We had some perfect fall weather over the last week, and I was able to get outside quite a bit and take advantage of it. Here are a few of the images I captured.

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Fernleigh Estate Stone Bridge

This is a short walk along the Susquehanna River where it leaves Otsego Lake. The old stone bridge and short trail are worth the visit. Especially in October. The leaves here were just starting to change during this visit.

This door again

I’ve photographed this door before, and I will again. I’ve taken photos of it in almost every season.

Country roads

Central NY has begun peaking. Some places just before, and some are just past. Here are a couple more scenes I found this week in my travels.

I’ve posted before about rural street photography, and this is it! Driving along back roads instead of walking sidewalks, looking for rural landscapes. I can find old barns, farm machinery, a lone tree in a field… our area is currently putting on a show, and it will quickly be gone.

When I took this photo, these clouds were moving quickly across the sky, and the light and shadow were changing from one minute to the next. I waited for the “spotlight” to shine on this side hill to highlight the color.

Cooperstown

Cooperstown’s streets are quiet this time of year. The museums and many of the shops close by 5, and only a few people are here after tourist season. It’s a good time to photograph the town. I come back often this time of year, and can usually find something interesting.

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I turned to go, but I stopped to take another look around.

I almost missed this old tree among all the color and activity. At the top of the hill, with nothing but the sky behind it. I don’t know if it turned early and dropped all of its leaves, or if it had died and they were never there this season.

There was no bright color around it, only dull brush and scrub. But the shape was the tree's character. It had to be black and white.

It’s the shape I will be looking for when the snow comes.

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Fall weather is coming on fast. This week has seen some areas near me hitting peak color, and then going away in an afternoon wind storm. Other areas are barely turning yet, so there is still time left before the season disappears. I have been able to get out quite a bit, especially over the weekend: starting with a vintage motocross race, followed by an impromptu car show at a car club fundraiser. And of course, the leaves are turning here in Central NY. We are in the midst of the short window of color before the seasons change.

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Side Hill Slam

We spent much of Saturday at the Side Hill Slam, a vintage motocross race held at Rustic Ridge Winery in Burlington, NY. The race was put on my AHRMA, the American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association. Vintage motocross bikes including some from as far back as the 1970’s took to the track for a day of racing.

Car Show by a Corn Field

A nearby car club stopped for lunch at the winery while we were watching the motocross. Some notable cars on display included a pink Thunderbird, a vintage GTO, a Buick Regal Grand National (one of my favorite cars from the 80’s), and an early ‘60’s Studebaker Avanti. Having these cars lined up next to a field of corn was probably one of the most “Upstate NY” things I saw this week.

A Little Color

I’ll share more autumn foliage in a separate post, but here is a preview from this week. Enjoy…

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Here is what I found this week.

Market Street, Oneonta

One evening I wasn’t even out looking for anything. Sometimes I sit and wait for the right light. And wait…. and wait…. and wait…. This time, my wife and I had gone out to dinner and were heading home. I came to a stop sign, and this street sat beneath a sky just one beat past sunset.

The Fenimore Farm and Country Village

This living history museum in Cooperstown is a great place to visit with a camera. Volunteers in period costumes run demonstrations. Their tools are old or faithful replicas and still get used. I can usually find something interesting that I haven’t photographed before. This time it included a barrel still holding together with wire, and what looks like an old mallet head.

Barn at sunset

And here’s another shot underscoring why I never leave home without my camera. We were out for a drive and found this sky behind one of my favorite old barns. This barn has character, having a more modern addition on one end, and the original stone foundation under the older section. I started on the newest end of the barn, trying to get the color of the late-day sky, and the silhouette of the rounded roofline.

On the older end, though, the light was hitting the barn. Weathered boards below, streaked clouds above.

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I just started reading The War of Art by Steven Pressfield.

“It’s not the writing part that’s hard. What’s hard is sitting down to write. What keeps us from sitting down is Resistance.” — Steven Pressfield.

This was written for me.

