Laugavegur, Reykjavík 2015

At the moment I am enjoying the analogue process, shooting with film. It is not a matter of film or digital being of better quality than the other, but rather the process requires a different mindset to digital, especially shooting black and white film. With digital there is an option for colour, so I see in colour, but without the option of colour I see in shadows, and tones. Also with film photography there is a separation of days, sometimes weeks, between capture, and viewing the image. I like this separation, this delayed gratification, it allows me to cull, and edit long after the emotion of shooting has faded, and I can see the image for what it is, or is not.

When each frame costs around 80¢, the cost of shooting film is always in the back of my mind. This cost does cause me to think, “do I really want this shot?”. Quite often I set my composition, half press the shutter, and walk away without taking a photo. I have been averaging a roll of 24 frames a day; of those 24 frames I like about 1 in 4 photos. When I shoot digital I can shoot many more frames, but often my keep rate is closer to 1 in 10.

I often become concerned with my final output of this project, worried about what my viewers will think, and trying to shoot something that the viewer will like. For the last two years I have had briefs to shoot for, this was essential for formal study and I learned a great deal because of it, but now, in this moment, I am shooting just for me. I do wish to share my work with others, but I am not shooting for the viewer.