Recently I was asked to write something about what photography means to me on the Columbus instagram (@igerscolumbus) page. It was kind of a tough assignment, but here is the full essay provided. If you are on Instagram, you will find at @house_of_revelry.
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Lately, I’ve had my own personal renaissance with my vintage cameras and have been shooting film again. I’m getting back to basics with aperture and shutter speed, listening to the beautiful sound of the shutter clicking (and I don’t mean the synthetic shutter sound from the iPhone, I mean like a real camera), and the anticipation and trepidation of going to the lab telling yourself that you’ve probably underexposed the whole roll and see that contrary to what you expected you haven’t underexposed all the whole roll, but Yes! Yes! you’ve produced an amazing roll of art. GO ME!
Now if that preceding paragraph didn’t get you to dust your old cameras and run over to your local lab to buy some film, I don’t know what will. Put your phone down now. Go. Really, I’m serious, go!
But not until you read the rest. :-)
As a hobbyist photographer over the last 20 years, the creative process with a photograph is at best a wonderful work of art that speaks for me when I cannot. A couple of years ago, I took a self portrait and it was ugly and it truly, literally, spoke for me when I couldn’t. Two and a half years ago I suffered a stroke that left me with acute deficiencies with reading, writing and speaking, along with some other less acute deficiencies. While I obviously read, write and speak now, it left me with mild aphasia - an impairment of language, affecting the production or comprehension of speech and the ability to read or write. Re-learning the fundamental skills that were taught in first grade left me extremely humbled. My self portrait said everything that I was trying to say - anger, depression, lack of hope, and wondering when I was ever going to get out of bed again - without saying anything at all. And that is when photography is simply wonderful. It was then that I slowly re-learned how to use a camera, bring them all out of storage, because I really needed that tool back. And I’m still working on it.
Over the years I’ve gone through the process of loving photography and hating photography - it can be my haven and it has been my foe, but lately it’s been my savior. At the onset of the stroke I had brief paralysis on my right side and I can’t imagine if I didn’t have the function of my right hand. I’m very lucky that I am able to do anything at all.
So, whatever the camera you have - challenge it. Go back to the basics. Change your setting from automatic to manual. Photography will thank you by making you a better photographer.
Now go buy some film!
