I just got a new DSLR. It was a very generous birthday present from my parents. I love it. It took a little bit of time to get used to, but I insisted on putting it on manual mode and finding all of the features on my own rather than trying it out on auto for a few days until I “got used to it.” I insisted on using it in manual mode from moment one because I knew the second I switched over to auto, it may as well have been my old point and shoot with a better lens. That is not what I wanted. I wanted a better camera because I wanted to have more control over the photograph.
The problem that I came across fairly quickly was not a lack of understanding on how to use the camera to take better photographs, though that took some time to figure out, but from the fact that I have an emotional attachment to my OM-1 film camera. I am also a crazy person who attributes human emotions to inanimate objects, thanks brave little toaster.
I have an emotional attachment to my film SLR. I love the way it looks. I love the way it feels. I love the intentionality of every shot, I can’t take six identical photos like I did this afternoon because there are only 36 pictures available. I also love that I cannot immediately check my photo and have to wait until I have taken my ten rolls of film to the lab to see the photos. I love that getting your film back feels like Christmas morning. I also love the look of film photos, even with the light leaks and limitations. I find a lot of beauty is in the way the photos are limited.
As far as medium goes, I love film. I consider it an almost perfect medium for my style of photography and the way my brain works. The photos I take on my OM-1 are meant for me and my experience and not necessarily anyone else. Using my film camera effects the way I think about my photos because the medium matters.
Does that mean my parents’ generous gift was a waste?
No.
Absolutely not.
Not every situation requires that medium. I am no longer limited to one medium for every situation. No camera is meant to be all things to all people. Now my audience can determine my medium. If my audience is the parents of a summer camp I am running, they no longer have to wait the six months until I manage to get myself down to Seattle to get my film developed, all I have to do is pull up an app on my phone and download the photos right there. My job of running social media just got a whole lot easier.
Have a digital camera is not going to hinder the intentionality of my photography journey, rather it is going to force me to question, as I already do between my Instax and my OM-1, what my intention with these photographs are before I grab my camera and walk out of the house.
Your medium matters because your choices matter. I am stoked about learning to use this new camera and being able to instantly share my experiences or the joy of my friends and loved ones. AND I am stoked about my continued opportunities for use my OM-1 without potentially wasting my film on things that don’t require that same artistry.
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