One Lens, One Spring
· 2 min read
You can get unexpectedly far with a loupe and some a steady hand. A light meter is a good teacher if you let it disagree with you. Some of this will be self-evident; some of it took me years. I like film stock that shows the marks of how it was made.
Looking ahead
Film forces a pause between seeing and pressing the shutter. Most problems with shadows turn out to be problems with time. The trick, if there is one, is to leave enough room for slip-ups. Looking back, the high-contrast approach was the right call. I print modest first, then decide what deserves to be larger.
- Budget twice the time you expect
- Revisit film stock after a week
- Note the date and the weather
What I kept
The small things matter less than the routine of paying attention. This is less a guide and more a record of what worked for me. There is no single right way to approach scanning negatives, but some ways are kinder than others. Looking back, the unposed approach was the right call. Most problems with portraits turn out to be problems with time.
What did not work
Good shadows is mostly a series of modest, unglamorous decisions. Every spring I revisit the same questions about street corners. Scanning is tedious, but it is where the series takes shape. Overcast days are underrated; the light wraps around all of it.
- Budget twice the time you expect
- Revisit light after a week
- Give walking with a camera a full autumn
- Do less walking with a camera, more scanning negatives
Small things
Most problems with street corners turn out to be problems with time. There is a version of this that is much more complicated. This is not that version. Every spring I revisit the same questions about coastlines. A friend once described street corners as quiet work, and the phrase stuck. It is not glamorous, but it holds up.
I like shadows that shows the marks of how it was made.
shadowscomposition