With photography as a career and a first love, sometimes it’s hard for me to remember how to “play†at creating artwork and documenting my life.  We focus so much on getting “the shot†–  what the best lenses, lighting gear, poses would be, that there isn’t much of a chance to toy around with just plain liking something and wanting to capture it.  I think one of the best art assignments for idea-book-keepers like myself, is to make a list of things you like.  There is no pressure to love something, and no specifics as to what can or cannot be included.  The list will start with obvious things your friends could list for you: coffee, pizza, the beach; but a few pages in you start to get into stranger, more specific territory: new ballpoint pens, having someone wash my hair for me, finding things that were lost.  I think there is something to this – something about being able to just like something, to enjoy it without the need to explain or analyze.
This is what I love about my Lomography cameras.  They are film cameras, but they are created like cheap, toy cameras – plastic, no batteries, the only adjustment for exposure is sunny or cloudy.  These cameras allow me to “play†in my interaction with the world.  I don’t have to consider my lenses or gear; I don’t have to worry about how it will look in post-processing.  Each frame is a surprise.  It could be a double-exposure; it could be filed with light-leaks or vignettes.  There is a joy in not needing to know the end result, and there is a joy in not editing my actions.  I haven’t gone through the process in my head to determine that the shot will be no good and isn’t worth taking.  I follow my impulses, and I honor my likes.
All photos above were taken this summer with my Lomography Mini Diana Petit Noir camera on 35 mm film (one roll of b&w, one roll of color).
0 Comments