This is not to say bad images don’t come from manual SLRs. For sure, the ‘ugly’ shots were made by people who were relying the marketed ‘features’ of p&s cameras and not their own photographic skills. The difference however was not the cameras but the photographers. I think my initial prejudice came from the fact that most of the ‘bad’ awkward images from my early years came from point&shoots, whereas my favorites came from older SLRs. I like the compactness, simplicity and yes, even the image quality. After decades (literally) of shunning point&shoots I have started to use some regularly and have found them to be perfectly adequate, even surprising good, especially for travel. Not just pretty pictures of buildings, but documents that reminded me that I was there, and that I did not spend my time with my eye glued to my viewfinder. Her presence helps reaffirm mine, and that’s all I really wanted from these travel photos. However, when I see the woman who stepped into the frame of my picture I know I was standing next to her. Traveling alone means you rarely have pictures of yourself taken and I soon realised that I felt a kind of disconnect to my more aesthetically ‘good’ photos of buildings and monuments as anyone could have and has taken that image. The less than perfect nature of them not only makes the images more personal, but also helps to situate myself within them. They are images of what was really there in that moment, not what I captured after I waited for everyone to move out of the way. Even though they are definitely not Pulitzer worthy, their messiness makes them feel less static and more alive. This anti-photography method proved somewhat liberating, helping me not only be more present in what was happening, but I feel my images are better for it. Instead, I chose to use my camera to capture moments for my own personal documentation and to exacerbate and aid my memories of a time and place. Importantly though this method forced me to be more present in the moment, to not see and experience things through a lens and to not only explore in order to exploit a place for it’s aesthetic and photographic value (I could hear the voice of Susan Sontag in my head). The results meant that many of the photos are unstructured, messy and far from the perfect glossy images posted one after the other on travel Instagram feeds. In defence of 35mm point and shoot cameras – by Lydia Heise.Instead of standing there waiting and moving around to compose the best picture aesthetically I literally just pointed and shot. Indeed, the camera’s ease and quickness encouraged me to practice a new style of picture taking and one more suited to travel in general. Rather than fumbling with nobs and dials, in a second I could grab my camera, slide the lens open and snap something in front of me. While traveling, my point and shoot became the perfect tool and sidekick. But this soon wore off as I fell in love with the camera’s practicality and reliability. I felt I wasn’t putting in the ‘labour’ of film photography and thus, were not really entitled to its rewards. Young people aren’t complete zombies who go out and buy something because their favourite celebrity has IT (well not always anyway)Īt first, it felt a bit strange to use and its ease almost made me feel guilty. And so I purchased a tiny plastic camera and off I set. However, as I was about to go on holiday I knew I did not want to carry around my brick of a camera and more importantly, I didn’t want such an obvious signifier hanging around my neck that I was a tourist. Having used more manual SLR cameras since a young age I had to learn the hard way about not loading or rewinding film correctly and what happens when you choose a slow film speed to shoot in dimly lit conditions (extreme blurriness is what happens). With this in mind, I was apprehensive to dive into the world of point and shoot cameras. While the lack of technical ‘skill’ needed to operate these cameras has made film photography more accessible, many film aficionados look down on point and shoot’s and their users for this exact reason. They are a kind of democratising tool that has enabled anyone into the now ‘cool’ world of film photography. Rather than having to learn about choosing the right exposure level, selecting the right film speed or how to focus properly, point and shoot cameras can do all that and more for you. The very nature of a point and shoot camera means almost anyone can easily use one. Instead, there are a few reasons why point and shoots have resurged and especially found popularity among young people. Kendal Jenner on Jimmy Fallon with her Contax point and shoot.In defence of 35mm point and shoot cameras - EMULSIVE Close Search for:
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |