Why not film?

As with a lot of film based photographers, we got started or rebooted during the COVID pandemic. As a means to create, to fill time, to connect. A lot of important long term relationships and friendships were made during that period which have lasted beyond the falling of the blue bird empire that was our watercooler at that time.

Black and White, Colour, even Lomo's idea of colour, Pinhole, Holga, Lowfi, Vintage, Trichrome were all hooks we could hang our hats on, join together, share ideas, stimulate and support each other. It was a hugely valuable experience for me, one to be cherished for sure.

But time moves on, the lockdown's have passed, I've left software development as a career and am now chasing my dreams, or are they phantoms, pursuing a Photography Degree as a "mature" student.

As Ed Thompson says, Photo Theory will "mess you up" and to be quite frank it has somewhat in my first year, but I do mean that in a good way though (for me, for now).

At this point in my photography life I need to re-evaluate what photography means to me, what I want to do with it and how I move forwards. It's literally the point of giving up work and going back to studying. Up until now I feel like I've been playing, messing about, being distracted by the next "new" thing to try. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that! Especially as a hobby or a pastime or an escape as it was for me for a long time.

However, I've now put myself in the position where I need to take this "seriously". I don't mean all high brow and art speaky, but merely trying to produce work with some degree of depth, actual projects, and bodies of work. Not something I've ever put much time or thought into and tbf it's a struggle.

To do this, I think I need to put aside the shiny things. Rather than relying on and focussing on "gimmicks" (don't know a better word, sorry) I need to just make photographs, lots of them, review them, iterate, make more photographs, and so on.

For that I've settled on digital medium format (because I got spoilt using the Uni's cameras). The size of the files and the handling will help slow me down a little, but the immediacy of digital will allow me to iterate quickly and effectively and removes me from all the "gimmicks" I've relied on for too long.

I hope I haven't offended any of my friends I've made over the last few years. You are all important to me and I hope this hasn't come over as "I'm better than you" as I've done a whole year of a degree! I just need to explain and justify to myself why I'm doing what I'm doing.

Whether it works out as a good or bad thing in the long term I have no idea but there is only one way to find out...

This is by no means a "So long and thanks for all the fish" moment. Just expect less funk and more boring images I suppose and please, if you hear me get all pretentious, you are free to slap me about the face with said fish.