Creativity and Inspiration

There are a few places I feel inspired and “at home”:

1. College campuses
2. Good concert
3. Film festivals
4. Some conferences

My experience with the later two is macro enough to not be jaded by any of the politics involved. My time in college was the last truly free thinking time in my life. The classes and the people allowed that. Since then the focus has been on becoming more focused – on closing doors – on growing up. I know a concert is good if I leave feeling excited – giddy, almost. I think to myself, “Why am I not a part of this more often?”

It would be amazing to find something that allows me to experience this creative satisfaction and inspiration every day. Maybe that is what people feel when they say they love what they do. Finding the right mix of people, events, activities, and then stepping up to the plate yourself is the tough part.

Photography Notes on Film and iPhone

Superior Film Guy

Owning a film camera makes me use the words “exposures” and “shooting” more than I did before. No longer do I “take pictures.” Instead, I “shoot pictures” and “have three of twelve exposures left.” Part of this is because a picture isn’t a picture until you take it. Until then, it’s a potential exposure (an unexposure?).

It’s funny that reverting to old technology would give me a sense of photography superiority.

iPhone for First Impressions

I’ve started to frame shots with my iPhone before shooting them with my Diana+. By taking a picture with my iPhone, I get a sense of whether the picture is worth wasting a film exposure on. Or, more often, I am able to focus in on the most interesting part of the iPhone picture and then take just that with the film.