Spray and Praying

Walkies in Santa Eularia (IBIZA)

So listening to the interesting John Free last evening regarding taking that 'one' shot. I agree totally with him when he says that he would rather come home with 36 shots that work, than have to wade through 800 shots looking for the few that work.

Now of course John still shoots film, as do I. And I am sure this has something to do with this philosophy. At least this is what works for me. I try to get the shot at the first go (sometimes 3 or 4 shots are needed to get the correct emotion) But I also shoot differently to most people with a digital camera. Even when I do use my little Fuji digital, I still find 30 to 50 shots on my card at the end of the day. Maybe I'm just lazy. I know I don't have time to search for hours, and end up deleting 95% of the images.

Another thing that I do is keep my camera ready AT ALL TIMES!!! This means (if there is one) removing the lens cap. I never walk around with the it on. I always have the film advanced to the next frame (just be aware how you carry the camera and where the shutter release button is) I almost never walk with the camera hanging around me neck (if it is, it is usually at a gunslinger angle ready at a moments notice) I am usually pre-focused. This is usually at 4/6 feet. And I usually try to shoot at f8 to f11. This means that focus is usually spot on.

But these are all basics for street shooting with a film camera. It might seem a but fiddly especially in this day and age of the auto or P-mode. But this particular image was shot with a little point and shoot. It is auto focus and I usually have it on the P-mode. This is what I find works for me. Again it is usually set on Snap-mode (this is akin to a pre-focus mode) The Ricoh GR1 and others in the brilliant Ricoh GR film range use this to ensure that the auto focus is not hunting, and is set to the fabled 4/6 foot range.

So using this I am ready. I will be ready to take a shot a half a second after seeing it. I love this kind of shot. It has all the energy of life. And forces you to get nice and close to life. This is way this will always be one of my favourite shots. Be ready. Keep your eyes open. And take the shot. And have fun!!!

Hope you all have a great weekend, and as always, thanks.

I can also be found at

https://www.flickr.com/photos/choose_life_hcb/

http://www.streethunters.net/streethuntersindex/listing/anton-fortein

https://www.facebook.com/anton.fortein?ref=tn_tnmn

https://plus.google.com/u/0/104126857963051978234/posts



Edinburgh and the EPIC mju ii

Visitors in a old land

Some more from our recent trip to Edinburgh. I had fun with the mju ii and some colour negative film. Processed by Snappy Snaps and scanned by myself

As always, thanks for having a look. Antz

I want a Leica M6

I mean, I REALLY want a Leica M6

To be more precise, I need a Black Leica M6 with a CRON-M 35mm f/2 ASPH. I simply lust after this set-up. Visits to the Leica shop down on Old Street usually end up with the poor staff there having to give the display cases a good clean.  Yes, unadulterated lust...

However, I do so love my beat-up old Nikon FM. Yes, this piece of mechanical excellence built in the late 70's, yes, 1970's is still going strong. A couple dents, and some seriously sexy brassing proves this old girl's been around the block a few times. This, nearly 40 year old beauty makes the Leica M6 look like very expensive toy, which in essence of course, it is.

I love it more because, what it does, can be done by almost anything. My Nikon FM is just a box with a hole to allow light to fall on some plastic coated with silver halide crystals. The result is that when this exposed strip of plastic is processed with some chemicals, that light is, almost magically, fixed on that plastic strip. From the earliest days of the camera obscura to the modern pixel crunching beasts of today, all they did then and do now, is allow light to fall onto a light capturing medium.

So, will I make better images with a M6? Maybe. Will I enjoy shooting more with a M6? Maybe. Do I really need a M6? Not really. So, for now, I enjoy taking my FM out. I enjoy using it, and  I am very happy with the images I create using the FM, this beat-up old classic. Yes, I might lust after a Leica M6, but I am in love with my Nikon FM.

Thanks for reading

Happy shooting

IN PASSING

Il Postino -  a love letter

So I was going to write about how you can never be taken to 'the road'. You have to find you own way there. No matter how sincere your intentions are, unless someone is ready to take that first step themselves, you may as well save your energies for your own work. So, I am saving my energy...

In passing

I recall the film Il Postino. More than a beautiful love-story. More than a postcard of the beautiful island of Sicilia, where I have visited many times. It is a story of bravery. Mario Ruoppolo want's better for himself. He is stuck in life. Life is passing him by. Through a chain of events he discovers life, and love, is wondrous. He becomes a postman, and his path crosses that of the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, and discovers poetry. Not having any understanding of the mechanics of poetry, he falls in love with words. He loves the sounds of words, and how they can describe life with metafore. While intoxicated with this new found love, he finds his heart's companion, the sultry Beatrice Russo. After loads of fumbling from our Mario, she is won over by his honesty and sincerity. Meanwhile a new poet is being created. A poet for the popoli. At this point you realise that creativity is something that can't be bottled up, kept on the back burner or put on the top shelf (sorry, got carried away there). Our Mario is swept away by this outlet for this new love. He produces a tour de force which sees him attending a political rally. Tragically he is killed during the crack-down by the authorities. His poetry lives on with his friends and loved ones, and his, never seen, son. A great movie, which I have watched many times... I guess I have to make my point here.

