by Wouter Willemse
A blast from the past, a blast from a ca(n)non?
My most-used cameras are Nikons, so according to the sadder parts of the internet, I should be actively against Canon somehow. Well, sorry to disappoint. I’ve owned one, and liked it a lot. I sold it, and still wonder why at times.
Black and white photography is a weird animal, a bag full of contradictions. It’s historically at the core of photography. Colour became an option only long, long after. In the tradition of photography, monochrome has been the norm for a long time.
Yet, photography is often associated with a link to reality. Black and white actually strips away an important element of reality. Reality isn’t black and white, after all.
So, why use digital if you like using film so much? If I enjoy myself with the more physical process of developing negatives, and since very short making prints, why bother with a digital camera? It’s not like a good digital camera is cheap.
So, why film? Well, first of all because “analogue photography” is a complete misnomer. Both a sensor and film react rather similar to light, in a pretty binary way (it’s registered, or not). So if binary logic equals digital, then both are in fact digital.
But no, this isn’t about the dictionary.
When I was still pretty active on a photography forum, one recurring discussion was between those who got all excited on the latest and greatest gear with all the new features, and those who claimed that the camera doesn’t matter because it’s all down to the photographer. In other words “with this camera, you can finally really make good images” versus “tools don’t matter”.
Yet another example of unnecessary polarised discussion.
Hipster. A vague term, but somehow in my mind, I see somebody a lot younger than me, who visibly dresses in a way to look unique and original, to demonstrate the whole world the a super-creative mind (s)he is.
The internet – a blessing or a curse for photography?
If you were to believe “serious photographers”, you’d believe it’s a curse. An abundance of photos of parties, food, fun with friends and other events. Countless selfies. Influencers desperately trying to hide they’re just an advertisement (and failing to hide that). Quick shots from the hip. Images that have no purpose beyond publishing more pictures.
Why yet another website with opinions and rather unstructured work of a well meaning hobbyist? Doesn’t the internet have enough of those?
Probably, yes. But then again, why not add more? After all, you’re here now.
Welcome to my website!
This is just my own private bit of the internet – nothing specific and nothing particular. As I’m a hobbyist photographer, it’s pretty inevitable there will be plenty of photos and some opiniated rants on photography. And other things that interest me or drew my attention may find their place too… So all in all, a lot of nothing and a bit of everything.