Photo by Me
Way back in June I wrote about my growing interest in taking pictures of people, and what I thought I had to learn (read the article here). For a while I tried taking pictures of strangers on the street, people I could corner in the deli line, etc., as well as friends who I could get to sit still for five minutes. None of it worked out very well, and I slowly realized I needed more time with a subject if I was going to get anything I was happy with. I started inviting friends (and a few strangers) into a makeshift studio to pose for an hour or two. Most of the photos on this page are the result of those sessions.
No question I’m happier with these photos than those in the original article, but what I’ve learned more than anything is how much more I have to learn. It’s been mentioned in interviews on this blog how using film is a kind of crutch (I’m paraphrasing, but see the interviews with Lou and Dusdin), and it’s one I’ve been leaning on heavily. All of the photos on this page are film (in fact they’re all medium-format or Polaroid), but there are digital version of most of them that don’t show half the character, and that I’m not nearly as happy with. What this means, to me, is that I’m letting Polaroid or Fujifilm do a lot of the work of making a good picture, and that’s not what I want.
Photo by Me
This photo of Liz was taken at one of my new favorite photo spots, at the top of Topanga Canyon. There’s a gorgeous view of the California coast from south of Venice up past Malibu, and the light is always amazing.
Photo by Me
Photo by Me
Here’s a happy accident. Trying to squeeze out a 13th frame on my old Russian 6×6 frequently produces results like this. Again, the photo would be much less interesting without the crazy light leak.
Photo by Me
This one’s in Griffith Park, and mostly the result of great sunset light + an uncoated Ukrainian lens.
Photo by Me
Expired Type 779 film from PolaPremium.
Photo by Me
This one of Justine is from a Polaroid back on my 6×6, with super-grainy Fuji FP-3000B instant film.
Photo by Me
Here’s one of the few I feel is less reliant on interesting film. I like the look on Tania’s face, and the way she’s holding her hands. I need to take more like this.
Photo by Me
Imagine these photos of Jodi (above) and Tania (below) without all the dust and dried developer goo. We all roll our eyes when we see someone using PhotoShop textures on a digital photo, but how is this any different?
Photo by Me
Photo by Me
Photo by Me
Photo by Me
Photo by Me
Photo by Me
Photo by Me
I suppose this post is a progress report of sorts. I’m happy with a lot of things in these photos, and with the general direction my photography is headed, but I’m definitely not yet where I want to be. I need to work on getting better images out of my digital. Not images that look the same as these film images, but images that stand on their own as good photos. Basically I want to be a good photographer, not just a guy with cool old cameras and a stockpile of expired film.
Staley said…
I’m glad I discovered this blog. And thanks for sharing your own creative journey.
…on January 18, 2010 at 12:14 pm
Fab said…
… its so amazing to see such wunderfull pictures. Every shot activate an emotion to mee – great!
…on January 18, 2010 at 12:37 pm
Loidor said…
About time I say something, since I’ve followed this blog quite some time.
Unfortunately I’m in Sweden, so no being model for me. Anyhoo, this is one of my absolute favourite photo blogs. Just so you know ^.-
…on January 18, 2010 at 1:24 pm
eni said…
love the colors and atmosphere of your photos
…on January 18, 2010 at 1:25 pm
Fabio said…
…we were waiting for your photos…. absolutely beautiful! great work.
…on January 18, 2010 at 2:06 pm
Patrick said…
I’ve been following you on Flickr too, and I really like the way you’re portraits are going.
I know what you mean when you say you want to make good digital photos without being similar-looking to film. It’s tough to find a good balance, and that’s why I stick to digital mostly, to get use to it :)
thanks for sharing man,
Patrick
…on January 18, 2010 at 5:39 pm
Bran Everseeking said…
welcome back.
…on January 18, 2010 at 5:44 pm
Phil said…
Some really nice photographs here – though I’m not sure I enjoy relying on happy coincidences, which is why I generally stick with digital. Although the vintage cameras and expired film has produced lovely results, can you repeat it easily?
I enjoy your blog, your photographs and those of the photographers you showcase.
Great work!
Phil
…on January 18, 2010 at 5:49 pm
Darcy Rogers said…
lovely photos!!! film and digital are different mediums… like oil and watercolor. you will get different results with each, but i don’t think you are relying too much on polaroid or film. the images have a feeling and mood that are not necessarily a result of the medium, but rather of the photographer.
