Laziness?

I think so!! This rant/thought is not intended to be toward any casual photographers. IE Instagram, smartphone cameras, or people who don't go as full out as I do (which happens to be most everybody).

As many know by now, I am an avid film user. Its how I learned and its how I can focus on subjects. I held out a rediculous amount of time from buying a digital because I thought it would make me lazy. It turns out, after two months of shooting digital, I kind of have become slightly lazy. Not the kind of lazy where the only exercise I get is getting up to grab another beer (that was last summer) or pushing the buttons on the TV remote, This kind of laziness is where I shoot a butload of pictures without really caring about what I shoot.

My percentage of usable shots has gone up from 1:4 to 1:3. Thats a pretty good jump. The laziness hasn't affected that part of my work. Where it has messed with me is the frequency I've been planning and thinking before shooting.

Planning is an important step for us overactive people. I've been getting pretty darn good at it while buying off of Ebay. Planning works its best magic by keeping me grounded to what I'm working on, what I am looking for, and how easy it is for me to reach my goal. If you've been reading along the last month or so, you can see how well I plan my writing out because it is real shit most of the time. Spelling mistakes, and horrible grammer. Everything to make every english teacher I've ever had cringe and hope to god that it ends. Why oh Why, does it keep on happening?

Thinking, even more, is crucial. Photography is quite similar to a contact sport like hockey (the only real sport coincidentally). Every moment is fast and crucial. You never know when that right portrait jumps in front of you, the winning touchdown is caught, or you just happen to walk in front of the most beautiful house you have ever seen. My mind moves at an extraordinary pace. Plus, when I was born, they forgot to install a shutoff switch. Once I move up to 4x5 sheet sized film, in the next month or so, my critical thinking will need to reach a level I never fathomed. Setting up the right composition. waiting for people to either get in the frame or to leave it. measuring the correct sunlight in every single shadow.

Christ... Who am I kidding. Life will be just the same. I just need a meter and some chemicals and welcome home my black and white film and my trusty Lubitel 2. Yeah, that sounds like what I want to do.

/rant

Oh by the way, check out my lovely pictures I made at Huntington Central Park. Part 1 and Part 2

ps.. as one last thought, well more of a self admission. My shots are not shit. They are quite good. I prefer my black and white photos shot on medium/120 format Ilford HP5+ film and developed by my hands using Xtol in my Paterson 2 reel tank. The only part I hate about the summertime is buying my own chemicals or waiting till August.