Sometimes I go out with my camera and have no idea what I’ll find or what images I’ll get. I have a general idea based on the light and the weather conditions. But overall, I just wing it. I simply want to capture something, and sometimes it’s good to be surprised when I find out exactly what that is.

Not every image I capture comes from this process. And not every image I take sees the light of day. But the mindset of heading out to search for whatever is there is where some of my favorite images come from.

When I am writing for Substack, it’s not the same.

I don’t have the same sense of adventure. I need to feel sure of my topic and the point I’m trying to make. I need to assure myself the whole concept makes sense before I even start writing.

Often that means I don’t get past a few handwritten notes scratched in a notebook, or a single sentence typed in my list of ideas in Notion.

Pressfield would call that Resistance.

I need to figure out how to bring the same mindset to my writing as I do to my photography.

Being unsure about a topic until I just start writing about it is acceptable.

Maybe it’s as simple as being OK with starting before I know the ending.

Ironically, this post may be the closest I've come to "just starting" to write without knowing for sure where I was going.

What is your process? How do you get going when you don’t have a solid idea?

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One of my favorite spots at the museum is the blacksmith shop. Period interpreters are in several buildings throughout the museum, but for some reason the blacksmith shop feels more alive to me. You can smell the burning coal and hear the whoosh of the bellows as the blacksmith feeds oxygen to the fire. There is always something being made here, and the shop as a whole looks, feels, and smells like a place where heat is used to shape metal.

The blacksmith slowly shapes the pieces he’s working on, using a combination of heat and precisely applied force. It takes patience and knowing exactly how hard he can hit the piece to nudge it into shape. It takes concentration to bend the piece just enough, and to feel exactly when it needs to be reheated.

The tools around the shop are ageless. Looking around, you can see smooth surfaces from use, along with just enough patina in places so they don’t look new. Heavy, worn.

The iron vise that holds items securely and the anvil that hot iron is shaped against by hammer blows are heavy, made of solid iron that has held up through repeated use.

The side of the anvil has details that give away its age. It’s rough, not machined, and has a worn maker’s mark from a company that may no longer exist. It has seen years of hard use.

The tools may be heavy and worn, but what they create is often very different.

The end products created at the shop can be as simple as an individual nail, or it can be an intricate, almost delicate piece. This bread toaster has been crafted for both looks and function.

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Last weekend I spent a little time in one of the gardens at the Fenimore Farm in Cooperstown, watching the bees busily gathering pollen and enjoying the effects of the late summer light on the flowers.

The light this time of year is starting to differentiate itself from the humid summer months. The sun is a little lower in the sky than it was mid-summer. The light has a crisper look to it, and can result in slightly more contrast than a few weeks earlier.

Taking time to really look at these flowers, you can see the textures in the petals. The ribbing and the curled ends stand out more when the color is removed from the image.

The symmetry in the radial design of the flowers is repeated from petal to petal, and from one flower to the next. The geometric design of these creations stands out more when bright colors are not dominating the image.

The perfection of these flowers was highlighted once the color was removed.

Some, however, were moving on, past their peak. These show just how fragile and temporary they really are.

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We are fast approaching the last week of August here in the Northern Hemisphere.

Whether you associate Labor Day weekend with the end of summer or hold out until the autumnal equinox later in September, there is one thing that can’t be denied.

The air and the light are changing. It’s not like July.

There are clues about what is coming. The temperatures are starting to drop slightly, and the air just feels different. Sunset is now happening before 8:00. The light begins to take on a different quality as the atmosphere changes.

And as I gradually notice these changes, I start to feel like I’m not ready to let go. The season is thinking about moving on, but I still have summer things to do. I start trying to get a few more plans made. Another camping trip, maybe a hike. Outdoor things. And I start to feel an almost imperceptible sadness, wishing I had done more.

There is a Japanese word for the feeling I begin to get this time of year, as I start to pay attention to the lingering traces of the season as it begins to fade.

Nagori oshii.

I have always felt this way as summer slips away. The traditional time for family vacations is coming to an end. The kids are going back to school. And winter will inevitably be here before much longer.

