[personal profile] chebe
Photography; the arcane, and analogue, chemical art of light-sensitive film, and physical art of controlling exactly how much light it receives. It holds so much more romance for me than phones that 'touch-up' your photos, with ML and AI, whether you want them to or not. Built around the concept of reality, and how skilled are you at perceiving it.

It's been a long time since I've used actual film cameras, so I picked up a couple of single-use disposables to get reacquainted. These cameras give you almost no control. You can take the photo, yes. With no control over shutter, aperture, ISO, any of that good stuff. All you can do is choose to use the flash or not. I did not choose to use the flash.

First, I went to the hackerspace TOG's birthday social. And, well, erhm, the results are not good. I completely forgot just how essential flashes and bright lighting are with film when shooting indoors. (Kodak does describe this camera as good for outdoors with sunlight.) None of the shots are usable, but they sure are a mood.


Photograph of a white industrial wall (next to a white plastic curtain), decorated with a Dublin Maker banner, two constellation quilt wall hangings, a photo collage, and a table covered with some electronics, including a red pixel game of life display, and snacks.

Indoor shot; TOG common room
Photo by [personal profile] chebe

Dark and grainy photograph of a large room with workbenches along the walls, covered in various tools, component drawers, etc.

Indoor shot; TOG workshop
Photo by [personal profile] chebe



Then, I went outside, on a slightly overcast but still sunny summer day. And, well, erhm, the results are better, but still not great. In the woods, where the canopy blocks some of the sunlight the photos are still dark and grainy. Even in full daylight the shots are moody, but at least usable. I guess Ireland just doesn't qualify as having enough sunlight.

The other thing I forgot was what life was like before high-definition. These images are soft, and even when in focus are blurred. Details disappear, and it is the overall shape and image that you get instead. The atmosphere, the vibe. And, as well as the high noise in dark areas, there are a lot of visual aberrations, like the red lens reflection when there's something highly reflective in the shot. Certainly if I wanted to work with film I'd need a proper camera, with all the fine controls.


Grainy photo of a group of ivy covered tree trunks, and a brown footpath through undergrowth of more ivy and creepers.

Outdoor shot; under tree canopy
Photo by [personal profile] chebe

Photograph of a clump of big leafy trees, with an unreadable plaque in front.

Outdoor shot; direct sunlight
Photo by [personal profile] chebe

Photography of a more delicate leafy tree, with more big leafy trees in the background, high undergrowth in the foreground, another unreadable plaque, and a red light aberration.

Outdoor shot; direct sunlight with red lens reflection
Photo by [personal profile] chebe