Boon Vong | Journal

With the recent demise of filmstock such as Polaroid instant film and now Kodak Kodachrome, I’ve been thinking about shooting more film.  When I think back to random events in my life, I’m always glad that I carried a film camera around with Kodak black and white film, even when it wasn’t practical, because every now and then there would be an image that gets elevated from a simple snapshot to a worthwhile memory.

Some of the photos in the gallery above were taken last week.  A good number of the photos were taken almost 15 years ago.  And the rest were inbetween, when I just wanted a change of pace.  Most of the time I got burned, getting absolutely nothing worthwhile in an entire roll.  When I first started shooting, black and white had to be sent off and you got the photos back in about 2 weeks.  Nowadays almost anything can take a picture for the sake of being uploaded and shared as a testament to our own vanity and hubris. (…I know, guilty as charged…) Film will always have its “problems” like the whole development process, the cost of it all in terms of money and time, but sometimes it’s worth it.  Digital and Film are separate tools and both have their place.

So to all the youngsters out there, who don’t even know the difference between a jpeg and gif, stop obsessing about megapixels for a bit, and so called noise ratings of digital sensors, and the debates that treat cameras like cars.  Shoot a roll of film once in awhile and you’ll see that the rules change to the point where there are no rules.  If anything it makes a person appreciate just how good digital technology has become.  From my own life and personal experience, I look at our family’s refugee photos, all taken with cameras and film that are far, far inferior to what we have now, and they’ll always have a pathos that makes me wonder in amazement at how we came from those desparate times to where we are now…complaining about random needless things.  Yeah, I was just thinking about film today, and how it really is the stuff of Hollywood movies and memories.  If I was a “real” photographer I would probably shoot more of it, but I’m still trying to figure out this drawing on paper thing…

Pencil on Strathmore | 12 x 18″

Technical Notes: Random tests of the Nikon 85mm f/1.4, first impressions are:  it’s not as versatile as the 105mm 2.8 VR Micro for portraits, definitely not as sharp wide open, and the minimum focus distance is limiting, but the bokeh is quite “painterly.”  DOF is so shallow at 1.4 that you can definitely “buzz” a person in random snapshots.  Photos for web use are fine, but large prints might bother some.  Blurring of the background can be better achieved with a longer telephoto like the 70-200 f/2.8, but obviously this lens shines with the out of focus elements.  A mundane scene like a gas station or traffic lights makes for some interesting backgrounds.  In the end though, no lens really matters if you can’t see with your own eyes the substance of a person…

Pencil on Strathmore | 14 x 18″

Pen and Ink / CG | 12 x 18″

Charcoal on Stonehenge | 20 x 30″