Despite the feelings the season brings, what is coming is one of my favorite times of year photographically. The textures of autumn begin to replace the colors of summer. Flowers start to move on. Here and there, trees begin to turn. The humid haze of summer slowly gives way to a cooler, crisper sky.

At the end of August, these changes are subtle at first.

But they are there.

Eventually I’ll enjoy the fall weather.

But for now, that feeling of nagori oshii settles in, just beneath the surface. And we load up the camper to enjoy one more summer weekend outdoors.

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August brings antique vendors to central New York. Each year, a section of US Route 20 in Madison and Bouckville, New York, is transformed into an antique fair with over 2,000 dealers.

Large tents with multiple vendors set up, individual tents with shops set up under them, food, and crowds of people looking for deals or for the perfect piece to add to their collection.

It’s chaos.

Some dealers have just furniture pieces, primitives, clothing, or other specialized goods. Some have almost anything. Americana. History.

But there’s no directory that will list where you can find that one special item you are looking for. That is up to you, and a comfortable pair of shoes.

My wife and I spent a few hours there this week. I don’t go looking for anything specific. I sometimes find something interesting that inspires me for a photo project.

And of course I have my camera.

Because there are images hidden in the Visual Chaos.

I’m drawn to the rusty stuff, the odd stuff, and the nostalgia of things you just don’t see anymore. At one point, I found a Kodak Six-16 Brownie Special camera. In almost mint condition and over 80 years old, I almost bought it. But it was overpriced for what it was, and there would likely be more interesting things to come.

Anytime I do find something interesting that I consider buying, I have a decision to make: will I find something better in the next tent?

You would think the danger in this is that someone else will buy it first.

Before I go home and it’s time to maybe go back to that one item I passed by… the question is: Where did I see that? And after walking for a few hours, do I have the time and energy to go find it again? I thought about that Kodak Brownie I had seen earlier in our walk. They would probably take less. But at this point, I didn’t remember which tent I saw it in.

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What actually makes a photo worth taking?

When is it worth stopping the car, or putting your backpack down on a hike, or even just pausing and lifting the camera if you are actively looking for images?

I’m not headed for a composition discussion, or offering my opinion on what makes a photo good. I’ve spent a lot of time chasing answers to that question, and (Spoiler Alert) there is no single right answer.

My question today actually has very little to do with a photographer’s audience.

I’ve been thinking more lately about what it is about a scene that makes me want to stop.

With me, it’s not always the scene itself, but the moment.

An old barn leaning precariously. A door with peeling paint and a worn doorknob. Fog blanketing trees with just enough light. That sublime sunrise or sunset color on a river when I catch it at just the right time.

Deep down, I know none of these things will last.

The barn may last a couple more winters, or a windstorm could blow it over tonight.

The fog will lift, but when? 5 minutes, 10? How long will it last?

The light over a landscape is changing by the minute. Tomorrow the weather will be different. Over the next few weeks, the sunlight will come from a different angle, and eventually the seasons will begin to change.

It will never really be exactly like today.

These moments are fleeting, and in a way, fragile. I know if I come back, I won’t see them again. And that is what draws me in, makes me feel the need to stop. That urgency of catching something before it’s gone for good.

I can return to a place and see the same scene. But the moment will be gone. The best I can experience is an echo of that moment.

When that moment reaches out to you, you know it. That is what makes a photo worth taking.

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Boldt Castle on Heart Island near Alexandria Bay, NY, was built by George C Boldt for his wife Louise as an expression of his love for her. Construction started in 1900, but Louise died unexpectedly in January of 1904, before it was completed, and she never saw it.

Construction was halted when she passed, and the property remained abandoned for over 70 years, exposed to the elements and vandals. In 1977, it was purchased by the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority. It has since been opened for tourism, and restoration is underway.

My wife and I visited Boldt Castle again a few weeks ago. We had not been here in over 15 years.

Getting off the boat, we were again struck by the size of this castle as we looked up at it from the dock. The outside of the castle is beautiful, with flower gardens lining the walkway to the main entrance.

