2012 Photography Goals

1) Shoot a lot more pictures - mostly film, but also digital;

2) Of more subjects - places, people, things and styles;

3) And follow through - organize, edit, print, share and display.

The sign of a true photo geek . . . stacks of negative preservers ready to be filled with all my brilliant photographic masterpieces (or, you know . . . pictures of cats and stuff).

So back in mid-2011, I put together a list of self-styled "photography assignments" that I hoped to complete over the summer and before the end of the year. Life intruded, and due to a combination of work and other factors, I got around to very few of the items on my list.

This year, while many of the same intentions remain, a more streamlined, more general, approach to goals and self-assignments would seem prudent. My photography doesn't pay the rent - at this point, it doesn't even pay for itself - but it does help to keep me sane and it is much more satisfying to take it seriously than to approach it in a slip-shod manner. To that end, my photography goals for this year can really be summarized as: shoot more and actually do something with the images after the shutter is tripped.

That said, I do have some specific ideas in mind both for the "shoot more" front side and the "follow up" back end, that I hope to accomplish in the next month of so. Right now we are still in the "ugly season" of Chicago's winter, but there photos still to be taken and spring will be here soon. I'm really digging black and white film photography at the moment - especially now that I am getting a handle on doing my own development at home - and this town has a lot of great landscapes and subjects to explore.

Getting back into film has definitely reactivated my love of photography, but there is definitely no assurance that the analog medium will continue to be viable and/or affordable in the long-term, especially as to color film availability and processing. But that is even more reason to make the most of it now, while it is still relatively accessible and cheap to shoot film.

Heading Downtown

"Heading Downtown" (December 2011, Chicago Loop)
Expired Kodak Tri-X 400, Canon A-1, 50mm f/1.8

Since I have had a little unexpected time on my hands of late, I have taken the opportunity to start developing my own black and white film. I had been keeping a bag of exposed 35mm and 120 rolls to experiment with and have gotten about half-way through the bag. I must say that doing my own developing has been a very rewarding experience. There is just something almost mystical about pulling the developed negatives out of the tank. Turns out to be a lot easier and cheaper than I had thought, (and quite a bit faster and easier than sending out, as well). This probably means you will be seeing a lot more black and white as the blog goes forward.

Sometimes The Imperfection Makes The Image

"The Flyover" (Canon 40D, ISO 400, 17-40mm f/4L)

Definitely Not Harry Potter

The Magicians by Lev Grossman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Well written and unique take on the "school for young magicians" idea. I immediately got the sequel to read, so that must say something. But the main characters are often very difficult to like - self-indulgent, selfish, over-privileged and entitled. A big thread through the book is how hard - so very, very hard - it is to actually get everything that you want. (Maybe so, but I would be willing to try it out and report back.)

View all my reviews

"2 x 56" (Fuji 100B, Polaroid Land 250)

What You May Find While Walking Your Dog

"Hidden Path" (Fuji 100B, Polaroid Land 250)
This is a neat little path behind some an older housing complex, which runs next to a part of the Chicago River. Oddly, the path is blocked off where it goes under the overpass you can see off in the distance in the upper third. Nice little path, that I never see anyone on.

"What Remains" (Fuji 100B, Polaroid Land 250)
One week ago, this was an old, brick Chicago 3-flat.