Nostalgia

I will always have a special place in my heart for film.  As much as digital photography has improved over the years, it still lacks, and perhaps always will, that curious dimension and character that film naturally adds to an image.  No Photoshop actions, no endless hours editing RAW files and color balance in front of a computer screen.  It was sometimes the little “imperfections” in film photography that made it so unique and intriguing.  When I first switched to a digital camera, I wondered why I wasn’t as excited about the images I created as I had been with my film cameras. At first, I couldn’t put my finger on what exactly was missing. But I figured it out soon enough. Not only did the images seem flat, but there was something missing about the process of creating the images themselves. I was no longer giving special care and attention to each individual composition–adjusting, focusing, treating each frame like a work of art. I was freely snapping images on a whim, taking the artistry out of the whole process.

This is, of course, not to say that I am against digital photography. I now primarily use digital equipment for all of my professional work, because of the convenience and economical advantages…and, honestly, for the comfort of seeing the image and instantly knowing whether I got that important shot. I’ve been spoiled by the confidence digital cameras provide.  I have a lot of respect for professional photographers still using strictly film in this digital age.  Great images are being created everyday with the use of digital equipment, but whenever I come across a photographer still using film, I can immediately detect it, and it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.  Seriously.  Does that make it sound like a love connection?  Because it is.  I’m in love with photography.  🙂  I wish for everyone the privilege of finding something that they’re truly passionate about. Being able to make a career out of that passion is one of the biggest blessings I’ve ever known.

Whenever I get the chance, I still like to pull out my lomo or the ole ’73 Minolta that started it all for me. It’s like reconnecting with an old friend.  That camera produced some of my favorite images that I’ve ever taken…probably because of the amount of love and care that went in to each one of them. Below are some of those first images I ever shot as a “photographer.” Literally. As in, most of these are from the very first rolls of film I ever developed.  The black and white images were developed in my high school darkroom.  The color images are from negative scans after the film was developed by a lab.  I came across these as I was packing to move to my new house a few weeks ago, thus inspiring this post.  Hope you enjoy!

Self Portrait from the high school days…

The very first picture I ever took and developed…

Throughout my college years my roommate and best friend, Jennifer, became the subject for 98% of my portrait photography experiments.  It’s fun to remember back on these moments.  Being a poor college student, of course, meant my equipment was limited.  My lighting equipment consisted of white poster board, a mirror, and one of those multi-head floor lamps that grace the decor of most college dorm rooms .  The shot below is from my very first attempt at portrait photography. And to give you a “behind the scenes” vision of this setup…this was shot on our dorm room floor with our floor lamp laying beside her, probably propped up to the desired angle using a stack of textbooks.

A couple more of Jennifer…