Old School

I know next-to-nothing about photography.  Ironic, considering I am a photography major, huh?  I originally bought a Nikon d3000 camera, so I could take clearer reference shots for work in traditional media.  Somehow, I ended up declaring a second major in photography just months later.  Whoops! :p

Just when I was getting the hang of my techy new camera, I learned that Miami University's "Beginning Photography" students first had to go "old school" and explore film photography.  Luckily, my dad had a dusty old 35 mm Canon SLR, complete with a standard, wide angle, and macro lens.

The first few days (okay... weeks) of class, I hated it.  The darkroom, the smell, the clothe-staining chemicals—it was awful.  However, I've grown to enjoy film photography as much, if not more, than digital.  Once I got past the trauma of ruining my first five rolls of film, I started to notice the "painterly" quality of film photos.  That is, they never quite capture reality; there is always a bit of the artist lingering behind.  And as I consider the countless moments of history captured on film or  in early daguerreotype photographs, I think that idea is pretty cool.

Admittedly, photography class is still my greatest area of struggle and my lowest grade this semester.  But it's the one class I anticipate without fail, so I think I'll keep at it.:-)

Anyway, here are a few of my photos from this year.  I don't know how many paychecks I spent on film and paper, but it was worth it.

I snapped this picture after a seemingly-fruitless photo shoot with my dog, a stubborn thirteen-year-old dachshund who does not enjoy modeling.  I developed this picture on a whim, not imagining it could possibly turn out, but I quite like it.:-)

There is an Anglican convent near my house, and the sisters were so kind to let me take their photos for a portrait project.  Plus, they invited me to Friday Evensong and supper, as well as to Sunday Mass and breakfast.  And they let me play with their dog.:-)

This was one of my first film photographs, taken at a lake on an alpaca farm near in Millville, Ohio.

That’s all for today.:-)  If you have stumbled upon my little blog, please feel free to drop me a message—I’d love to hear from you!

~Kate