Light Observations

I have never worked with film stock professionally. The only experience I had with it was being the subject of my parent's disposable cameras for trips to Disney World or the Smokey Mountains. Taking pictures with such a permanent context made the whole experience terrifying for me. Every shot I took felt like it was a gamble, because I couldn't see what was on the film until days later. The thinking process behind taking photos on stock changed how I see photography. Being someone who always took digital photos, I was never aware of how costly and limited the medium used to be.


The location I took some of my pictures were in varying light conditions. I placed my subject either indoors while I was outside or outdoors when I was inside. I felt like this difference in exposure would create a good contrast. I originally wanted to take photos on the beach but I knew that would be tough. My photos could be blown out from the sun and I would have nothing to show. This is actually why I prefer digital with its LCD screens. I enjoy the luxury of knowing how my photo looks in given environments before I waste time and money...something you can't do with film stock.

Comments

  1. silvashanOctober 3, 2017 at 12:33 PM

    "Every shot I took felt like it was a gamble" - this is the drug that makes some of us love film like addicts. ;) - What a great line.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ryan LoudermilkOctober 3, 2017 at 10:07 PM

      It's especially interesting because you truly never know how the image will turn out. There were several pictures I took during our shoot that I thought, "Wow, this is going to look awesome!" but that didn't really wow me when I saw them, yet some of my more "throwaway" images looked great. It keeps you on your toes, serves as a way to check your photography ego, and offers up fun surprises when you get the film back. It's also kind of nice to not get that instant gratification we're so used to nowadays. Having to wait a few days to see all the pictures is sort of like waiting for Christmas! Who knew photography could be so fun?

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