A photo from the first full day camping, the kids playing in the lake. A friend stayed with us the first night and it was terrific having her there, for all kinds of reasons and not just her photogenic children. (My younger son was there playing in the lake too but was not nearly so aesthetically obliging). Anyway, we had a wonderful time, and I made this picture, which I find astonishingly beautiful. I'm so grateful my friend consented to let me put her unclothed child's photograph online.
Again with this image I find myself bumping up against the limits of iPhonetography: small image size equals not much data within the image file. On film this photograph would be tonally rich -- you would be able to read detail in the shadows, not just black. So I find this image lovely but frustrating: I'd love to print it, and print it big, with great contrast range and velvety blacks and glowing highlights and and and...but because of the medium of origin it's always going to have to be small. And limited.
I also photographed the lake with plastic cameras. So there is yet hope -- I am hoping some of the film images I made have as much potential as this digital image. Yet I have no idea how or when I'll ever process that film, see those photos. I keep feeling limited by the low image quality that is the best one can get from Hipstamatic shots. But I am addicted to the instantaneousness of it. A conundrum.
But then the point of this 365 is to get me making pictures again, which I'm doing. This is non-negotiable. How I go about doing it, though -- that aspect can develop (pardon photography pun) over time. I have some notions about doing sub-projects beneath the 365 umbrella, like maybe dedicating a week to processing film each day so that I can quitmybitchin and present images from negatives for awhile. I enjoy contemplating this prospect.
First, though, I have a few small issues to settle: finding us a new house. Getting going in my new job. Yes, I got the transcribing/editing gig. And I'm feeling grateful. Grateful all over creation.
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