Beats.

I have been thinking about how I capture my photos and what I share. This led me to think about the process and sharing what goes into what I do. Everyone likes to see the final product but how do I get there?

Acquiring the Olympus Trip 35 has made me think differently about how I approach my photography and it’s a good thing.

All through my course I realised that I take shots (or multiple shots) then go check the best in post production.

It’s not fool proof approach and even though I capture lots of great images, it means I’m not really looking at what I’m shooting.

I do look. I do compose and I do study my subjects but sometimes there’s an element that isn’t right or I could have composed better. I often see this once the photos are imported to my computer.

Being restricted to 36 exposures and black and white film has really made me think.

• Do I want to capture this photo?
• Could I compose it better?
• Is it a waste of exposure?
• Would I be proud to see this printed?
• Would I be brave enough to ask for an opinion of this photograph?

I’ve used the Trip on various locations for the past couple days and I have captured half the shots from the film. Sounds a lot but by comparison, if I used my DSLR I’d have hundreds of images. (In fact I tried image stacking this weekend and indeed 200 shots equated to 10 photos!).

It’s also refreshing to not know what I have. I have an idea. I know what I planned but how did I do? How did the camera perform?

Walking back across the Thames at lunch I had to remember what I’d captured in the 6 shots I took at the Tate Modern. Why did I take them? Would I remember the settings? Would I remember what inspired me? Will it be a pleasant surprise when they film is processed?

Of course this isn’t to say I didn’t stop to capture some photos on my phone. Why wouldn’t I? It’s not every day I take the time to have a break in my day nor is it every day I get to visit the Tate Modern.

Something inspired me so I decided to take a photo or two to capture it.

I did plan the shots and I did look at what I was taking before I took them. They’re not all great but you have to practice. And strike when inspiration does.

I didn’t use the Trip for these shots as some were in very low light (it has no flash and I’m not sure about the light meter yet). Plus I was experimenting with a couple shots so didn’t want to waste film.

I wonder how successful Instagram would be if you had to print and scan every shot before uploading?

Anyway I digress.

I’m enjoying the craft of photography. I’m enjoying the inspiration it gives me as well as the creative output.

I find it thrilling to see how many likes and stars my photos get but what I really want (and possibly crave) is feedback.

Good feedback is great but constructive feedback is hard to come by.

This is why I am going to write more about my photography. I enjoyed writing about running but I mostly enjoyed the feedback and the conversations I had with people about my experiences and my progress.

This is not to say I will stop writing about running. Far from it.

It’s also not saying all I want is criticism either!

I simply feel I can use this blog to stronger personal and creative effect. Whether you find this interesting remains to be seen but like the running entries, it’s a form of diary and record for me.

I had thought about resurrecting my podcast or video cast but that’s a lot more commitment and there’s many others already out there doing a much better job than I could.

One observation I had today was that the photos I share here I also share on Flickr and Instagram. And yet I don’t add them to my portfolio.

Maybe I don’t think they’re worthy additions. Maybe I don’t feel confident in my work. I’m not entirely sure but subconsciously I find that really interesting.

Anyway I’ve rambled on long enough.

This photo “Beats” is of an installation at the Tate Modern in London. It’s one of the photographs I captured with my phone camera.

I’m ashamed to say I didn’t stop long enough to find out its title nor the artist. I was more interested in the tower of stereos and radios and the random sound they were all omitting.

I thought it made for an interesting and moody composition.

It’s had very little tweaking from the original shot (the Pixel 2 camera really is that good). I’ve simply put the shot into Lightroom and increased the blues and decreased the reds. That’s it.

I think it is a striking image (and have made it the wallpaper for my phone).

What do you think?