Two magical things in my world, and I can’t imagine a better companionship. While I’ve taken my digital camera to Venice on a number of occasions and appreciate the beauty the ‘perfect’ shot (ie, shoot lots, photoshop even more), there’s a special magic to the entirety of shooting film. From composing and focusing to that special moment when you hear the sound of the shutter to when you see the photo for the first time… it’s truly magic. Also a history lover, it seems appropriate to capture a certain imperfection of old world cities. Rather than shoot for eye-candy imagery, shooting film results in a certain sentiment, at least for the photographer and what they hope translates to the viewer.
Hemingway wrote Across the River and Into the Trees in Venice, and his words reveal a time and place in history that although not long ago, prove how much the world has changed, especially in regards to information technology. No longer are these places seen in one passing photo or imagined from a narrative in a book. The world is ours to see, at anytime, from anyplace. Reading Hemingway, like shooting film, captures an exclusivity of experience in which the great writer is somehow able to deliver to the reader.
I suppose shooting film is my attempt to capture and deliver an experience, not just a perfect image. hopefully sometimes it works…
straight scans (no editing) shot on expired Kodak Gold film with my trusty travel companion, my little Olympus OM-1n. developed and scanned by Caribou Film Lab, Toronto.