Inside, you are greeted by a large entryway with a grand staircase leading to the upper floors. This view of the interior can almost take you back in time. The details in the wood, the walls, and the furniture are a snapshot from over 100 years ago.

The first and second floors are fully restored and furnished, showing the grandeur that was intended when the castle was built. I did not recall seeing the rooms completed and fully finished on the second floor when we were last here. It gives you a full sense of the love that went into the castle when it was built.

The third and fourth floors are in progress and show exhibits of the property's history, as well as putting the amount of work that has gone into the lower floors into perspective.

Above the fourth floor, the building has been made structurally sound, but otherwise left alone. It no longer feels like the splendor of 1904; it feels like the neglect that followed.

These areas give you the true sense of what the structure endured through the years it was left… exposed. I was going to say it was from the years it was untouched, but that’s not quite accurate. On the walls you can see signs of the people that visited the place before the restoration. People who visited and left their mark on the place as it sat waiting.

Off one of those top floors are a few balconies where you can step outside at that top level and take in the view of the river and the surrounding area. As I stood there looking out over the river, I realized that view was a big part of the plan. That view was the true gift. It was what George Boldt wanted his wife to see.

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I likely only had one exposure left on the roll.

I had a little time to prepare the shot while it approached. I decided how close I wanted it to be for the right angle, prefocused on the spot, and waited for the engine to get in the frame.

Click.

I put my thumb on the winder and found there was still one more frame.

I turned as the train passed. I had to focus and frame this shot fast, a cause of anxiety with manual focus lenses.

But this frame was a bonus.

Quick decision, and click.

I stood and watched the train cars pass and slowly rewound the roll in the camera. I watched box cars with colorful graffiti go past without thinking I had to shoot them.

I loaded another roll as the last car rolled by.

The empty camera had given me a chance to just watch the rest of this train pass.

📷 Nikon FE with 35-105 zoom

🎞️ Kodak Tri-X

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I was sitting on the top deck of the tour boat, waiting for the tour to start. Everyone was taking out their phones and cameras, getting ready for departure from the dock. Everyone else was looking towards the river and towards the castle. Except me. I was looking at a forgotten and run-down corner of the marina on the other side of the boat through my telephoto zoom lens, and I was probably happier about it than everyone taking in the castle.

What caught my eye first was an old dock in a forgotten corner of the marina, looking ready to fall into the water. The dock’s angle as it came off the shoreline formed a natural diagonal. The old, weathered boards were worn, their texture showing their age. The fact that it was at the Alex Bay Marina meant it was once relevant.

Then I started looking at what else was nearby.

Another old dock sat next to this one. A sign on the end said no trespassing. It wasn’t collapsing like the first one, but I still don’t think I would walk on it. It looked like a lot of birds hang out there, though. So even if it would hold my weight, I still wouldn’t walk on it. I played with that composition for a bit before moving on.

I zoomed in further and saw ducks camped out on a small platform beside this dock. Weeds growing on the rotting boards told me how long it had been since it was used.

A small building sat near the shoreline, with a Rest Room sign still on the door. The siding was worn and falling off. An old hose reel was still attached to one wall. You could imagine what it had been like, but like the rest of this area, it had obviously not been used for a few years. Just as I pressed the shutter release, a gull passed through the frame.

We started moving away from the dock; it was time for the tour. I turned away from the old corner that had kept my attention, and looked towards the river. As we were pulling away past the yachts moored at the next dock, I finally looked at the castle across the river that everyone else had been looking at.

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Same trip last weekend, coming home the same inner conflict starts.

Main road, traffic. Camera is put away in the back of the car. We’ve had a long day. Is it worth it?

My foot reached for the brake, then didn’t. Then I started for the brake again, no maybe not. We started past the barn, and I hit the brakes, and reached for the turn signal.

My wife laughed quietly. She saw the battle play out by the brake pedal, and knew what was going through my head.

I turned onto the smaller road just past the barn. Less traffic going by.

