Zen of Practice

 Lancaster PA It's been two weeks since I shot and developed this roll of Ilford HP5 Plus 400 that this blog is about. Thank goodness for the notes taken during its develop. This was the photo walk where it drizzled the majority of the time and I explored areas I had never seen before in Lancaster city. A few Little Free Libraries were visited and zines were given and exchanged.  That Saturday walk started with me loading up a backpack with some children's books and copies of my latest zine to disperse in Little Free Libraries. Rain was in the forecast so decided to use the smaller Nikon FG-20 instead of the Minolta XG 7. I am able to fit the former in my jacket pocket and would have kept the latter around my neck.  I would have to be extra mindful of my settings with this choice. A malfunction during advancing film causes the shutter speed to also change. During my Utah national park trip, the Nikon's first trial, I discovered the issue after wondering why I would get a ...

 Lancaster PA The original plan for the Cinestill 800T was either going to be a concert or evening walk in Lancaster, testing my lowlight film photography skills. It turned out to be a study on adjusting for shooting fast film in daylight. Overall, I was pleased with the results, both in content and technical aspects.  I loaded the roll while standing at Penn Square during the Hands Off protest April 5th. Normally, when loading film in the field, I would typically find a place to set the camera down. This time, with the camera supported around my neck, I swapped the Kodak 3200 for the Cinestill 800T. I could now relax my aperture a bit, getting back some depth of field. My mode of focus would also change with the switch from black and white to color.  The film switch happened near the end of the protest but made sure to capture a handful of shots. A fire truck passed through the intersection and much to the chagrin of the attendees, never sounded its horn. The camera caug...

 Lancaster PA  They say practice makes perfect. Shunryu Suzuki, a Zen Buddhist teacher, frequently spoke of practice, and that without it, your practice would become difficult. My practice with film photography is far from perfect, in fact, it's filled with many little blunders. Not letting the failures deter you, especially in the beginning, and finding the grit to load another roll or attempt another develop with no promise of images is paramount.  Early in my film shooting exploration, which is about 5 years, stumbles were frequent. Learning to load the reels in the dark bag, mixing chemicals, and the development process was all brand new to me. YouTube videos and articles were my instructors, but those could only do so much. The learning was in the actual practice. I remember one particular instance where after a struggle in the dark bag for what seemed like an eternity, I finally gave up on that film, tears of frustration wanting to surface.  As my practice prog...

Lancaster PA  Once I knew I was attending the protest for sure, I now needed to know what gear I would take. Film camera for sure, iffy on the digital, and what film stock. Travelling light was a priority and I hate bulkiness, so in the end, simplicity won. One camera it would be and the last piece of the puzzle to figure out was now the film stock. I had three options. Kodak TMAX P3200, Cinestill 800T or an early morning trip to the photography store. The original plan for the two rolls was either an evening walk and/or a club band performance, and this protest was neither. The two available film options were a bit fast for a midday, albeit overcast day. But a trip to the photography store in the small window ultimately lost in the mind tussles and settled on the fact I would be shooting at a narrow aperture. Loaded the Kodak roll into my Minolta XG 7, pocketed the box of Cinestill, and my girlfriend and I were out the door to meet our friend and walk down to the square. Sporadic ...