How has your photography changed over the years?

JeffS, the Covid pandemic and the extended lockdowns in Australia made me realize a few things.

Notably, how much I hate scanning. A necessary evil. It took me a year to get over the double fixation that (1), I had to scan each and every image on a roll or a box of slides, and (2), I had to make THE perfect scan of each and every one of those damn pictures.

A second revelation was how little I knew about post processing. I've always resisted using Lightroom, Photoshop etc etc etc, mostly due to the high cost and of course their complexities. I made do with basic freebie software, most good enough for my modest needs but as I came to realize during 2020 and 2021, lacking in many major things I wanted to do with my images.

A third revelation (directly related to my scanning misadventures) was how bad some of my early photography was, and how often I kept repeating the same mistakes throughout, constantly and consistently.

A fourth revelation was how much gear I had (and sadly, still have) that I wasn't, and still am not, using.

There were a few others, most too embarrassing to write about here. Maybe in my someday-forthcoming autobiography. (To be printed on Al Foil.)

I am now at the ripe old age of not wanting to carry digital Nikons and half a ton of lenses with me in my travels, so my Numero Uno Plan for the next year is to flog off as much unused gear as I can.

It's amazing, really, how much we can learn about ourselves, our surroundings, even the world in general while sitting at home, looking for things to do to relieve the unending tedium of being in lockdown. One can only brush the cats or wash the kitchen floor so many times.

Too bad about my wine collection, but those bottles can be replaced. And at long last my liver count has stabilized.
 
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DownUnder said:
Oddly, my situation is exactly the opposite to yours. Indeed, what now?

At almost 77, the logical answer to this question doesn't please me at all...
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@DownUnder you have a good decade or more in you, most likely. Keep at it, it’s good to hear from you and see your work.

“It is the heaviest stone that melancholy can throw at a man, to tell him he is at the end of his nature; or that there is no further state to come, unto which this seems progressional, and otherwise made in vain. Without this accomplishment, the natural expectation and desire of such a state, were but a fallacy in nature”​

Sir Thomas Browne, Urne Burial, 1658.

And good for your liver, sorry about the wine.

Marty
 
Freakscene said:
@DownUnder you have a good decade or more in you, most likely. Keep at it, it’s good to hear from you and see your work.

“It is the heaviest stone that melancholy can throw at a man, to tell him he is at the end of his nature; or that there is no further state to come, unto which this seems progressional, and otherwise made in vain. Without this accomplishment, the natural expectation and desire of such a state, were but a fallacy in nature”​

Sir Thomas Browne, Urne Burial, 1658.

And good for your liver, sorry about the wine.

Marty
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Ah, but will I be able to lift a camera, even a Leica CL, at a ripe old 88...

Lest I forget, many thanks for your kind words. One can but hope.

The wine went down like, well, wine. Thoroughly enjoyed. Now being replaced with select vintages. Australia is such a good place for quality vino.
 
DownUnder said:
Ah, but will I be able to lift a camera, even a Leica CL, at a ripe old 88...

Lest I forget, many thanks for your kind words. One can but hope.

The wine went down like, well, wine. Thoroughly enjoyed. Now being replaced with select vintages. Australia is such a good place for quality vino.
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You’ll lift a camera. And if you can’t, we’ve figured out how to photograph from a wheelchair before on this forum.

We have so much good wine it’s an economic problem for producers. Drink up!
 
I don’t know, but here is an interesting article about the beginnings of photography. I’m sure we’ve all seen these examples in books.

Arguments against digital photography are posting on a digital medium/forum 😁 and I’m not sure many folks are doing alternative and early processes - for the most part.

rarehistoricalphotos.com

Famous First Photographs in History: From the Oldest Photo Ever to the First Photo Shared on Internet - Rare Historical Photos

In this article, we'll take a journey back in time to explore the famous first photographs in history, some of the oldest photos to have ever been captured.
rarehistoricalphotos.com rarehistoricalphotos.com
 
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It’s all good by the way. And @Erik van Straten, your photographs, compositions, and eye, are excellent.

If I had the time and could do more traditional B&W film photography, I would do it. I am just so compressed for time right now and as I age (I’m nearing retirement but still working), time just seems to fly by.

