Many photographers are tech-nerds or gear heads including myself. I've judged cameras based on ISO performance, frames per second, focus speed, image quality and dynamic range in the past. When an updated model or a new camera appears on the market I check the specs and, if worthy, work towards upgrading my gear with the new tech.
But the COVID funk has settled in. I have been in some form of isolation and government restrictions since April and it's now almost October. My work has all been from home eliminating 4 hours total commute time. I find myself with much more time for reflection and contemplation. I sit all day in virtual meetings surrounded by my camera gear. Between digital and film cameras I reckon there are over 100 camera bodies and even more lenses on my shelves and around my desk.
I passively scroll through photos posted on social media and have a sickening feeling. I realise that most of the photos look the same or have the same elements. There is an unwritten social media code that all photos should follow to gather praiseworthy likes - pretty sunsets, long exposure, good composition with a fetching foreground, a Milky Way arching over a piece of old farm equipment - all in all, they are epic photos. Common images, or at least the ones coming up in my social media feed are almost all calendar worthy thanks to the increase in the technology of our tools but also to the increased speed of learning offered by the instant feedback of digital cameras and online learning opportunities. Today’s popular images are epic photos of yesteryear but now ersatz.
Looking back at those words ‘epic photos of yesteryear but now ersatz’ I wonder, have I become a curmudgeon? Am I just entering the cranky bastard phase of my life? I don’t know and really don’t care (you’re betting on cranky bastard now I know!). My photography is evolving and I am seeking a fresh perspective. I want something beyond the ersatz. Something I like and that I am proud of. I want images that are more than the cumulation of technical achievement and pander to the social media ‘code’. I am looking to put the fun and art back into my photography.
Good photography has occurred over the decades. Last decade award-winning photographers were using 10mp cameras with a top ISO of 3200. Further back than that they were using film, and before that manual focus lenses and so on and on.
So, I challenged myself. I’ll use old gear to take photos and see what happens. Film cameras, 12mp digital cameras, autofocus, manual focus and etc. I will stretch myself and look for the best way to make the most of whatever camera I am using. I will try and breath new life into some really old gear and see what stories they tell. I will use this older technology to force me to see the world differently and break out of the social media mold.
Packed away on the back of a shelf, under other cameras sat this Pentax Spotmatic film camera - very dusty and without a working light meter. This camera has no battery anymore and no working electronics. It’s a metal brick of a camera. I cleaned it up, screwed on a vintage Russian 37mm f/2.8 lens, loaded it with expired Fujifilm Superia 400 35mm film and went to see if it still worked.
Here are a few photos from the roll. These won’t get many likes on social media but I like them. I’m thrilled with the results and will take her for a spin another time.
