all photos ~ (embiggenable)
OVER THE PAST WEEK A LEITER-ESQUE PICTURE MAKING M.O. has thoroughly permeated my picture making activity. So much so that I am carrying around and actually using a “real” camera to make some pictures – something I haven’t done for the better part of 2 years.
Seems kinda weird; ya know, actions like getting the proper exposure by manually adjusting f-stops and shutter speeds or pinpointing a precise plane of focus by rotating a focus ring instead of touching a screen. It sorta makes me wanna go out and buy a stick-shift (a 3 on the steering column) 1965 Ford Falcon with an AM radio with dials for volume and station selection and cranks for rolling down the windows. Ya know what I mean; reengage with a tactile life of actually touching tangible things. That written, I am also surprised at how easily I have adapted my seeing to different picture making paradigm.
Re: using a “real” camera – I have discovered that there are some, although quite rare, picture making situations where the PORTRAIT mode gets, aah …. let’s write, “confused”. The first time that happened I immediately fetched one of my “real” cameras and made the photo with it. Then, just for the hell of it, I pictured a subject I knew would work well with the PORTRAIT mode and then for comparison, made the same picture with my “real” camera. The result was that the two images were remarkably similar.
To wit; the proof is in the puddin’ – two of the Leiter-esque photos in this entry were made with a “real” camera. Wanna venture a guess?
FYI, I have not abandoned full-on DOF picture making ….