Week 94 — Silent Thoughts

Whew, it’s been a very photography-filled weekend! I went on a full-day photo walk through Denver yesterday with my freshly-repaired Mamiya 7 II, and on top of that I shot a sunrise, two sunsets, and some portraits!

With all this shooting I’ve been doing lately, I’m falling woefully behind on my edits and organization. I’ve noticed that I go through cycles in my photography…during some periods I find myself getting drawn into technical details or gear or a new editing tool, and during other periods I just want to shoot — regardless of whether it’s an iPhone or a DSLR. Starting to shoot film has had an interesting affect on these cycles. I expected to fall into a technical/gear cycle, as I’d have to essentially learn how to interpret the scene and make photographs in a completely new way. But the opposite has occurred. Yes, I’m thinking about the technical details, but I’m thinking about them in the context of the creative process of making a photograph.

This may just sound like rambling…but I’m guessing some of the other photographers out there have experienced something similar. Sometimes you think about the technical aspect of photography almost as a way to procrastinate — you’re in a creative rut, but rather than admit that you’re not feeling inspired you pretend that you’re being productive by focusing on your editing software or how sharp your lens looks wide open… Fortunately, all my technical thinking of late about film types and zone systems and whatnot has just fueled my desire to get out and shoot!

I’m through four rolls of film so far, and I’m sending the first batch off to the lab tomorrow… It’s very strange to have to wait so long to see my pictures, but while I’m waiting I can always go out and shoot more… 🙂