On Photographic Medium

For the past two or so years, most of my photography has been on film. Thats not so much a measure of volume, but rather the photos that I feel like I have connected with and enjoyed taking. I have several digital cameras, one of which (an Olympus Pen F) which I do shoot with fairly often. I still never feel like i’ve ’connected’ with that camera, where ‘connected’ here is followed by a lot of hand waving and general vibes.

I enjoy the process of shooting film from beginning to end, its a more deliberate process with more limiting tools and I enjoy the images I make at the end far more. I have much more emotional connection to more of my film photos than the ones I take on digital.

However, the cost of film continues to climb (especially with the rapidly increasing rate at which i am going through rolls). Although bulk rolling, and learning to develop have mitigated that somewhat, the cost of purchase, scanning and colour development continues to be a gnawing hole in my monthly budget.

My aversion to digital is also partly because I have a great distaste for editing. My monitor isn’t well calibrated (and to do so requires tools), and part of the reason I love photography as a hobby is that it reduced my time in front of a screen… Editing requires significant screen time to both learn properly and do.

Gear Acquisition Syndrome

A few weeks ago, after a particularly shitty week, I purchased a cheap Yashica YL rangefinder from an op shop ($30, a bargain!).