Curbing it - Living large with the OM-1
A guilty pleasure is what it really is--being able to get back to your roots and shoot with a manual camera, B&W film and a lowly 50mm lens. The Olympus Odyssey Camera was the camera of choice for this outing. Here, the subject is the shape of the bricks in this sidewalk as it meets the curving curb.
For some strange reason, I worried far less about exposure with the OM-1 than I do with my digital wonderbricks. You just keep that ol' needle somewhere between the brackets and just shoot. No chimping necessary to verify that the evaluative metering system has thought the same way you intended it to think. With the OM-1, it's all about the subject, with a modern camera, it's all about the process. I know, Moose will crucify me on this. ;)
The OM-1 was a fun camera to shoot. It just feels like getting into a classic sports car and letting the wind blow your hair. No fancy stereo, no neon ground-effects lights. Just four tires, an engine and the whine of a transmission.
2 comments:
You wrote:
"With the OM-1, it's all about the subject, with a modern camera, it's all about the process."
Hi Ken,
Dewitt Jones had an article in August's Outdoor Photographer that touched upon this. He wrote: "In taking a great photograph, there are two things the camera never will be able to do: choose what's included in the frame and choose the moment to click the shutter." So it seems that this is true for any camera, a point and shoot, modern DSLR or that ole OM1. In my opinion, it's always about the subject. The trick is not to get all bogged down in the endless options available in the digital world. Find camera settings that work for the majority of shoots, simplify your post processing workflow and stick with it.
I agree with richard. The key to making good and interesting photos is to concentrate on the motive and not worry too much about the settings of the camera. Digital is a Godsend!
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