26 September 2010
Frugality and the art of looking
30/09/10 10:38
When I put a 32 Gb SD HC card in my M8, the file counter is overstrained and gives the maximum amount of 999. Seven hundred pictures I have made (testing not serious work) and the counter still reads ‘999’. The current style in digital imaging is going for the extreme. There was a time that ownership of the top camera on the market (as perceived by the masses) was enough to have a profile as a serious photographer and a photographic expert. With current convergence of camera models and a general leveling off of features and performance, it becomes much harder to distinguish yourself. But a new trend is coming: announcing the number of images you made as a mark of seriousness. It is not uncommon now to read or hear that a person claims that he has shot 30.000 images in one or more years.
If you take a good look at older photographs made with that almost forgotten technology (silver halide emulsions and chemical processing), you may note a peculiar characteristic. The classical pictures show an involved interest and a careful way of looking, that is absent from current digital images. When you have only 36 pictures at your disposal, there is an adrenaline rush that forces you to capture the now-or-never moment, as you have only one chance. And you have to select and anticipate your moment as you have only a handful of chances with that 1.60 meter strip of gelatine. This frugality of pictures forced an economy of means and a carefulness in looking that is lost with the adoption of digital technology. With film you have constantly to consider costs: film is expensive, so is paper and so are chemicals. You have to ensure that every picture you make is worth the cost. That is a wonderful way of being selective and alert on only shooting when you are sure it is worth it.
I am not arguing to return to a technology most image makers consider as obsolete. There is emerging a new style and quality of images made possible by digital capture and wide ranging post processing software that allows for a new visual experience.
The most dangerous habit is now the use of the delete button. Looking at old negatives, I always find one that I never printed but now offers something in content or composition that makes it worth printing for the first time. But is it difficult if not impossible to have a hard disk with a hundred thousand of image files and to keep track of all you have. Software does not help here. You still have to tag every single image to catalog your disk.
The only sensible option is to take less pictures and keep them all.
My solution is simple: I use the very old 512Mb cards in my M8 (this allows me to take about 50 pictures) or 1Gb cards in my M9. It is a pleasant surprise to note how this self imposed frugality concentrates the mind. No continuous shooting, no automatic bracketing! Every picture should be worth it and correctly exposed. And the hard disc has plenty of space left for ten years of considered photography.
The Leica M, with its old fashioned features (for who still commands the craft of manual focusing and selecting exposure options with dedication and purpose) is very well suited to this new frugality as it matches the concept of the camera. Or even better: buy a new MP and some rolls of new Portra 400 (easy to process or scan). And enjoy being frugal.
If you take a good look at older photographs made with that almost forgotten technology (silver halide emulsions and chemical processing), you may note a peculiar characteristic. The classical pictures show an involved interest and a careful way of looking, that is absent from current digital images. When you have only 36 pictures at your disposal, there is an adrenaline rush that forces you to capture the now-or-never moment, as you have only one chance. And you have to select and anticipate your moment as you have only a handful of chances with that 1.60 meter strip of gelatine. This frugality of pictures forced an economy of means and a carefulness in looking that is lost with the adoption of digital technology. With film you have constantly to consider costs: film is expensive, so is paper and so are chemicals. You have to ensure that every picture you make is worth the cost. That is a wonderful way of being selective and alert on only shooting when you are sure it is worth it.
I am not arguing to return to a technology most image makers consider as obsolete. There is emerging a new style and quality of images made possible by digital capture and wide ranging post processing software that allows for a new visual experience.
The most dangerous habit is now the use of the delete button. Looking at old negatives, I always find one that I never printed but now offers something in content or composition that makes it worth printing for the first time. But is it difficult if not impossible to have a hard disk with a hundred thousand of image files and to keep track of all you have. Software does not help here. You still have to tag every single image to catalog your disk.
The only sensible option is to take less pictures and keep them all.
My solution is simple: I use the very old 512Mb cards in my M8 (this allows me to take about 50 pictures) or 1Gb cards in my M9. It is a pleasant surprise to note how this self imposed frugality concentrates the mind. No continuous shooting, no automatic bracketing! Every picture should be worth it and correctly exposed. And the hard disc has plenty of space left for ten years of considered photography.
The Leica M, with its old fashioned features (for who still commands the craft of manual focusing and selecting exposure options with dedication and purpose) is very well suited to this new frugality as it matches the concept of the camera. Or even better: buy a new MP and some rolls of new Portra 400 (easy to process or scan). And enjoy being frugal.