Right now, I’m doing a lot of iPhone photography, but I have a stack of Leicas (4) and about 20 vintage SLRs, rangefinders, and scale-focus cameras and a fridge full of film which I am hoping to devote more time to when I retire.

But I still enjoy digital capture and enjoy everyone’s photography and journey in RFF.
 
I don't really understand the ongoing tension between digital capture and film photography. Never have.

Neither is better than the other, to me; they're just two different recording mediums. What you do with them, how you render them, differs, of course, but the intent of your work remains the same in both. Each has its advantages and disadvantages, constraints and freedoms.

If you like one medium more than the other, well, fine: just enjoy it and move forwards with your photography.

G
 
DownUnder said:
JeffS, the Covid pandemic and the extended lockdowns in Australia made me realize a few things.

Notably, how much I hate scanning. A necessary evil. It took me a year to get over the double fixation that (1), I had to scan each and every image on a roll or a box of slides, and (2), I had to make THE perfect scan of each and every one of those damn pictures.

A second revelation was how little I knew about post processing. I've always resisted using Lightroom, Photoshop etc etc etc, mostly due to the high cost and of course their complexities. I made do with basic freebie software, most good enough for my modest needs but as I came to realize during 2020 and 2021, lacking in many major things I wanted to do with my images.

A third revelation (directly related to my scanning misadventures) was how bad some of my early photography was, and how often I kept repeating the same mistakes throughout, constantly and consistently.

A fourth revelation was how much gear I had (and sadly, still have) that I wasn't, and still am not, using.

There were a few others, most too embarrassing to write about here. Maybe in my someday-forthcoming autobiography. (To be printed on Al Foil.)

I am now at the ripe old age of not wanting to carry digital Nikons and half a ton of lenses with me in my travels, so my Numero Uno Plan for the next year is to flog off as much unused gear as I can.

It's amazing, really, how much we can learn about ourselves, our surroundings, even the world in general while sitting at home, looking for things to do to relieve the unending tedium of being in lockdown. One can only brush the cats or wash the kitchen floor so many times.

Too bad about my wine collection, but those bottles can be replaced. And at long last my liver count has stabilized.
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So much wisdom and truth here. You may have saved a few lives in one post.
 
John Donne, among others, questioned our existence and how others figure in it. This does not usually mean much to us until the finish line is within sight. Do we surrender and sink into the sludge or work our way to the end? We all make our own decisions. Mine is to have as much fun as I can on the road to oblivion. I have lost a lot of friends, some to cancer, some to their minds through Alzheimer's. While my health is still good and I have some percentage of my mind I will just putter on with cameras and my other interests.

The technical challenge of cameras and photography are many. And like so many things they cannot be totally mastered. But fun can be had along the way and the pleasure of seeing some improvement no matter how small. I see folks who master composition and color in ways that amaze me. Succinctly spectacular. Some folks really have the touch. I just try to do as well as I can and that is fun.

As for digital vs analog, I am so grateful to be free of the 36 exposure tyranny and the chemical prison. I can shoot and bring it home and see it if not having seen it on a camera screen when shot. The same machine that I now write on, watch movies and TV on, keep up with friends through email on, can also manipulate my images when I wish to do that. On the road a laptop can do the same. So for me the immediacy and convenience of digital offsets any negatives.

As for "film look", if you want that it can be added in post.
 
Godfrey said:
I don't really understand the ongoing tension between digital capture and film photography. Never have.
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I prefer digital for 35mm equivalent and smaller. It's better now.

120 & larger, film is still worth the pain, expense and annoyance because the beauty outweighs what digital can do at a price I can afford. A couple of hundred for a Rolleiflex Automat and film vs 20k+ for a Hassy X2 kit? Yeah, give me that Ilford 🤣🤣🤣
 
