Thoughtfactory: pictures experiments journeys

brief working notes on various photographic projects

photo session at Kings Head

A behind the camera photo of a  small photo session at Kings Head on the Fleurieu Peninsula in South Australia, which  shows how my photography  incorporates poodlewalks.  The standard poodles are my companions. We walk together to a location and they stay with me when I take time out from the walk to photograph. Then we walk back to the car. On this occasion it was Maleko who was my companion. 

It's dead simple medium format photography using a   "workhorse" Rolleiflex SL66 film camera:--a simple and stripped back film camera from the 1970s.  There are no  technological features to set up  or any  AI.  It's just composition, light and exposure all done 'in camera'.  This allows me to reconnect to the process of slowly making a photo, as well as also requiring me to  decide upon the outcome before the shutter button is pressed.  

However,  I only have a rough  idea what the film image  will look like when it is scanned and uploaded to a computer screen. The process of using  film is a slow one for me. The film has yet to be developed by Atkins Lab. I let the film sit in a fridge for a while before its taken  to the lab to be processed. I usually take 10 rolls of 120 film to the lab at a time.  By the time that I do this I've forgotten what is on the film.

 I also take my digital camera with me on these photo sessions. The Sony A7 R111 is packed with menu trees and it has a huge range of  technological options which I ignore as I don't need them.  However, I have been thinking about  starting to use the Sony for video.   

This granite detail at Kings Head is what I was photographing. I was attracted by the form, colour  and texture of the granite rocks: 

It's probably the case that the version of these rocks at Kings Head using a digital camera will be  better than the film version  on a technical level.  Film, however is unpredictable. Hence I do both.