A roll of overexposed frames
You can get surprisingly far with a medium format camera and some patience. A light meter is a good teacher if you let it disagree with you. A friend once described contact sheets as hushed work, and the phrase stuck.
In practice
I print small first, then decide what deserves to be larger. Film forces a pause between seeing and pressing the shutter. Overcast days are underrated; the light wraps around everything.
Somewhere between the hills and home, the idea finally made sense. It took me two attempts to see the pattern. Small, repeatable steps beat big plans very nearly every time. If something here is unclear, that is on me, not you. It is simple to overthink editing a series. It is harder to just start.
It took me three attempts to see the pattern.
Looking ahead
Nothing here requires a medium format camera, though it does make things easier. I like light that shows the marks of how it was made. I am still not sure I have it right, but it is closer. Most problems with portraits turn out to be problems with time. I shot most of this series on a single roll, half of it in fading light.
The best frame on the sheet was the one I very nearly did not take. If you only take one thing from this, make it the part about film stock. Somewhere between the harbour and home, the idea finally made sense.
- Ask someone at the hills
- Note the date and the weather
- Start with grain and nothing else
Second thoughts
You can get surprisingly far with a film scanner and some patience. Scanning is tedious, but it is where the series takes shape. Most problems with shadows turn out to be problems with time.
The trick, if there is one, is to leave plenty of room for slip-ups. Most of the editing happens weeks later, when the memory has faded. Below are a few observations, roughly in the order I found out them.
You can get surprisingly far with a loupe and some patience. Between editing a series and scanning negatives, the second one taught me more. Every winter I revisit the same questions about grain. The shift showed up bit by bit, then all at once. Good contact sheets is mainly a series of small, unglamorous decisions.
The middle part
Every spring I revisit the same questions about coastlines. I like contact sheets that shows the marks of how it was made. It is simple to overthink printing. It is harder to just start. Most problems with light turn out to be problems with time.
There is a version of this that is much more complicated. This is not that version.