. That being said, there are not many photos of the art itself, you will need to go experience it for yourself as a photo simply does not do any of them justice. You will need a few more of your senses for this museum.
Instead I took photos of the surrounding area, the nature the museum is found in is wild and beautiful in itself. We even had a Heron black our path at one point before he politely walked off into the woods.
There is a lot of procession at this museum. You spend some time walking up to these big art pieces. But the walk is always enjoyable. I was stunned by the landscape which rivaled the art. A very old Sycamore Tree with a curve in its trunk is still whispering to me to be photographed in golden hour light despite being an hours drive away.
You may notice some weird drippy artifacts on these scans, it is due to the negative slipping out of the holder while it was drying. The film unfortunately got a bit crumpled on the ground and dried that way. I have learned this lesson and will be figuring out a solution before my next development.
I still have more photos to scan, but My wife also bought me a 2000+ piece lego set of the Discovery Shuttle and Hubble Telescope, so I am going to go spend the rest of my weekend building that!
I am, and always will be, a child.
Some frames from Annapolis on Pride Day
A friend visited from NY recently. We met in Annapolis for coffee and to see some of the sights. We were delighted to find out Annapolis was having its Pride day parade. We had to leave before anything really began but it was cool to see everyone setting up for the event.
A little Macro fun
Brought out the D750 for some Macro fun this weekend. Found a couple bumble bees in the garden then turned a little abstract using some space materials.
Fire Hydrants
Are there any common objects you enjoy photographing? One thing I began to notice recently is the variety of fire hydrants around me. I will certainly be updating this post with more as I take them.
Trip into Federal Hill with Kodak Gold 120mm
Had a tattoo appointment in Federal Hill last month, here are some film scans of frames taken with my Pentax 6x7 and a roll of Kodak Gold 200. I like the fact that you only get 10 frames per roll. It feels like a good number, not too many that you feel like you are taking shots just to fill the roll. Only problem is my film sleeves can only slot 8 of the frames in 1 page.
