AustralianLight - Landscape Imagery

It seems like it has been raining for ever at my place and this has meant very few landscapes shoots have been taking place. So what better time to clean the office and get the cupboards back in order. (You know what us artistic types are like, we seem to thrive on mess)

Anyway, while sorting the equipment cupboard I came across this…

An unused "Point & Shoot" 35mm film camera, still packed in its box and all bright and shiny. It seems such a shame that any camera, even just a Point & Shoot film camera, live out its life unloved and unused.

So Bernie and I have set ourselves a challenge…. We are to each run 2 rolls (36 frames each) of our choice of film through this little beauty. Challenging ourselves to see what we images we can create.

Subject matter is open for this challenge, as stepping outside of our landscape comfort zone should add to the difficulty of this task.

To be honest, I don't expect outstanding results, as this camera offers little in the way of control. It has a 35-60mm zoom, but is auto-focus & auto-exposure only. Flash can be forced off, but not if the self timer is used… so already I am thinking that a bit of black insulation tape will find its way to the flash for those times that a steady trip of the shutter is required. It's all part of the challenge I guess.

Behold the camera control awesomeness (or lack thereof)...

That said, I am actually excited to see the results even though the first image is yet to be captured.

Of course I may have to wait a while, as there is no "chimping" here...

We will post the results here in the blog as we each finish our rolls and share our thoughts on what working with such limited control meant to us.

Now I am off to get some film. Oh wait a minute… You can still buy 35mm film can't you? - Russell

UPDATE:

Well this challenge is tougher than expected!  I have decided to shoot B&W, but finding some locally has been impossible. Looks like I will be resorting to online shopping and its dreaded delivery times. :(

Update #2:

Excellent! I have ordered two rolls from Brisbane, so delivery shouldn't be too painful.  I have elected to shoot with ILFORD DELTA 400 Black & White. It's reported to be very sharp and have clean grain, thanks to its "Harman Technology".  I have no idea what that is, but it sure sounds impressive. 

Some may wonder why I didn't order the 100ISO version of this film? Well, I don't mind a little grain in B&W as I think it can add character. Plus, have a look at what I will be shooting with... I think it needs all the help it can get. :)

Update #3:

....and so it begins!

The film arrived today.... at 11 ironically. ;)

Vintage SD Card:
 

Update #4:

OMG How hard is this!

We have it sooooooo good theses days with our Live View, 100% Viewfinders and instant image review etc.  Shooting with this P&S is just so hard.  Obviously there is no instant review and I have no idea how my photos will turn out (I would bet the house on craptastic!), but just simply things like getting the subject in frame is a real challenge.

There is plenty of room for parallax error when aligning the eye to the viewfinder, as the camera only provides a coloured guidline for framing and this guideline simply gets a little brighter when the eye is in the right position. So first camera movement is to align the eye, the second is to compose, the third is to align the eye again, the fourth is to compose again and on and on it goes because things just seem to keep moving.

Eventually it comes down to a best guess if everything wanted is within frame. Perhaps "shoot wide and crop" is the safest option here? I might have to try that.

So now that I am at the end of my first roll (just one shot left), I realise just how picky I have been with my shot selection. Having just 36 shots to play with on a roll, really makes you ask yourself "Is this a good composition or not?".  Many times I have seen what I think would make a good image and then just before pressing the shuttter... "Yeah Nah!" and I move on.

I realise I make it sound like I should end up with some good images, being so selective and all, but... "Yeah Nah!" I am really not expecting much at all.  

Hopefully my next update will contain some images for you, as I think I will get this first roll procesed before shooting the next. Seeing the results and what works / doesn't work could be invaluable information for shooting the second roll.