Restarting routine
After a pause, how do you go back to what you used to do–and why?
A couple of days ago our photographer pulled out three of his cameras (the Leica III, the Kodak Brownie Junior 620 and the Rolleiflex TLR) and went out photographing. Any time in the past, well, many years this would have been no cause for comment. But since the advent of COVID-19 his use of film has dropped substantially. It used to be that twenty rolls a year was unusually light; 2020 saw him use only five, and two of those were before the virus hit. So polishing off three in a day is a welcome return to past habits.
Why the great reduction? In part, it was because of the uncertainty surrounding the original lockdown. Details of the transmission of the virus were largely unknown at the time, so any venture out of the house was deemed dangerous. Even a local expedition to gather images seemed an unnecessary risk. But more important was the break in his work flow. Before, he would take pictures; have them processed at a lab in the area; review the proofs, and have good ones enlarged at the same lab; and place these in an album. But the long trip to the lab on public transport was now out of the question, and it was many months before he located a mail-order place he would trust. This in itself actually made for no significant delay in processing, but required a change in habit, enough to delay getting around to it for a long time. Even making things a little more difficult, or even just different, can cause long delays.
So what caused him to break out his cameras again? Not some unusual event or condition. He did some experimenting with color filters, and we may describe the results later if anything interesting comes out. Most of his subjects were the old and sometimes colorful houses of Old Town Alexandria, subjects he’d planned to photograph for some time, and the occasion of a sunlit day and more comfortable weather made for an opportunity. But the immediate prompt for this expedition was the realization that several of the rolls of film in his freezer were nearing expiration. Of course, being kept in the freezer will allow film to be perfectly usable years after its printed date, so there was no practical need to use them soon. But it did remind him that a photo-expedition was long overdue.
Having to use up film before it expires, like the need to shoot the last couple of frames so as to get the roll finished for processing, are artifacts of the old technology. Most photography now knows nothing of them. And they would hardly seem likely inspirations for great imaging. But sometimes just getting out and doing something can start the creative juices flowing. A little prod, like a little difficulty, can have outsize effects.
