Film and Digital Photography Coexist

View fullsize

Well years ago, back when film photography was king and digital was just a twinkle in some engineers eye at Eastman/Kodak. I was introduced to photography. Simple as that, I learned, trained, developed (my skills and film), and became one with the 35 mm world. For me medium and large format photography was for the studio houses, the serious professionals! I was just a young guy learning it all. And to top it all off, it was EXPENSIVE! Again, a young guy, just out of art school.

So I took my 35 mm camera (an old Pentax), bought a second camera (the Canon Elan 7) and started on my road to wedding photography. As time moved on, so did my interests and from that I finally made the transition to digital buying my first digital camera Canon T2. Both served me well. Both taught me lessons. But it wasn’t until I made the move a few years ago into the world of Sony cameras that it really took off for me. With Sony there were so many options, so much more learning from their platforms. But in the end something was missing. Something felt unfinished, incomplete… I wanted more.

I wanted to be able to experience what I did when I shot film. But I wanted what the big guys and girls had. So last month, I know only a month ago, I made my first big purchase. I went back to film!

I understand its film, and with all of the technology out there I could have had my pick of some pretty amazing cameras from some spectacular platforms. But what I wanted they didn’t have. I wanted the romance, the richness, the consistent inconsistency of film photography. Working that much harder, taking my time to meter the light, composing the frame for the right shot, and getting only one or two chances to get it right.

Some may argue that I made a bad choice. But that’s where their opinion and mine differ. I feel that for me while technology is beautiful and amazing and almost endless, it leaves something out of the frame. It makes great images, but when the point of the task is to get as may as possible and pick the best out of 100 options (of the same thing). Then I feel that what you gain in pixels you loose in true image quality. Now I won’t be putting down and packing up my Sony anytime soon, I will be picking up my Canon FD and Mamiya RB67 a lot more.

But those are the lessons we learn through life and photography, to slow down, create and live in the moment.

Who Am I…?

But who, am I? I mean really. Who am I? To have a dream. A goal. A vision. A business. A website…A blog?????

I think about these things all the time. I mean, whats the big idea Brian? Why should you start, or even pursue this dream. For this long. Yeah, it’s been a long time to be developing this vision. I spent the last three years ( the last 20 in total), brainstorming seeing what this business could become. I’ve spent countless hours devoting myself to be a better photographer. I’ve taken countless courses on being the best businessperson I know how to be. And all the while, devoting all my remaining time to be the best husband and father I can be everyday. All while working a full time job, helping support this dream and creative passion, hoping for the business to start thriving on its own.

For what? A passion, a love, a feeling. Yes, that’s what I’ve been doing this for. I have had a passion to create since I was a little kid, drawing sketches and doodles in a scrapbook that my Dad got for me to play in. In high school, creating and fostering the love I had. In art school, finding an outlet that spoke to me with the click of a shutter! Since I could walk I have been creating. Dreaming, envisioning something, and putting pen/pencil/crayon to paper to capture that idea. It was though all typical though really, the passion was the crutch, the struggle, the thing that held me back. The fear, the dread, the worry that my work would not be… good. But here I am, forty years later, and the dream is coming alive.

But there is so much more to who I am from the struggles and business sense.

If you’ve read this far, I am assuming you’d like to know more about me?

I’m a funny guy—-a dry sense of humor (think of a modern day version of Monty Python). I like to have a good time. I like to have a laugh. My wife is my best friend, and we do everything together. She has been my support through all of this. And I her’s as she has taken on the many challenges of being a school teacher. I have three great children, of whom I am so very proud of. One is in our United States Coast Guard, one is a senior in high school, who in the fall, will be pursuing her career’s education in the culinary field at The Indiana University of Pennsylvania. And my youngest, who challenges me to be intelligent and quick to a video game challenge or to teach him how to do something-build something-or cook something (he loves to learn and be engaged).

When I am not capturing images for clients I can be found on date nights with my wife, walking in the woods, leaning new things, and woodworking, and I also like to bake and cook. Yeah I’m pretty handy to have around the house. And really just doing anything including a watching a good movie or reading an even better book.

I’m sure these posts will get better as time goes on. But I wanted to use this post to share with all of you a little more about myself. I usually don’t like talking about me, so this was kind of hard (I’m humble). But I hope you choose to stick around and follow along with the journey, I’m ever growing, evolving, and changing. I’ll be posting again soon. Mostly about all things photography, other times about life. Every time though I’ll post from my heart, it’s where my passion lies.

All the while, doing what I love to do. Creating images with a camera. Thank you for reading.

Kind Regards