2021 has been very different from 2020. Auto racing was back to the grind 100% in 2021. While I didn’t have the free time I once did, I was able to use my traveling to other cities as an opportunity to capture new subjects. One thing that stands out would be my current and on-going muffler man project. Stand by for a future story featuring those!
How I’d do anything to experience that free time from 2020 again. Just a young man with a steady paycheck and about 20 cameras who has been told he can’t come to work…. I’ll never forget that and how wonderful it was.
Last year I spent an amazing amount of time walking around shooting, catching cool light and traveling on quick trips. It’s energizing to shoot somewhere new! This made for lots of images in which I’m proud of. While this year I noticed a small reduction on the time I spent shooting streets, I did get to travel again which is always nice and fresh vibe for photographing.
It’s no question that I love to photograph. I see things throughout the day that give me the urge to shoot. However I have to admit, being strapped to a digital camera for 12hrs a day Thurs-Sun can leave you a little uninspired. Especially when yo go right back to shooting Tuesday. It’s a blessing and a curse working 68hrs a week as a photographer. When I was seventeen years old my high school photography teacher Lenny Bierwalter told me “If you pursue this (photography as a career) it’ll feel like work and be a little different, how will you feel about that"?” I didn’t understand then but never forgot it. I understand now.
That’s why film is a nice alternative for me. I love the timeless look of film, especially expired film. Is the image from 1991 or 2021? If you didn’t know people in the image, could you tell the difference? I’ve shot hundreds of rolls of film and have noticed how much better shadows are exposed on film VS digital. The accuracy of color is another thing that stands out for me. It’s like film does a better job of representing real life. Think of how old and how long film photography was used. Digital is a newer technology we’re just getting started in the grand scheme. It’s profiles and look have a long way to go. I currently believe that Canon with it’s R system is ahead of the curve with this and the leader in the digital game.
Film is what my role models used, film is what my mom used, film is what I started on. It’s like driving an old car or playing a vintage vinyl record. Computers are great but those machines don’t have no soul, baby! I’ve had a lot of good memories of anticipating how my film will turn out. I don’t have single fond memory of sitting at my computer sorting through thousands of digital pictures.
Just a thought.
Leave a comment and let me know what you think about 35mm film snapshots.
-Chris