In another couple weeks the corn will be tall enough that not much of the barn will be visible. The next time to get a shot after that will be with corn stubble on the field in late fall, or over the winter.

I need to get better about keeping my camera handy, and just stop thinking of excuses. And maybe stick to back roads where there are fewer trucks.

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Trying to stand out on an Instagram feed where images have lifecycles measured in seconds. AI anxiety. Keeping up with the latest trend.

Photography can be exhausting.

My Instagram account never really took off. And I’m not surprised. I’m not that kind of photographer. Frequent posts, stories, reels….. The feed flies by on small screens as fast as someone can scroll.

So who are my photos actually for? My best photos, my “meh” photos, all of them- where does their value come from?

Recalling the past.

I recently took some photos of an old feed mill in town. As a kid, I used to hear the mill, watch trucks backing in to be loaded, and see the owner going about the business of running the place.

That was somewhere around 45 years ago. I don’t have any photos from back then in my own archive. I do have photos from today, which are a stark contrast to the working business I remember, as the old building has been claimed by time and the elements.

As someone with Aphantasia, I find that a digital scrapbook gains value over time.

Solitude and personal recharge time.

I sometimes get up early in the morning before anyone else rises. I started doing it for the light. But I found something I had forgotten. Early morning quiet is the best kind of quiet. And being alone in it with my camera has a way of restoring something the everyday routine slowly drains.

I don’t do it just for the light now. Some mornings I take my camera out even in the rain, just to see what I can find. Sometimes it results in photos. But I can always find that quiet.

Community, coming together.

Memorial Day is a community event where I live. Parades, speeches, picnics, all part of the ritual. All part of remembering people no longer here.

I took a series of photos this year of the in-between moments at our fire station as we waited for the start of the next parade we were scheduled to attend.

This is the behind-the-scenes part. A part of the community, and also an extended family that not everyone sees.

Family moments.

On a family trip last fall, I captured a moment when our young rescue dog decided to stay by our luggage. She couldn’t watch my wife and me both at the same time, so this was her way of making sure nobody left without her.

Moments like this can be lost to time. Those small, in-between moments that make you smile can be held onto with photos.

Maybe it’s less about who the photos are for. They weren’t made because I was seeking likes. They started out as moments that made me stop and look. Nothing more.

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The locks and the boat activity on the Erie Canal make for interesting photo subjects on a sunny summer day. It had been a while since I had visited the Lock 20 park in Marcy, NY. So my wife and I thought it would be fun to hang out for a while and see if any boats were passing along the canal.

There was already a boat in the lock when we got there, so we sat and watched the ritual as the boat was raised 16 feet, then the doors on the opposite end opened, and it continued on its journey along the canal.

Soon, 4 more boats appeared. The lock was drained so that they could enter on the lower side, and the cycle began again.

What fascinates me most are the gates. These massive doors hold back enough water to lift a boat sixteen feet, using technology that hasn’t changed much in over two hundred years.

The canal started as a key to commerce for our young country. Today, it’s a key piece of a recreational boating route. I learned from talking to some of the boaters that they were traveling “the loop.” They said if I posted photos to the AGLCA, they would be able to see them. The 4 boats in the lock were from Maryland, Florida, Kentucky, and South Carolina. They had come up the Hudson River and were traversing the canal on their way to the Great Lakes. And they would eventually reach the Mississippi River and the Gulf.

One of the boaters did find the photos I posted online, and left a note. We had made a brief connection with someone, and helped them preserve one of many memorable moments of their trip.

The AGLCA account commented and said that “the Erie Canal is such a memorable part of the loop.”

Lock 20 is a familiar place for me. But today was a new experience. I’ve watched many boats going through the locks, but never really thought about where they were going. The brief connection we made today changed that. Those 4 boats we watched are somewhere on the water west of here, hopefully having a safe and memorable journey.

📷 Fujifilm X-T5 16-55 f2.8ii

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There was one sure sign that the day was starting. I could smell breakfast cooking somewhere.

We were camping nearby, and I wanted to come to the lake for sunrise. I came early, looking for pavement, doorways, and brick buildings still wet from the night before. But the overnight rain had been lighter than expected.

