New Project: Frame-A-Day

11-17-10 Coffee!, originally uploaded by jeffrey_knight.

I've always felt the middle of November was a perfect time of year to start things, so I've started a new project. Basically the idea is that, using one camera and one lens and one type of film, I would photograph one, and only one, photograph each day for as long as I can stand it (typically these sorts of things are also known as 365 projects, because they're supposed to last a full year).

In addition to shooting the photos, I would also, quite naturally, post them online as they were developed and scanned, and then blog about them.

Now, that was my intention. What actually has happened so far has proven a little different.

As it turns out, I'm terrible at both the 'take a photo every day' and the 'only take one photo' aspects of the project. I'm still trying to get my rhythm down as well as developing the discipline needed to make sure I take at least one picture every day.

But projects like this are all about challenging oneself, right?

DAM!

One issue that has always plagued shooters, especially prolific ones, is how to organize the images that you shoot so that you can quickly find a specific photo you may be searching for. In some ways, the digital era has made this task even harder mostly due to the sheer volume of image files a photographer can produce over time.

For someone like myself, who produces both film negatives and digital files, it just gets worse. I think I've settled on a system that can work with  both formats, and allows me to continue to add to my growing archives. I don't have to scan everything I shoot on a given roll (although I usually do if only to have a 'proof print' as it's hard for me to evaluate a color negative otherwise), and importing what scans I do make into lightroom, where they can be tagged and rated accordingly allows them to sit side-by-side with my digital files in the same archive.

I've only adopted my current workflow within the past year so the big trick has been getting previous scans and files lined up to work properly within it (and I've been half-tempted just to throw out all older scans and start fresh, but as satisfying as that might be on some level, I know that's just creating a heck of a lot more work for me).

One of the best books I've read on the subject of 'Digital Assest Management' is The DAM Book, by Peter Krogh (okay, it's the only one that I've read, but I wouldn't be recommending it if I didn't like it). Well worth a read if you're a serious photographer that wants to keep a handle on his or her digital files.

Kodak announces a new film!

You can read the info here:

http://www.photographyblog.com/news/kodak_professional_portra_400/

I never used the portra films this new one is replacing, but I can understand how some people might be a little upset over this news. We photographers get attached to our stuff, especially when we've been working with it for a while and have come to really understand how it will translate our vision into a frozen two-dimensional image. Still, the notion that Kodak is still spending money on R&D for new film stocks is one I am happy to hear. I've only recently begun playing around with their latest film, Ektar 100, and although I feel that the colors are perhaps a bit too much for my work in general (it's fabulous shot through a holga, however), I can really appreciate it's virtues: fine grain and it takes wonderfully to scanning. If this new 400 is comparable to the ektar 100 in those respects, it's well worth giving it a try.   

All that said, if Kodak comes after my 160NC, there's gonna be trouble...

Soulard Community Garden

Soulard Community Garden, originally uploaded by jeffrey_knight.

Gardens late in the season can be rather melancholy affairs. They still have much to offer, but it's clear their best days are behind them. On the other hand, the work at maintaining them slows down, and one's thoughts can turn to the hope and promise of a new season next spring.

A Question:

Can anyone think of any reason why I shouldn't have a Holga loaded with Ektar film on my person at all times?

No, me neither.

Back from Disney World!

We all had a great week in the Magic Kingdom. I dropped off my film at the lab yesterday, so hopefully I should have some fun stuff to share later in the week. When deciding what camera I wanted to bring with me, I thought I would want something light, something I could shoot without thinking too hard about the shot, and something that if I lost I wouldn't be terribly heartbroken over. The answer was obvious. I can't wait to see the images.

Montana!

Every year for my wife's birthday in July, I've been taking pictures of our son and giving her some prints for her present. The physical print is an important aspect of photography that often seems to get overlooked these days. There's nothing wrong with having a digital file on one's harddrive, but it doesn't beat having a print you can hold, take with you and share with others.