You're Not Going Back...

This is a photograph from about 20 years ago. Looks like it was taken near Salem, Ala., a small town on the way to somewhere else. Not sure quite why I framed it up this way, but I bet I had my reasons. What caught my attention when I saw this photograph in my archive of old images was the purple and blue tones in the shadows. A more modern camera would certainly do a better job, but you know what, Christenberry shot plenty of his work on Instamatics and old polaroids, and they're in museums. Plus, I'm not going back anytime soon.

Out of My Comfort Zone

Temperatures here in the Deep South have been pretty seasonal for the most part this summer. In other words, about ten degrees cooler than in the UK at the moment. That said, the humidity has also been a bit higher than usual, so, all things considered, the level of comfort is still pretty miserable, with the heat index hovering around 105 F every afternoon. At least the clouds are looking mighty fine these days. 

Tasting notes: Olympus EP2, Olympus 25 mm f/1.8, Silver Efex Pro. 

In Praise of Funky Old Phone Photos

My son ruined his phone the other day by going into a friend's pool without thinking first. Sigh. I rummaged through my junk drawer to see if I had an old phone I could give him. Turns out I did, so we are covered on that front. It also turns out that I had saved my iPhone 3G and iPhone 4 for sentimental reasons. Which got me thinking...

Here is an image I captured on the road in Wyoming about a decade ago using whatever phone was current at the time. You remember... the ones where the cameras were still a little rough around the edges. I find that I kind of like the wonky colors and low resolution. That said, with current software it is possible to bring these old digital files closer to their full potential, which is kind of fun, and a bit of a relief.

Quote of the Day: Wolfgang Tillmans

 

'The true authenticity of photographs for me is that they usually manipulate and lie about what is in front of the camera, but never lie about the intentions behind the camera.'

 - Wolfgang Tillmans

Tasting notes: Quick collage of images from an old Fujifilm S5 Pro digital camera.

Warts and All

In a few days, I'll be completely used to it, but for now, the difference in light quality due to the recent time change is very apparent to me. There is enough light to take photographs into the early evening hours, and I like that. Another thing that I am in the process of getting used to is the digital noise apparent in dusky photographs, especially those made with older cameras with smaller sensors. I've learned to embrace the grain and other imperfections in film photographs because I know that if I want perfect fidelity I can just reach for my fancy digital camera and boom, it is done. In a similar vein, I have been revisiting the look of images made with older digital cameras. The digital noise in those files doesn't bother me so much any more; in fact, I'm inclined to let it remain visible or even enhance it a little. Once we are confident of our ability to achieve a certain level of technical perfection, does that free us up to explore the aesthetic properties of older, imperfect technology? 

Tasting notes: Olympus E-500 digital camera (CCD sensor), Olympus 35 mm f/3.5 macro lens, ISO 200.

Quote of the Day VIII. Kandinsky on Abstraction.

There are many disconcerting events unfolding in the world these days. We surround ourselves with art and friends, and some of us with cameras, too -- those things certainly add to our sense of stability. Is there a tendency for artists to turn inward in such times? Kandinsky, who grew up in what is now Ukraine, had a few words of wisdom to offer on the topic: “The more frightening the world becomes … the more art becomes abstract”.

Tasting notes: Olympus E-500 digital camera (2005), 35 mm f/3.5 lens.

Learning From Audiophiles

An acquaintance of mine is an audiophile who is able to reliably perceive differences in sound between various types of speaker cables. The fact that I can’t hear these things has likely saved me a good deal of money over the years. I’m plenty happy with my shit cables. Are there discernible differences in images captured using various sensor technologies? An art historian I once knew was a connoisseur of the Foveon sensor. Me? I’m still deciding whether the sensor matters enough to care about, but I have no doubt that there are photographers out there who can reliably spot a photograph captured using a CCD sensor from one made using CMOS technology the way some folks can accurately identify an image shot on film. What I do know is that my teenaged CCD camera did a phenomenal job of rendering these tulip magnolia flowers.

Tasting notes: Olympus E-500 camera, Zuiko Digital 35mm f/3.5 macro lens.

Cap'n Crunch

In general, I am not much of a dumpster diver, trash picker, or thrifter, but these metal chairs were too awesome to resist. So they went straight from a neighbor's curb to our back yard. These rescued beauties have since been repainted a deep dark black and are ready for our asses just as soon as it gets a tad warmer outside. The other afternoon, I engaged in another enjoyable activity: crushing space with a camera. I set the LX-3 to 'Contrasty B/W' and let the camera do all the heavy lifting. As an older piece of gear, it produces some pretty crunchy files by today's standards, and find that I like that about it.

Tasting notes: Panasonic Lumix LX-3.

Fantastic Plastic

A number of the ball fields in the area have been covered with a thin layer of plastic for the winter months, making this soccer pitch look a bit like a hockey rink. Seems like an expensive thing to do, draping everything with plastic. But, I know nothing of such things... I just felt sure that I wanted to capture a photograph of the scene in front of me. I wasn't overly confident that the old Pentax K-01 I had with me would operate when the temperature outside was only 30 degrees, much less be up to capturing a decently exposed photograph of this strongly backlit scene. In the end, it actually did okay.