I hunted for some compositions of the pre-dawn street lights, shooting part of a roll of film, but overall came up empty. So I decided to go down to the lake. The sky was starting to brighten just a little.

Today was cloudy. I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect, except that it wouldn’t be bright or orange. But I was after something quieter than that.

Where I stood, it was cloudy. Occasionally, I could feel a slight mist. I switched to a digital camera that doesn’t mind the rain.

Miles away, the hills at the far end of the lake were shrouded by mist and rain. The intensity gradually pulled back, then closed in again as I watched, revealing more, and then less of the landscape.

The light, the sky, the lake, all blue.

I wanted a mood. The lake delivered.

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Owego, NY. June 12, 2026. You could feel the anticipation running through the crowd. People with cameras, people holding their phones in the air, people with kids sitting on their shoulders.

Then we heard it in the distance. A low, deep sound from the whistle. It wouldn’t be long now.

I came here hoping to chase a train. I underestimated the crowds. I underestimated the atmosphere. I expected a handful of train buffs being on hand to chase the Union Pacific Big Boy as it passed through a small town in NY State’s southern tier. What I found was a celebration. Young and old alike had come out to see history being made by a rolling piece of our nation’s history.

People drove from miles away, took their kids out of school or daycare for the day, came early, and gathered in large numbers to see this larger-than-life piece of our history.

I attempted to leave Owego and get ahead of the train for some more photos. I found one crossing where I could park, and waited. After one quick shot there, I got back in the car. But once the train went by, the number of cars trying to do the same became a traffic jam. It soon became clear I wouldn’t see the 4014 again that day.

This train is an exclamation mark on its history, the history of Union Pacific, and the history of the United States. It’s traveling the rails again in celebration of the 250th anniversary of our nation’s existence, coming to the East Coast, ultimately headed to Philadelphia, PA, for the 4th of July.

Watching the excitement in the crowd briefly took me back to when I was very young, when I saw The Freedom Train as it visited Boston in 1976 for the US Bicentennial.

The Union Pacific 4014, Big Boy, is the largest locomotive ever built. Everything about it was, and still is, larger than life.

Did the Union Pacific put all the money and time into that restoration because it would be a good investment in advertising? Did someone foresee the symbol it could be for the country’s 250th birthday? Did they envision a child sitting on a parent’s shoulders watching it go by? Or did someone remember being that kid years ago, watching wide-eyed as they watched a locomotive go by, breathing steam?

As I remembered seeing that train in Boston 50 years ago, I think I know the answer.

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Everyone was sleeping when I left our campsite. Usually this means I’m chasing some great light. Today I’m just going to explore the trail and enjoy the lake before the kayakers and beachgoers start showing up.

This morning, there were only a few ducks out on the lake, and a hiker here and there along the trail. The light wasn’t incredible, but that was OK. The quiet was what I came for.

And that turquoise water.

Green Lakes State Park, just east of Syracuse, NY. The park is home to a couple of small glacial lakes with some unique properties. The rare geology of the lake creates a beautiful blue-green color that gives the lakes their name. (Green Lakes State Park)

My time spent walking around the lake allowed me to decompress, which is the part of outdoor photography that is the most enjoyable for me. It also gave me an opportunity to get a few images of less obvious scenes around the lake, and to come up with ideas for next time.

Mostly, though, it capped off a weekend away, enjoying family time, with a little extra stillness before returning to the weekly routine.

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When I got home, something felt off. Unfinished.

I went out for a few hours, taking photos and enjoying some rare warm weather. I had found some scenes I felt good about. And I made some compositions I was looking forward to seeing.

I hadn’t shot film much over the winter. And many times when I’m shooting film, I also shoot at least a few images on a digital camera. But today there was nothing to look at yet. For the first time in a few months, I shot everything with my Nikon FE film camera. There weren’t any digital images to look at. Not even a cell phone shot.

Today was recorded exclusively on Kentmere PAN 400 and Tri-X

Instead of reviewing images, I spent some time thinking about why I felt like something was missing today.

