Shooting and processing film is not new to me. It’s something I did practically daily for 30 years (1976-2006). When I got my first digital camera in 2006, I thought I’d never return to shooting film. But here I am almost twenty years later, shooting Ilford HP-5 with a collection of of old film cameras, and processing the film at home in stainless steel tanks. This time around, though, there is no darkroom with a sink and enlargers. I scan the negatives and store the files on my computer.
Why did I go back to shooting film? I think I missed the process, the anticipation, the waiting, the physical connection with the medium, and perhaps the magic. It’s the rush you get when you briefly unspool the negatives (still in the wash) to see if they turned out well, and if there are any keepers. When I glanced at the above photo in negative form, I got a dopamine rush, and couldn’t stop smiling. I don’t get quite the same sense of satisfaction shooting digitally. Perhaps because the results are so immediate, and photos much more numerous.
I’ll still be shooting the majority of my images digitally, but I’ll have the film cameras on hand for those magic moments. Here are some recent film photos shot with a Yashica T4 and Canon AE-1.
A selection of photos from my current exhibition at The Craig Gallery in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
Dartmouth Now and Then
I took some photos in Dartmouth in 1978, apparently forgot about them altogether, and rediscovered them 40 years later, tucked into a negative sleeve with the cryptic notation, “Dartmouth — The Enchanted City.” (What a title!) Delighted by this find, I went back to rephotograph the same locations. This exhibition also includes some photos of Dartmouth taken in the past few years. It’s amazing how the area’s natural landscape and urban landscape have transformed over time. When we live our daily lives in a particular place, the change is so gradual that we barely notice it. But when the change is seen as a jump-cut after 40-plus years, the transformations can be drastic. And sometimes there has been barely any change at all.
When I was a young man, I was excited about the future, and yet a part of me dreaded any sort of change. The photos I took then were my way of pinning down moments in time, of grasping and understanding things I’d never seen before in my life. Changes in the physical world—as in our lives—are inevitable.
I do social landscape photography and am interested in New Topographics—the human-altered landscape–recording how human behavior and activity has affected the world. I also look for whimsical scenes, as well as elements of surrealism found in everyday life. My work is firmly planted in the documentary tradition, making photos through observation rather than through set-up and image manipulation. Photography keeps me in touch with the changing seasons and the passage of time. My images are intertwined with childhood memories, music, and locations around Hants County, Nova Scotia.
My work has been exhibited in Canada and, internationally, in France and China. The City of Toronto Archives has a collection of 700 of my digital images. Also, I have eight self-published photo books that are available online (through Blurb Books.)
Every year ViewPoint Gallery welcomes new exhibiting members with a “NewPoints” exhibition that showcases their work. I am pleased to be part of this exhibition along with Craig Benjamin and Heather Rose. It runs from January 4th – 28th with an artist talk on January 14th. The gallery is located at 1475 Bedford Highway, Unit 109, Bedford, Nova Scotia.
My portion of the show, titled Found Fields, features ten photos from my recently released photo book, available at Blurb Books. Below are the exhibit photos with their captions.
Found Fields refers to my approach when taking photos: scenes found in my field of vision. I’ve always been a gatherer rather than a hunter. That is, finding scenes (by chance) rather than intentionally hunting them down. Many of my photos are taken during my daily routine, or just going somewhere. As with many photographers, I’m attracted to the newness of things–going to new places, and seeing new things. But, I’m also attracted to seeing familiar scenes, places that I have photographed many times before. It seems that a particular scene never looks the same way twice.
American photo master Lee Friedlander said it best, “I’m not a premeditative photographer. I see a picture and I make it. You don’t have to go looking for pictures. The material is generous. You go out and the pictures are staring at you.”
There are interesting photo possibilities everywhere. The trick is, always carrying a camera, and taking the time to observe the world around you. Over the years I’ve been refining my vision and technique and am striving for themes and images that have a deeper meaning, (for me, at least.)
I’m currently working on a photo book with the “Found Fields” theme. Stay tuned!
What have I been up to lately? Well, spending a bit more time in urban settings, and using a new DSLR that provides a different perspective from my iphone. These recent black and white photos are a mix of street photography and new topographics which aim to let the tones tell part of the story.
The photos, when viewed on a phone, or even a laptop, are so small. I wish they could be seen on a larger scale as some of them contain a information not easily seen in a small photo.
