Shooting HP5

Not that we as photographers need to put ourselves into groups or categories, but I think we naturally tend toward certain behaviours. At one end there is the “pro” who is all about the picture. The other end is the camera/equipment collector who rarely actually uses a film, but likes to collect and certainly talk about cameras. I once met a chap who collected light meters, and why not! Then of course there are stages between the two, the person who has one film camera, uses a few rolls a year and is quite happy with developing/printing/scanning from the local photo shop. Then there are the people who have quite a lot of gear, something to cover every eventuality, shoot quite a bit of film, but often not of very much! I find myself quite often making an image, you know the sort of thing: minor urban decay, broken window, dead plant, view down a lane, household ornaments bathed in sunlight from a window. I found myself making one of those last week! I do think to myself why? Does the world need another of these photo’s? Why am I making this? Shouldn’t I be photographing something more meaningful? The answer is almost certainly yes, but not instead of, as well as.

The danger of having too much gear, too much choice, too many lenses, and overthinking the whole thing is that the concept of just taking a camera out, exposing a roll of film, just for the sheer enjoyment of it gets lost! I say, if going out and photographing a broken window gives you enjoyment, go for it – make 36 if you like! That’s not to say you should always do that. I won’t. Often my films are a mix of things that “caught my eye”. If I really examined them, each exposure would be for a different reason. The point is that we as photographers are recording the world around us, whether it’s people, landscape of stuff. It’s our art.

All of the above is a long winded way of saying a couple of weeks ago, I went out with one camera, one (35mm) lens on it and loaded with a roll of HP5. Couldn’t get much simpler. It was a wet dull day. The point is that had I have not gone out with the camera, then I probably wouldn’t have gone out at all. In the end I never made any amazing images. I made a couple of OK ones! Next time however ….