What was missing?

Feedback

When the majority of your photography is digital, you get comfortable with seeing immediate feedback. Between seeing shots right away on the back of your camera and on a bigger screen as soon as you transfer your images off a memory card to a computer or tablet, you know if they met your expectations!

Gratification

Just seeing what you made, because you want to. Nothing beats returning from a photo outing and getting that dopamine hit when you download your images.

Closure

Just closing the loop on the day. Maybe because it’s a habit? Maybe it’s partly because of the first two reasons.

When I got back from shooting rolls of film, this loop got stuck open. The images I made today exist. At least I think they do. Can’t see them yet. So we are just going to hang here until I get my film processed.

Note: the images in this article are analog shots from my archive. Images referred to in the story are still waiting to be processed.

Why does this matter?

The instant feedback loop is really powerful (despite its addictive properties). I think I’ve learned more about exposure and composition with that short turnaround, and with the availability of EXIF data on each image, than I would have in 50 years of shooting film.

Shoot.

Review.

Adjust.

Repeat.

From a learning perspective, digital definitely wins.

Feedback also changes behavior.

These benefits can come with a cost. For example, chimping. I’m guilty. Shoot, and then look at the back of the camera. Sometimes it’s necessary to make sure you’ve got the shot. But you can start doing it too much, to the extent that you are worried about the last shot when you should be watching for the next one. Again, I’m guilty.

Sometimes instant feedback is useful. Sometimes it’s a distraction.

Film preserves uncertainty

That feedback loop gets rid of much of the uncertainty about the images you have captured. While film preserves it. Whether that’s good or bad is up to you, but with film, you don’t know for sure what you captured until you process the film.

You don’t know:

• Was my exposure correct?

• Was it focused properly?

• Did I nail the timing, capture the moment?

• Did the image even work?

If it’s an image you put effort into, it might stay in your head a while, in the form of a question. Something unresolved. Until hours, days, even weeks later, depending on how long it takes for processing.

It takes up that mental space longer than a digital shot as you wonder and anticipate.

The Train

As I went further down this rabbit hole of how the digital and film experiences are different, I thought about one of the shots I got that I am really looking forward to seeing.

A freight train was approaching in the distance. With the digital camera, I probably would have taken several shots at different distances. I would have let the autofocus worry about the changing distance involved. And I would have had a few shots to select from when I got home to determine my favorite angle, lighting, and distance.

But I had a film camera. And guess what! There were two frames left on the roll. This requires a very intentional approach. I figured out how close I wanted it to get, the optimal angle, compression, etc. I was shooting with the FE and a 35-105 zoom lens, so I had options. I quickly picked the spot, prefocused, and waited. I visualized the shot I was hoping to get to a greater extent than I do with digital.

I think when I am shooting film, I put more creative effort in before the shutter click than I do with digital. This isn’t better or worse in my opinion, but it is different.

Chain of commitments

Film requires a chain of commitments before the shutter clicks.

You must decide:

• focal length

• focus point

• timing

• framing

• exposure

And then live with those decisions.

Digital, especially RAW files, let you make some adjustments. Even the timing/framing can be flexible with essentially unlimited shots and a high frame rate on a digital camera.

But with film, you have a limited number of exposures, and what the film captures won’t change much later.

Film forces commitment.

Digital allows more exploration.

Neither is really any better, just different experiences.

Why does it matter?

I started thinking about this because of the feeling of something missing. And I ended up thinking of quite a few ways that shooting film disrupts my routine. A routine and habits formed from shooting digital for several years now.

Film vs digital. In my head, I can think of as many benefits for one as I can for the other.

But one thing that this comes down to is that switching between them can disrupt habits. It can change your workflow and my thought patterns.

Breaking out of habits and comfortable patterns generally helps my creativity.

✅ Where to Find Me

You can find more of my work on the web at: Simmons Photography

If you want to work with me or inquire about licensing images: Contact Page

More of my work can be seen on Vero and Flickr.

Subscribe now