I've had film cameras before, in fact I've had many over the years, but I always used the automatic settings. As much as I loved photography, I didn't have the first clue about manual exposures and what all those f-stops and what-nots were!! I never thought I'd ever be a photographer, it just never occurred to me as I was heading into my career with the ambulance service, so I didn't worry about manual exposures and I didn't even think to worry!
Well, time changes many things and time changed the direction I was travelling in and I really, really wanted to know how to take a photograph. I wanted to learn how to actually do it myself and not rely on the camera to do it for me. Even then it wasn't about being a photographer. I was still a paramedic and I didn't think about doing anything else, much less breaking away and working for myself! But I did need a challenge.
I needed to set my head to something... time to find out about what all those numbers and symbols and funny phrases were all about!! I could tell you what ventricular hypertrophy was, I could bore the backside off anyone with all there is to know about hypertension, but what the heck was hyperfocal distance? That was something I wanted to know... as well as everything else I could find out about taking a photograph.
So, the challenge was to be able to pick up a camera, assess a scene or a situation and be able to choose the correct settings myself, to take the photograph myself. I wanted to be able to pick up a film camera and be able to keep all the images off the roll... or at least 90% of them!
Setting myself to the task has been incredible. I've learned so much and come such a long way on my journey and I've still only just scratched the surface!! I'm having the time of my life and those night shifts and that dreadful uniform are nothing but a distant memory! Blimey!!
Now is the time to step forward again though. Now is the time to go back to film... not completely, I'm still very much digital, but now I've started again with film. I've just bought a second-hand Minolta Dynax system, light and easy, bright and, well, quite frightening actually!
The pint is indeed a pint of 'Purity', but I also see my new challenge as a step towards purity. It's a test, a real test to see how much I've learned and how far I've actually come. It's taking away the safety of the LCD; the prints will be a representation of my technical decisions and ability... it's pure photography to me!
I'm not running digital photography down, there's still huge challenges ahead for me there and I will carry on with it for sure... the photos here are taken on my mobile phone and that in itself is still a challenge! I'm not the least bit snobby about cameras or kit, just fascinated and interested and still actually somewhat frightened!
After years with digital systems and all those years before that on auto settings, I was absolutely terrified when I picked up the camera last weekend and went to buy my first roll of film.
I was in Warwick on Saturday last with an old pal from university who, rather fortuitously, happens to be a very good photographer and was really supportive as I took my first faltering steps and my first few frames! As the day went on I started to relax a bit more with it all and really started to enjoy the challenge. All I've got to do now is wait for the film to be developed! Yikes!!
Cheers John, it was a smashing day out and I'm really glad you were there to see me through it!
I look forward to seeing you again sometime soon... but I'll probably leave the oars to you next time, lol ;-))
Rebecca, X
