I complain a lot about the weather as an excuse for not being out taking photos. This winter was particularly cold and awful and all I really wanted to do was get from point A to point B as soon as possible with my head down. However, inclement weather -- particularly rainy days -- is actually great for photography.
It puts people in a mood, which is more emotion than you get from them on their normal commute to work. Peer under people's umbrellas and into the shadows under their hoods and you'll realize you're not the only one thinking, "I just want to go home."
There's that, but there's also what rain does to stuff. The overcast sky becomes a gigantic softbox, and the rain lights up every surface up with slick, contrasted texture. It pools up in cracks and beads up on plastics and puts an edge on even the smoothest curves.
Also, I get to push my film because it tends to be darker out. All the entries today were shot on Kodak Tri-X 400 film, pushed two stops to ISO 1600. Basically, you make the film more sensitive. I have an f/2 lens on the Bessa, and could have shot this wide open with reasonable shutter speeds, but I like having a smaller aperture when I'm out and about.
Also, it changes the look of the film. You get higher contrasts and more pronounced grain (kind of like you do when you push a digital sensor). Think about the grainy black and white behind-the-scenes photos from film sets, where everyone is sharply defined, and Kubrick's beard becomes a blob of black on his throat.
To be honest though, the grain is not a huge deal under proper exposures. It's only when you zoom in or enlarge a photo for a newspaper that it becomes noticeable, and let's face it, everyone reads on a smartphone nowadays anyway. Also, Instagram happened and "the film look" became perfectly acceptable, after people spent decades of research digital sensors and modern film emulsions to get rid of the grain.
Anyway, next time it rains, grab the camera (and maybe a lens hood) along with your umbrella. Maybe you'll start seeing some of the stuff you've been missing out on.
really cool shots, been reading through a lot of these and have really enjoyed it. from what I can tell you're not still doing these?
ReplyDeleteHey, suuuper sorry I took so long to reply -- yeah unfortunately I just haven't had time to update the site, and have barely been able to do more photography as it is. I did get the notifications, but haven't had time all week to give you a real reply.
ReplyDeleteHowever I'm really glad you found the blog! I never really intended for it to have a huge following or anything, and it's great to know that people are still trickling in from the random posts I've left here and there on the Internet. I still love photography, and have promised myself that I'd get back to it. It's just hard to scrounge up that level of creative energy I had when I first started, and I don't want to make and post things that I just don't even find interesting myself.
Check back now and then. I think it's a matter of just finding my rhythm again. Thanks for reading!