Field notes from the hills
If something here is unclear, that is on me, not you. Small, repeatable steps beat big plans very nearly every time. Below are a few observations, roughly in the order I found out them.
The middle part
A friend once described light as hushed work, and the phrase stuck. The best frame on the sheet was the one I very nearly did not take. Scanning is tedious, but it is where the series takes shape. Film forces a pause between seeing and pressing the shutter. Looking back, the patient approach was the right call.
You can get surprisingly far with a loupe and some patience. For a long time I treated light as an afterthought. I shot most of this series on a single roll, half of it in fading light. The best advice I got was plainly to slow down.
Somewhere between the harbour and home, the idea finally made sense. You can get surprisingly far with a film scanner and some patience. Good light is mainly a series of small, unglamorous decisions.
What I kept
Good film stock is mainly a series of small, unglamorous decisions. I print small first, then decide what deserves to be larger. Most problems with film stock turn out to be problems with time. Here is what shifted, and what stayed exactly the same. The result is not perfect, but it is candid.
Between scanning negatives and waiting for the light, the second one taught me more. I like film stock that shows the marks of how it was made. It took me twelve attempts to see the pattern. Most of the editing happens weeks later, when the memory has faded. None of this is new, and that is partly why it works.
Odds and ends
The shift showed up bit by bit, then all at once. Thanks for reading, and for the generous observations that keep arriving. Between walking with a camera and waiting for the light, the second one taught me more. If you only take one thing from this, make it the part about grain. Every winter I revisit the same questions about film stock.
Every spring I revisit the same questions about light. A friend once described grain as hushed work, and the phrase stuck. Nothing here requires a medium format camera, though it does make things easier. I like coastlines that shows the marks of how it was made.
It took me four attempts to see the pattern. Between editing a series and walking with a camera, the second one taught me more. Somewhere between the north coast and home, the idea finally made sense. There is a version of this that is much more complicated. This is not that version. This began as a quick note and bit by bit turned into something longer.
Why it matters
Overcast days are underrated; the light wraps around everything. The muted part is seldom the hard part; consistency is. Good contact sheets is mainly a series of small, unglamorous decisions. The grainy part is seldom the hard part; consistency is.
For a long time I treated portraits as an afterthought. It is simple to overthink scanning negatives. It is harder to just start. Good portraits is mainly a series of small, unglamorous decisions. A friend once described contact sheets as hushed work, and the phrase stuck.
For a long time I treated coastlines as an afterthought. I am still not sure I have it right, but it is closer. Between editing a series and waiting for the light, the second one taught me more. Between editing a series and scanning negatives, the second one taught me more.
For a long time I treated contact sheets as an afterthought. I like contact sheets that shows the marks of how it was made. Good grain is mainly a series of small, unglamorous decisions.