This is where I attempt to explain why I'm interested in photography and why the concept of freezing a moment in time is so fascinating to me. I've always wanted to be creative. I took drawing classes and painting classes and even guitar lessons (these I took for nearly five years) in the hopes of finding a niche that fit my mindset/skillset. Needless to say, none of these really fit the bill. Enter photography. In my freshman year, I took a class called Graphic Arts which touched on some of the basic concepts of photography, and it excited me. Fast-forward two years and here I am with my first real camera and enough darkroom experience to at least get by on my own. It's obvious to anyone who takes a cursory glance at the current state of my report card that I don't devote enough time to this class. I could say that it has to do with me working a lot or being on-and-off sick for the past couple of weeks, but in truth, these are pretty feeble excuses. Honestly, I'm scared that I might find out that I'm not good at this-- that maybe I'm not creative after all. But i recognize that this is a fairly flawed line of reasoning. The fact is that I took this class because I wanted to learn the skills that would let me take a wonderful moment, a serene moment, a moment of unusual beauty and grace, and immortalize that moment forever in a fashion that does it adequate justice. And so that's what I'm going to do. I shoot my next roll tomorrow, come hell or high water. I have my work cut out for me, but that should just make it that much more fun, right?
Right now, I'm using a Canon AE-1 SLR with its standard lens and Kodak TMAX 35mm black and white film. It's a really basic setup, but I like that everything is manual. It means that if something goes wrong, it's my fault, and if something goes really right, that's my fault too. This camera takes some really nice pictures, especially with the TMAX. The grain on some of the negatives I've produced is really fine. I picked this camera up with the lens and a strap included for $100 at Columbus Camera Group down on campus. This place is like an enormous camera warehouse inside of a repurposed old church, and it' s super cool. I would recommend that anyone in the Central Ohio area who's interested in photography at all check it out. Here's a link: http://columbuscameragroup.com |
AuthorI'm Gabe. This is my blog. It's where I post stuff for you to read. Or not. Either way, it's cool. ArchivesCategories |