If you could turn time back what would you change about your photography?

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x-ray

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I've thought many times about what Ive photographed over 6 decades and what I'd do different if I could go back in time with the knowledge and skill I have today. I Can only estimate that I have somewhere in excess of 150,000 negatives in my archive and out of that number have a good number of images I feel are important in one way or another. Even with this massive collection I feel Ive missed some important subjects.

Looking back I've always been drawn to document The relationship of people place event and time. Where I feel I failed was understanding how these elements evolve over time. When most of us are young our life experiences are so limited we dont realize time brings change. I failed to realize this until I was older and failed to systematically document that change. I did however document a lot but have many voids in time.

For example in my youth I carried my brownie to school from the 3rd grade on and documented my teachers, friends and schools. When I was in college in the 60's I worked as a PJ and documented news events and some daily life. Later I looked for the unusual and obscure even to this day.

I feel I missed dcumenting daily life for a few decades. I didn't even think about how time changes everything and how looking back on daily life's little events would be important one day.

If I could go back in time I'd document systematically every day life, friends and places. I'd put emphasis on things that change like clothing, hairstyles and cars. I'd also place more emphasis on the relationships between people particularly of different races. What would you change about your photography?
 
I would take more photos of my friends, some of whom are now impossible to photograph :( I would also document more of the seemingly insignificant. Time can make even the mundane remarkable. It's hard to see the importance of events when you're in the middle of it all.

Also, I wouldn't bother wasting all my money on random cameras. I would just buy an M right off the bat. The M6 first, then the M9 when it came out. These would appear to be an astronomical expenses for a fledgling photographer, but in the long run it would save me tens of thousands and lots of time going from Canon to Leica, via Nikon, Fuji, Pentax, Olympus, and Panasonic... I wanted an M from day dot, and tho all these cameras offered something, they were never the M that I wanted, and so after an initial honeymoon period I was back to pining for what I wanted from the very beginning.
 
xavoy said:
I would take more photos of my friends, some of whom are now impossible to photograph :( I would also document more of the seemingly insignificant. Time can make even the mundane remarkable. It's hard to see the importance of events when you're in the middle of it.
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I'm with you. Even today knowing the ordinary everyday images will be important in a few decades I have trouble bringing myself to shoot them. I'm still drawn to and searching for the bizarre and dramatic shots.
 
I guess I'm about halfway through life, based on typical lifespans and how my relatives have fared, etc... It's only the last 10-15 years where I've made more of an effort to photograph daily life, friends, family, etc., which I should have started earlier. I've lived in one city for over 30 years and only in the last 5-10 really started to explore some areas of it photographically, though I've been involved in photography for about 30 years. I'm under no illusion that my images will serve a great historical purpose, hence the intention to focus more on documenting my life and things that interest me, perhaps more or less for selfish reasons...

Where I would like to improve a lot more is visual storytelling of topics with which I'm not personally involved. The challenge for me is initiating any kind of photo project and forging the required relationships with those I would intend to photograph. Some people seem to be adept at this. I'm not.
 
I would have begun to label, file, and archive my neg sleeves from the very start. Now it's a hopeless proposition.

I would not trade my M4-2 with type 3 Summicron 50, for a brand new Nikon 801s (spot metering!) with Nikkor 35f2 Ais lens. Even trade. Stuuupiiid!

I would have taken pictures of all my girlfriends.
 
I really can't explain why I started shooting the subjects I do. I was just attracted to certain things and people and documented them for myself and no other reason. I guess I'm attracted to the obscure and darker side.

I really get my greatest enjoyment out of photographing people vs places and things especially people engaged in unusual acts. There's a bit of adrenalin involved when I'm shooting some of my subjects that heightens my senses and adds to the excitement.

Frank I did shoot a lot of my friends and girlfriends. These images certainly bring back great memories.
 
I kind of miss having taken more photos of my hometown (in Germany) about 30~35 years ago when things were typically "70~80s" and Germany was still divided. Sometimes I find such kind of documentary photography of other cities in Germany and would like to see and compare what was similar and how things changed.
 
Organize my negatives with a labeling system that worked well. I am just not that organized about it and it can be a problem sometimes. That's pretty much my only regret. - jim
 
maddoc said:
I kind of miss having taken more photos of my hometown (in Germany) about 30~35 years ago when things were typically "70~80s" and Germany was still divided. Sometimes I find such kind of documentary photography of other cities in Germany and would like to see and compare what was similar and how things changed.
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Ive lived in 3 towns in my life. The first in the 40's and early 50's I was too young to manage a camera. At the age of 3-1/2 we made a major move to Oak a Ridge TN which had been a secret city in WWII and built from nothing in 1942. The town was owned by the U.S. government and run by the Atomic Endrgy Commission. In 1953 I shot my first images with my mothers Ansco box camera and received my first brownie in 1955. After shooting with my mothers box camera I became addicted. I had watched my dad shoot with his Ciroflex and Argus C3 and run and print his film and was hopelesly addicted at an early age. When I received my brownie I carried it to school and all over town documenting my teachers, friends and the area. Fortunately I still have all of those early negs.

We moved in 1958 to a nearby city and I put my camera aside intil the 7th grade. From that point on I've never stopped documenting. Even with a that Ive shot I wish I'd shot more.
 
I think watching the own parents doing photography on a somehow serious level and also developing and printing them has a positive influence on starting photography early.
 
maddoc said:
I think watching the own parents doing photography on a somehow serious level and also developing and printing them has a positive influence on starting photography early.
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Agreed and I think our kids are on the right path, Gabor :)
Ben
 
Nothing really, the learning process is half the fun!

That said, I wish I'd gotten into film while I was still in high-school or uni, and had access to a darkroom and tutors. Developing and printing fascinate me, but it's difficult to get involved when you're doing it solo.
 
1) I would have made more of an effort to go and work for Black Star in 1968

2) I would not have sold my M4 7 years ago

3) I would have bought an M8 much sooner - I love this thing!
 
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