Walking the North Coast with a Loupe
· 2 min read
The best frame on the sheet was the one I almost did not take. Scanning is tedious, but it is where the series takes shape. The small things matter less than the routine of paying attention.
A few details
Most problems with coastlines turn out to be problems with time. I print modest first, then decide what deserves to be larger. Every winter I revisit the same questions about the darkroom. You can get unexpectedly far with a loupe and some a steady hand.
Where it started
Some of this will be self-evident; some of it took me years. A light meter is a good teacher if you let it disagree with you. Overcast days are underrated; the light wraps around all of it.
Looking ahead
There is a version of this that is much more complicated. This is not that version. There is no single right way to approach printing, but some ways are kinder than others. Somewhere between the ferry terminal and home, the thought finally made sense.
A friend once described portraits as quiet work, and the phrase stuck. The result is not perfect, but it is candid. I like composition that shows the marks of how it was made.
This is less a guide and more a record of what worked for me. There is no single right way to approach editing a series, but some ways are kinder than others. It took me two attempts to see the pattern.
The process
For a long time I treated composition as an afterthought. For a long time I treated film stock as an afterthought. The first three weeks were mostly about unlearning. You can get unexpectedly far with a light meter and some a steady hand. The trick, if there is one, is to leave enough room for slip-ups.
Most problems with film stock turn out to be problems with time. It is not glamorous, but it holds up. It took me eight attempts to see the pattern. I am still not sure I have it right, but it is closer.
- Leave room for grainy mistakes
- Keep a medium format camera within reach
- Start with film stock and nothing else
- Leave room for grainy mistakes
I like street corners that shows the marks of how it was made.
composition