baybeans
20-03-2012, 4:24pm
Hi gang.
A bit of background about me. I first got hooked on photography when I became interested in a camera to capture my newborn on film - that was 1995. My plans for a point and shoot were thwarted when i laid down the cash for a Pentax film SLR and 50m f1.8. soon after I was hacking away in my newly converted bathroom darkroom processing film and printing on an enlarger. My photos were awful.. poor composition, dark prints etc, but I and everyone i showed them to loved them.
next came a purpose built darkroom. My enthusiasm grew, my photos started looking a bit better. I was happy. I read a few books from Ansel Adam to more general photography books and THATS the moment I relaly fell in love with photography. I purchased a Rolleiflex TLR, shot a few rolls of 120 film and romanced some more.
Somewhere around 2000, I converted to digital, 1.3mp and all the photos from that period are dissapointingly low quality. The last few years i have been shooting on a Nikon d70 and 50mm f1.8 plus a more recent addition, sigma 10-20mm. In my opinion, it was a great setup, although bulky for day to day use and started spending more and more time in the bedroom closet, which as you know, the photos from a camera left at home are useless. I sold my SLR setup after lusting over a Fuji X100, but couldnt pull the trigger based on price. Now that I have no camera, other than an iPhone (which I like using, since it is always with me), I am considering my options once again. Should I drop the cash on an X100, or do I let the iphone (or something like a Leica Dlux5/Panasonic LX5) be my Point and Shoot and load up the rolleiflex for the romance - you know, those days where you walk the streets, compose, meter, compose, stare, meter again and then walk away without a shot.
I have been feeling like something has been missing from my conversion to digital. I dont print nearly as many photos as I did when I was using film, rather prefering to play with them in lightroom and have them sit on my hard drive, rarely being reviewed. Thats a shame and I think it comes from digital being so easy to capture, that I shoot lots, but print few. I also realise that the camera I use (for my amature purposes) has little to do with the output of the photo - I am more comfortable with one lens and one basic body rather than a bag full of exotic lenses.
so, your advice on what to do is appreciated, but I also know the only person that will make a decision is me.
What do you do with your photos? do you print, or store them online somewhere? (where? Pinterest, flikr, 500px, facebook?). I have come to realise that my photos being stored on my harddrive is almost as useless as leaving my camera at home in the cupboard.
thats me. I look forward to sending a bit of time over here at AusPhotography and look forward to learning with you.
James
Sydney and Nelson Bay NSW
A bit of background about me. I first got hooked on photography when I became interested in a camera to capture my newborn on film - that was 1995. My plans for a point and shoot were thwarted when i laid down the cash for a Pentax film SLR and 50m f1.8. soon after I was hacking away in my newly converted bathroom darkroom processing film and printing on an enlarger. My photos were awful.. poor composition, dark prints etc, but I and everyone i showed them to loved them.
next came a purpose built darkroom. My enthusiasm grew, my photos started looking a bit better. I was happy. I read a few books from Ansel Adam to more general photography books and THATS the moment I relaly fell in love with photography. I purchased a Rolleiflex TLR, shot a few rolls of 120 film and romanced some more.
Somewhere around 2000, I converted to digital, 1.3mp and all the photos from that period are dissapointingly low quality. The last few years i have been shooting on a Nikon d70 and 50mm f1.8 plus a more recent addition, sigma 10-20mm. In my opinion, it was a great setup, although bulky for day to day use and started spending more and more time in the bedroom closet, which as you know, the photos from a camera left at home are useless. I sold my SLR setup after lusting over a Fuji X100, but couldnt pull the trigger based on price. Now that I have no camera, other than an iPhone (which I like using, since it is always with me), I am considering my options once again. Should I drop the cash on an X100, or do I let the iphone (or something like a Leica Dlux5/Panasonic LX5) be my Point and Shoot and load up the rolleiflex for the romance - you know, those days where you walk the streets, compose, meter, compose, stare, meter again and then walk away without a shot.
I have been feeling like something has been missing from my conversion to digital. I dont print nearly as many photos as I did when I was using film, rather prefering to play with them in lightroom and have them sit on my hard drive, rarely being reviewed. Thats a shame and I think it comes from digital being so easy to capture, that I shoot lots, but print few. I also realise that the camera I use (for my amature purposes) has little to do with the output of the photo - I am more comfortable with one lens and one basic body rather than a bag full of exotic lenses.
so, your advice on what to do is appreciated, but I also know the only person that will make a decision is me.
What do you do with your photos? do you print, or store them online somewhere? (where? Pinterest, flikr, 500px, facebook?). I have come to realise that my photos being stored on my harddrive is almost as useless as leaving my camera at home in the cupboard.
thats me. I look forward to sending a bit of time over here at AusPhotography and look forward to learning with you.
James
Sydney and Nelson Bay NSW