Catch and Release or, Film and the Time Factor

[DwF]

Shooting digital and as an amateur, I am aware of all of the files I make that like many old slides in years past, never go beyond the initial click of the shutter. They simply pile up.

Coming back and shooting film as I am currently doing, my outings with the camera are way different than when I was only shooting film. I have a couple of cameras loaded, one currently with a B&W iso 25 and the other with Portra 800. As I have been exposing these rolls, days go by and I lose track of the diary that are the images I've made. This happened to me years ago shooting only film where I'd develop a roll and be happily reminded of the experiences I had and thought were gone except for my memory of them. No chimping or instant gratification. When I revisit the image after processing, I find I treat it differently with the "moment" it was realized further in the past and disconnected from my present state of mind.

The title of the thread points to emphasis on the activity of shooting like fishing without necessarily worrying about whether there was "catch" that followed the activity. I find gratification in the process of being out and about with the camera and while I will also gain pleasure from the very few prints that may come out of it, my approach to an end product is quite different.

i am curious to other's thoughts on the subject.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Film is not the major factor on how you get keepers or not getting them at all.

Taking one roll of film during long period of time was common and norm for photography done by regular people.

Garry Winogrand was deliberately waiting for long time, before looking at negatives. And not only him.

 

[benlees]

I find the only difference is the waiting. This doesn't change the experience of it, as I generally let pictures ferment anyway, regardless whether film or digital. These days I use mostly film, but I usually take an insurance photo with my phone just in case 🙂angel🙂.

Getting out and about is the main thing; see if new ideas pop into your head. Digital or film, this doesn't change for me.

 

[Arbitrarium]

I very rarely finish a roll in the space of one day or even a weekend trip. And sometimes I swap out rolls so that I end up leaving developing certain photos for weeks at a time. Makes seeing the results even more exciting.

And yeah, just the act of walking around with a camera is pleasure in itself. The photos I took might be absolute trash but I still explored and saw new things.

 

[waileong]

I try to shoot a roll as fast as I can, develop as fast as I can, scan them as fast as I can.... the usual problem is time for all the above. Not because I deliberately want months to pass.

 

[DwF]

Thank you all for your responses!

I find writing therapeutic and that was in part why I made a thread of what seemed to be rolling around in my head.

There were times I used to look to expend a roll of film in a hurry just to process one or two images I knew were on the roll. I think my overall point is that the enjoyment of the process, "act of walking around with the camera is pleasure in itself" to quote Arbitrarium, is true for me at this time. And then when I do get to the images, there is another activity and excitement about that. The two experiences by necessity are more separate than with digital.

Yes Gary Winogrand, like may artists, painters and sculptures let things sit. Somewhat different, but in the performing arts, it is always best to wait for the muscles to become disconnected from the notes, phrases and gestures before listening to a performance for "review" or enjoyment purposes... besides few performers listen to what they played for enjoyment. 🙂

This wasn't about a light bulb coming on that I can let a negative sit or a digital file for that matter- nor that anyone cares what I do 🙂
Maybe more the realization that having digital at my disposal, there is less urgency about having to produce anything with film; it feels way more relaxed than it did when that was the only means available. Still figuring it out but enjoying the time.

 

[jim_jm]

Developing film and seeing the results is one of the most exiting aspects about film photography for me. At any given time I have a half-dozen cameras with film in them and I develop as I finish them off. I use different cameras depending on my mood and the subject matter (35mm to 4x5), so in one session I may be developing shots that were taken last week, or last year. I often forget about some of the shots I've taken, and get excited to see them again, especially when looking at the contact sheets or test prints.

The instant gratification of digital has zero interest for me.

 

[John Bragg]

There is a lot to be said for the disconnect between shooting and processing. I do not posess a Digital Camera, but I do use a hybrid workflow, so in that respect I am in the digital age. In my darkroom days I only printed the best negatives and was happy with 6 out or 36. Not much has changed here as I still print only the best images, (paper and ink are not cheap), but I do scan every image on a roll so that takes time. I contemplated a return to darkroom printing, but the paper that I like is now horrendously expensive.

 

[Doug]

In this connection, I shoot digital in essentially the same way as I did earlier with film. In addition I may take another shot or two of a subject to explore it a bit more, possibly make a "location" shot to remind me later where I was. Also, as with rolls of film, I connect and document the digital files in batches. And, I make notes.

As I enjoyed the darkroom in past years I now enjoy the Lightroom post-processing. In this I'm behind by a few months, so there's still that time lapse between the shooting and the thorough examining of the potential. This does bring back the memory of the occasion in a somewhat different perspective. So the overall experience is similar in many respects.