You may remember from my previous post that I had bought myself a nice little rangefinder the Olympus 35sp but now I had a problem. Ugly orangy-red marks on my negatives and prints. I said in my last post that I had used an old, out of date film for my test roll which might have been a mistake. The problem now was I couldn’t figure out where the light leak had come from. The ebay seller had assured me the camera had just been serviced so I was hoping it wasn’t the light seals on there. Also the light leaks weren’t on every frame and seemed to recede the further into the roll I got. I surmised (wrongly it turned out) that the leak was on the canister. I guess it was wishful thinking! I really didn’t want it to be a problem of the camera I had just spent over £100 on!
To me, photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place… I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.
If you haven’t already, check out this great blog by Fujista and all round nice guy Adam Bonn.
The streets of Barcelona. by Robert Michael Poole
As a slight intermission between my posts about my “Journey to the silver side” I thought I’d go back over some of my images from 2015 and discuss what I like about them.
The dreaded light leak…
Previously on journey to the silver side… I’d finally decided on a cheap (ish) rangefinder to start my journey with! The Olympus 35sp.
Delivery-4 on Flickr.
I was on a forum earlier this month I was asked the question, what’s your favourite shot of 2015? My favourite shot of 2015 has got to be this one. Taken shortly after the birth of my Son this is a photography of the obstetrician who performed the birth. I really love this shot, obviously for sentimental reasons but also I think it’s a great shot! (if I do say so myself). Now, I have a habit of loving my photos then going back a month later and hating them. Maybe I’m too attached. There is a saying, “kill your darlings” and I know I’m guilty of not being brutal enough with the delection of my photos. One day maybe I’ll go back through and delete all the truly awful ones… Anyway, back to this shot. What do I like? I like the layering in the shot, the assistant in his scrubs standing, waiting in the background and the sheets at the front showing that it’s a candid shot. The framing of the lights above draws the eye as well as adding some environmental detail to add context. I also like the juxtaposing features in this shot, the perfectly groomed eyebrows of the surgeon showing above the mask. Most of all I like it as it captures a moment I’ll remember forever.
My first rangefinder! Olympus 35SP
I decided early in 2015 to go back to film. The reason was I had my 30th birthday and decided that I wanted something special to mark this occasion. But what to get? My dream camera of course. A Leica. I know, I know they cost a lot. I know, a lot of people buy them just for that little red dot. I know you can get a camera that will give great results for a fraction of the price but… It has been my dream to own a Leica since I’ve owned a camera.
Robert Poole 