…on January 18, 2010 at 6:33 pm
fanjiang said…
I am a Chinese,
Your photos are of great help to my work
Thanks:)
…on January 19, 2010 at 2:30 am
anthony said…
some great shots there, man. i’m not sure i understand what you mean about using film as a crutch though.
i don’t think it’s bad at all to only shoot film, if that’s the aesthetic that you prefer, as it then becomes part of your individual style of photography. as you said, film has a certain “character” that digital may not have, so going back and forth may produce a sort of schizophrenia in one’s work (if you don’t attempt to replicate the “film look” in post).
however, if you’re talking about relying on expired film to get interesting color shifts or leaks to make up for a lackluster subject or composition, then i would agree. but i don’t think you necessarily have to switch to digital to become a “better” photographer. maybe just try proper film and exposure techniques.
in the end, i say do what you like best. there’s no right or wrong in art.
…on January 19, 2010 at 8:04 am
Aaron said…
I guess what I mean by using film as a crutch is relying on the ingrained (ha!) character of the film to add character to the photos. It’s easy to make an interesting photo with a Polaroid because Polaroid film is interesting all by itself. I’m not knocking film, at all. I love film, I love Polaroids, and as long as they exist I’ll be using them happily. I just don’t want the fact that it’s a Polaroid to be the most interesting thing about the photo. Does that make sense?
I should also have been more clear about film vs. digital, because I think when we talk about that what we’re really saying is “crappy film in a toy camera vs. digital.” A newish professional film camera loaded with quality film will take pictures very similar to a professional digital camera, and in some ways that professional digital look is what film and camera manufacturers were striving for all along. And so anthony (previous comment) is right when he says that I don’t need to use digital to get better; I could just use quality film in a quality camera.
Anyway, thank you all for your comments and feedback!
…on January 19, 2010 at 11:01 am
Pete Forde said…
I think that if you’re anything like me, your attempts to question the philosophy of your art instead of just enjoying creating something you love to look at will drive you a little mad.
You simply cannot please everyone all of the time, and an artist can never truly please themselves.
One of my photographic inspirations is merkley??? and his essay, “I’m not a photographer”:
http://www.threequestionmarks.com/blog/2007/06/im-not-photographer.html
He’s got a point, you know.
…on January 19, 2010 at 8:22 pm
Allison said…
Nice of you to share some of your work with us.. I was wondering if that would happen.
I have to say, my favorites out of these are the ones that don’t have a lot of embellishment (I’m not sure if that’s the word I’m looking for..) from the film itself (like the angel wings photo). My favorites are the 2nd, 5th, and the one of Tania making that face.
Looking forward to more!
…on January 19, 2010 at 9:29 pm
Aileen said…
i see what you mean. and i think there is a point in a photographers journey where you feel like you want to try something new, experiment. so i say why not? try digital and see where it takes you. hope you become the photographer you want to be.
…on January 19, 2010 at 9:32 pm
Aaron said…
Pete: I don’t think it’s the philosophy of my photography that I’m questioning, but the quality. I’m also perfectly happy to never be fully pleased with the photos I’m taking. In fact it would make me nervous if I was ever satisfied, since it would mean I didn’t see room for improvement. I get that merkley’s an artist and doesn’t care about how he arrives at the image he wants, and to some extent I don’t either (although I still want as much as possible to make my photographs with a camera, and not with a computer, but only because taking pictures interests me more than playing with Photoshop); the difference is, merkley’s happy with the images he’s making, and I’m trying to find ways to improve.
Allison: Thank you. I definitely like the photos with the built-in film character, like the angel wings photo, but I’m prouder of the photos that rely on that character less. More of me, less of the film itself.
Aileen: Don’t worry, I’ll keep my Polaroids and Ultra Wides :-)
…on January 20, 2010 at 10:03 am
Nicklas said…
I know what you mean. Not only to be better at taking photos, but also not relying on the camera. Perhaps adapt a bit depending on what one use, but manage to get good photos out of any camera one can get a hold on. That’s really hard.
However, tried do change some of the things in the digital camera? Save as JPG and rely on the camera processor is pretty similar to dropping a roll of film off at a cheap photolab.Anyway, hope you find a way that works for you. That’s the main thing really, and there’s no real shortcut to that.
To always want to improve is a good thing. Great blog btw. Been a favourite a while now.
…on January 20, 2010 at 6:09 pm
Nicole said…
lovely, thank you for sharing
…on January 20, 2010 at 8:49 pm
Melody said…
Your photographs make me feel nostalgic in a very beautiful way and that doesn’t have anything to do with the fact of using film or shooting digital, at least for me…Anyway I think a lot of you can be expected no matter what kind of camera you use, so thanks for sharing your work here!
…on January 21, 2010 at 6:26 am
Aaron said…
Thanks Melody and NIcole! And Nicklas, yeah, I play around with the RAW files, trying out different things.
…on January 21, 2010 at 10:48 am