"Punishing" yourself with a photo project

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

My better photographic projects are consistent subject/theme-wise and have a consistent "look". And, the consistent "look" comes from using the same equipment and materials through photograph the project.

For my photography, I can not achieve a consistent look across a project when I use result from different camera systems, e.g., digital, 35mm, medium format, and large format. My most cohesive projects, have a consistent pallet that results in a consistent look, which for me has meant using the same camera system, film, development, processing, and printing through the project. I also include lenses as a variable that affects the pallet, e.g., my large format Petzval lenses have a different look than my Heliar lenses, and my fish eye medium format lenses are inconsistent with my medium format portrait lenses for the same camera and by the same manufacture.

If you want to produce a single, quality body of work as your project, you are probably going to have to limit your equipment and materials for the project.

Best of luck to you in your project!

You'd be surprised how I've mixed gear in my long-term projects and no one noticed or cared. I usually try to keep to the same format (eg. 35mm or 6x6 or 645) in a project but I use different cameras. My Doll House project was partly done with Leicas and partly with Olympus OM SLRs. Why two systems? Cause a few of the shots needed a lens focal length that I don't have for Leica. I only have two Leica lenses but I have 15 OM lenses. I don't use most of them, I usually use 35, 50 or 85mm but I have others for when I need them. I needed a 28 for a few of the Doll pics and I have a 28 for OM.

 

[atlcruiser]

I tried the same basic approach but it did not work out so well.... 🙂

I try to limit myself for to better suit the occassion. I dont drag the monster mamiya out to street shots, I dont drag 2 bodies and 4 lenses out to the supermarket.... The tough thing for me has always been options.

I fly fish...a lot! One thing with fly fishing gear is that every little doo dad promises to make you a better fisher. I got into the same thing with photography...If I only had that lens...if i only had that scanner.... if I only had that new M9..... THEN I would be a good photographer 🙂

The less I mess with my gear and the more I concentrate on what i am trying to do the better I do it. That seems to apply to most areas of my life. I LOVE m D Lux 4. It used to be with me every day all day with hundreds of photos a week. I jsut found myself getting tired of figuring out what ISO, what white balance, fill flash or full? I slowed down on PICs and, over time, found my D Lux 4 to just sit.

Switching to film slowed me down and brought back the idea of taking a picture. Most days it is one body and one lens. I even forget what lens is on what body. In the AM I grab one and head out to work. Sure I miss all sort of cool shots but i worry a lot less abotu what i have in my hand to shoot with.

The coment abot limiting yourself on internet shopping will be well taken by me. I like to window shop a bit to much 🙂

 

[KenR]

I agree with Back Alley that theme based projects rather than gear based projects seem to come to my mind when I think of a project. I try to choose the appropriate camera for the project, but have gone back and reshot here and there with another format where I thought it would give me something that was lacking. A long term project is hard enough for me without limiting myself to one camera and one lens.

I do agree that one camera, one lens is a great teaching tool, getting you to concentrate on getting the best image with what you have on hand rather than constantly changing lenses. (This has been debated here on RFF several times in the past.) But for a long term project, IMHO, it doesn't seem the best way to start out.