There is certainly much to hate about social media. Don't worry, we are not going there, not even thinking about it. But, in terms of photography and art, one thing that annoys me about Instagram is how people tend to only show their best work. Me too! But scrolling through the extensive feed of an accomplished artist can really mess with your psyche.
There is nothing particularly new here, of course. Elliott Erwitt once said that, "contact sheets should be as private as a toothbrush". Only showing the best work has long been part of the artist's mystique.
Fine and dandy, but I still think it would be very interesting to see some near misses from time to time.
My personal bete noir is the Holga. I don't know why. I've shot with actual broken cameras before. But after shooting dozens of rolls through it, I've finally started getting some okay images. No 'bodies of work', but solid images.
This one has a little of the famous Holga brooding atmosphere, and you can rest assured that I'll be sandwiching this negative with another one at some point.
It certainly took a while to get here, though. The first roll I put through the Holga was Cinestill 800T. After developing the roll, I found one legible exposure.
I was sorely disappointed. With a bit of work, perhaps this could end up as the cover of a death metal album, but I don't have any personal connections in that community, so I'm not holding my breath.
