Lou O Bedlam
This one of Amanda, this one I really like. Last shot of the roll, the roll I'd completely forgotten was black & white until taking it out of the camera. 2 more rolls, this time color, from the latest shoot, 2 more rolls are waiting for me at the developer this very minute. For awhile I noticed I was rushing my medium format shots, right as I was first starting to shoot w/the 5d, the 120 shots were coming back much less considered than I was comfortable with. At first I thought it was maybe because I shoot faster w/the 5d, and that was carrying over. But I realized, the next shoot, it was because I was just being impatient with the Mamiya, wasn't as engaged in having to manually focus, in taking a light reading, adjusting the settings accordingly. Folks talk about how film is unforgiving, how every mistake costs, but I find the reverse to be true: film is very forgiving, the very effect of film gives you breathing room. It's digital that's unforgiving, and while the cost is low, you can still definitely end up with a grip of wasted shots. And it's that lack of cost that can sometimes doom a shoot. That lack of high stakes is more dangerous than worrying about wasting $20. But even with that, it became a more conscious effort to focus with the Mamiya, to give it the attention it deserved. Which is the fun of shooting with a few cameras at a time, shifting gears, letting the style and process of one bleed into the other, seeing where they come together, compositionally, tonally. And if that's all too dry for ya, look up top, it's a beautiful woman in a sexy American Apparel swimsuit. Science bless that company. Lou O' Bedlam: he's got something for everyone. And even more somethings, up on the BLOG.