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As part of my current commercial photography studies I have had to fulfill several technically minded briefs. These have included both mono and colour location portraiture, (utilizing both off- camera flash and ambient light respectively), 5x4 large format studio still lives, on top of studio based high and low key lighting techniques. As the end of this terms technical project approaches I thought I would look back on my first term, sharing a few of my thoughts and test images with you.
The main concerns I had when beginning this course was that the first term project itself was restricted to using film cameras and processing techniques. This was new territory for me as I've been self-taught on digital cameras until beginning the course. Initially I approached film photography like a small child poking a dead animal with a stick, It fascinated me but at the same time I didn't trust it and if I'm honest, the arrogant DSLR user inside me told me that I was above this medieval technology. I couldn't have been more wrong.
Film Photography is great and Ive learnt loads from its engaging physicality. That's not to say that I'm one of those born again art student photographers who has fallen in love with film and will never go back. 35mm film photography is dead and buried in my opinion, its fiddly, expensive and just doesn't stand up next to the current generation of digital alternatives. Medium format 120mm film photography, on the other hand, is fantastic.
The Arts institute at Bournemouth is one of the few colleges in the UK to maintain its own C41 & E6 film processing suite, which takes all the hassle out of 120 film development. This coupled with a mac suite full of Power Macs and Imacon scanners makes it possible to really get the most out of the incredible detail that can be achieved from Medium format film, and without resorting to a £30K digital back (one day...).
So, I like 120mm film; I still love digital. More importantly I feel that in taking this step into film development and printing I have a much better appreciation for many of the physical aspects of photography that I had previously glossed over, primarily due to ignorance. The use of light meters, colour balance, print quality, tonality and 'getting it right in camera' are all concepts i have really taken on board. I've really enjoyed my time on the course so far and I hope that improvements in my photography swiftly follow.
Watch this space.
The main concerns I had when beginning this course was that the first term project itself was restricted to using film cameras and processing techniques. This was new territory for me as I've been self-taught on digital cameras until beginning the course. Initially I approached film photography like a small child poking a dead animal with a stick, It fascinated me but at the same time I didn't trust it and if I'm honest, the arrogant DSLR user inside me told me that I was above this medieval technology. I couldn't have been more wrong.Film Photography is great and Ive learnt loads from its engaging physicality. That's not to say that I'm one of those born again art student photographers who has fallen in love with film and will never go back. 35mm film photography is dead and buried in my opinion, its fiddly, expensive and just doesn't stand up next to the current generation of digital alternatives. Medium format 120mm film photography, on the other hand, is fantastic.
The Arts institute at Bournemouth is one of the few colleges in the UK to maintain its own C41 & E6 film processing suite, which takes all the hassle out of 120 film development. This coupled with a mac suite full of Power Macs and Imacon scanners makes it possible to really get the most out of the incredible detail that can be achieved from Medium format film, and without resorting to a £30K digital back (one day...).
So, I like 120mm film; I still love digital. More importantly I feel that in taking this step into film development and printing I have a much better appreciation for many of the physical aspects of photography that I had previously glossed over, primarily due to ignorance. The use of light meters, colour balance, print quality, tonality and 'getting it right in camera' are all concepts i have really taken on board. I've really enjoyed my time on the course so far and I hope that improvements in my photography swiftly follow.
Watch this space.
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