Over the years I have had a couple of realizations. I tried to keep it fairly generalized in hope that my musings may be useful to someone besides myself.
  • A lot of my early work has a raw, experimental quality to it that is impossible to replicate. Some of it is shockingly good.
    This is likely due to the fact that I was not deeply familiar with the cameras and processes. Also not fully knowing what I wanted (or expected) out of a picture. This also means I took a lot of very good pictures (and lots of crap) taking "long shot" attempts that I perhaps would not dare to try today because now I know the odds. However in terms of technical proficiency and execution, of course my later work is better. Seems like you can't have it both ways. Sigh.
  • Corollary: It is worthwhile to go over old work with "fresh eyes" you might uncover hidden gems that you have not noticed before.
  • Slumps are common and they do happen, some are more severe and drawn out than others.
    As I have a philosophy of "shooting through" my slumps that means I have a sort of record in my negatives where I can see the photographic downturns, and realize that it was not just some emotional tinge that made me judge that my photos at the time were - on average - worse. They simply were.
  • Shooting through slumps works for me.
    Despite as stated above the photos being worse on average. I have strangely managed to take the odd amazing shot which stands out like the proverbial sore thumb. Sometimes I even end up using them in exhibitions. It's strange. Shooting through slumps is expensive, painful but ultimately - worth it.
  • When in doubt I tend to fall back to "safe" motifs, moods and locations.
    When the going gets rough, I tend to cut back on experimentation (I should perhaps do the opposite!) and retreat to the safety of known subjects and locations or general moods. However I am of the opinion that too much repetition means a sort of photographic death, because ultimately following this path would represent a continual narrowing of scope until there is literally nothing left.
  • Trying new things is good - even if you are feeling skeptical. Even if you fail.
    I was primarily a medium format shooter when I saw a tiny half-frame camera in a showcase. I was intrigued, but also sort of mentally dismissed it as a "toy". However the camera being so cute and strange looking (a Fujica Mini) I ended up buying it anyway. And what a journey it ended up being! The first negatives bear a close resemblance to my medium format work, but slowly deviate from there until it became its own thing entirely. And in doing that it massively re-invigorated my desire to shoot not only half-frame but medium format and 135.
  • Sometimes you have to let go.
    By accident (see first point) I discovered one of my primary modes of shooting in medium format. I love these pictures dearly and enjoy shooting them very much. However they require certain environmental factors (in this case non-daylight balanced fluorescent lights) which are going extinct. While I made my own "studio" setup to replicate the look for model shoots etc. it's just not the same. So, after a decade it's time to let go. I might still shoot the odd frame here and there, but maybe I can refocus my energies on discovering something new.
  • I wish I had shot more early on. More!
    Not only were the film and chemicals cheaper, but it felt like my life was more interesting and varied. Also as Erik posted above - some places, friends, memories are now gone forever and I have no "keepsake" and thus I feel like beating myself up over it. So while you have the chance - regardless of medium (film or digital) shoot, shoot, shoot!
Edit: I realize that this is not all completely in line with the topics and more general musings. I still hope it's useful
 
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I bother with refining my digital and hybrid workflows, for the same reason I once spent many hours in the darkroom: To become better at it! From time to time, I'll sample new software, (some of it free, some not) to see what value it might add to the process. Now that you mention it, I see that subscription price for Adobe Lightroom + Photoshop is now just under 240 USD/year, so maybe it's time for another comparison between LR (I'm not so concerned about PS) compares to current Dxo and Capture One offerings, as well as free software.

Not sure exactly when it happened, but at some point, I became more aware of light when out photographing. One pet peeve are warm-white LED lights with a nasty green spike in their spectrum. To me, they look yucky, and they photograph that way too.
 
JeffS7444 said:
I bother with refining my digital and hybrid workflows, for the same reason I once spent many hours in the darkroom: To become better at it! From time to time, I'll sample new software, (some of it free, some not) to see what value it might add to the process. Now that you mention it, I see that subscription price for Adobe Lightroom + Photoshop is now just under 240 USD/year, so maybe it's time for another comparison between LR (I'm not so concerned about PS) compares to current Dxo and Capture One offerings, as well as free software.

Not sure exactly when it happened, but at some point, I became more aware of light when out photographing. One pet peeve are warm-white LED lights with a nasty green spike in their spectrum. To me, they look yucky, and they photograph that way too.
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+1 I generally dislike most LED lights, even on film their light renders unpleasantly. Harsh, vibrating multi-faceted shadows too since they often skimp on the diffusors on these things. Their falloff is also very harsh, very bright central spot and then very steep fall-off in brightness. Yuck. Especially those cheap lowest-bidder ones they use in public spaces for street lights etc.
 
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