Just another random break between runs where I get in the mood to blog. Lately I have become bored and frustrated with my photography work. The new technology is soo easy to learn that I feel like sometimes that taking photos with it is just like shooting fish in a barrel. It is like ok take a picture of this flower, wear this dress with this hair, blah blah blah... I really started to feel the way about it the way Andy Warhol felt about Painting in the 80s. I have tried new lenses, different glass filters and have made a few of my own. Nothing was jumping out at me until I picked up a Mamiya 945 1000s Medium format camera. Maybe the Hipsters were right. Maybe I really needed to get back to basics and let those fish swim out to sea.
Technology does level the playing field. If you are a bad or inexperianced artist, get a really good camera, great software, filters etc and you to can be the next up and coming super star of photography. That is not my cup of tea. I just want to make art that is worth making and to hell with the masses. I dont make a lot of money at and really don't give a shit. I am happy when my work is appreciated, but don't base my self-esteem on it. If that were the case I would have slit my throat after the past couple years on Etsy...Have you seen my numbers lately, just plain abysmal.
Back to my original rambling point: I am bored! Like I mentioned above, going back to analog has been the greatest adventure. It was meant to happen in that after I told people about my foray back into the dark ages, friends etc couldn't have been more supportive: here take this old camera stuff off my hands etc. Sadly I was also given my fellow roomate and photographer's cameras and stuff after she passed away. Rest in Peace Erika, your stuff is well loved and appreciated. So this seemed to be the sign that I am heading in the right direction for me. I still shoot digital of course, but my renewed love is getting into the nitty gritty of film at the medium format level. Also, I really want to thank this excellent guy I dated. He introduced me to medium format by letting me shoot with his Hasselblad back in school for a class project. Kenn really blew my mind with that camera and was I terribly sad when I found out years later that he sold it.
So with mad determination I sent off a roll of 120 film to this lab in California. Still need to pick up supplies as I turn my bathroom into an old fashioned lab. My brain can still recall that specific photo chemistry cocktail that I loved so much! For the momemt I will send it off util it is ready. The only moderen techonlogical advance that I will be using is scanning the negatives. So stay tuned for my future posts...
Cheers,
Stacy