So, this story could be about anything you choose. I want it to be a romantic tale of the powerful tug of creating art. I want it to be about the knowing. The knowing that you do have a voice. You have a special voice, and you need it to be heard. We all have that voice. Some, sadly choose to ignore it. Some wait until it irrupts. We postpone it because it is scary, very scary. All it takes is a little courage... ok, plenty of courage. But it takes bravery to stand proud and say, this is mine!

I would like to celebrate all who create. No matter how insignificant or trivial it may seem, someone listened to that little whisper. And that is a good thing! It is a wonderful thing. So what if it's not to your liking. Say, well done, and move on. They have produced something. And that needs to be celebrated.

Thanks for taking the time to read some more ramblings of a die-hard romantic. Have a look at Il Postino if you get a chance (I am sure you can find a copy with subtitles). It is a beautiful film. And have a great week. A

Out of the Shadows

Being true to yourself

All well and good being true to yourself and your vision. But, man it's easy to find yourself pandering. And I mean pandering in a bad way! I find it really difficult to stop myself from making and posting images that don't have any context to what I want to create.

 

 

When catching up on the various communities, and seeing something that catches my eye, I tend to go to the persons 'home page' and have a wee gander. I feel that the majority of photographers out there try many different styles, too many different styles. And this dilutes that one good image. I am almost always disappointed at what I find. A great street image lost in a sea of macro flora shots. A great landscape lost amongst all the bad animal shots. A great macro shot hidden in an orgy of sunsets. We as photographers are a sad and insecure bunch sometimes. We drift from pillar to post without really being aware what is a good shot. At some point we should stop and ask ourselves, what do we really enjoy shooting? What is it that makes us happy to see on our photo stream? And when we have answered that, stick to it. Explore the genre. Enjoy the subject matter. Edward Weston shot peppers!! All kinds of peppers!! He went to market to look for interesting peppers, came home and became one of the best proponents of use of light this medium will know. He stuck to it when he needed to investigate.

 

I am not sure what would have happened if he were alive today, and had to deal with this crazy world of online sharing. But while photographing all those peppers, he became an innovative artist. He worked at refining his technique and vision. It took time to develop. And he endured all the self doubt because he had a vision and a goal. Well, the romantic in me would like to believe this. And he was sure that what he was doing was the correct thing for him to be doing. Now, of course I have no idea that it was like this, and maybe he was working alone in a cocoon. Or maybe he had lots of other on-going projects and influences. But I would like to believe that he was brave to tackle this subject and project and see it through' to it's logical conclusion. As I've said, I am not sure how he would have worked in this day and age.

 

But I am working in this day and age. To be brave and stick to my vision, I have to be stubborn. I have to believe that I desperately want to see where this road leads me. Everyday I have to say, yes. I have to yes to what I post. But I also have to be honest. I have to be brave and honest. 2 virtues in sad shortage these days. Or maybe I am just a bit of a megalomaniac. But maybe I have to be one. I have to say, yes! this is what I do, and I like it. And for now, this is who I am!

 

I am happy to have this opportunity to be this stubborn and be true to my vision. And be true to myself. Thanks all.

 

I can also be found at

https://www.flickr.com/photos/choose_life_hcb/

http://www.streethunters.net/streethuntersindex/listing/anton-fortein

https://www.facebook.com/anton.fortein?ref=tn_tnmn

https://plus.google.com/u/0/104126857963051978234/posts

 

 

 

Bardot of Mayfair

No rhyme or reason

Bardot of Mayfair

So why do I make images? More to the point, why do I share images that I create? I could very easily become like Vivian Meir or Gary Winogrand, (and I am sure there are many who are not as well known) with thousands of images unprocessed. This is easy!

 

 

 

 But I will share with anyone who cares to take a moment to look. I will admit that I do share less these days. I have tried to share at least one image per day since I started sharing online. And I still keep true to this, sharing one image per day. But something is changing. I feel I am becoming more critical of my own work. Some days I struggle to see the relevance of a post. I also never repost. That is another constraint I set myself. Once it is out there, I will not succumb to posting it again somewhere else. I post to mainly 3 sites (the Flickr, Goolge+ and FB) and now, here on this blog (were I will post a picture posted somewhere else)

 

I have a nagging feeling that I need to push myself to do something more collective (as a body of work). Over the past few weeks I have noticed my work is becoming a bit directionless. I enjoy being part of sharing communities and I have already learned so much being part of a few. And continue to enjoy the interaction. But I have found how easy it is to get sucked into the maelstrom of being in a community. It is all too easy to slip in that image that you feel (or discover, as I have) is sub-standard. I think my enthusiasm to share sometimes overpowers my sense of 'me' in the piece.

 

I think we should all, from time to time, take a moment to reflect on 'where' we are as an individual. And that is the paradox of sharing. Being true to yourself, and still be active in sharing yourself with a community.

 

Back to no rhyme or reason... I posted this image as a point to illustrate how you have no control of how your work is digested. My 'Bardot of Mayfair' was captured in a micro second of seeing her slide past the person in front of me. I was fortunate to have a camera at the ready. I fired off the shutter in the next half a second that I had. This image was posted on the usual 3 sites. Not much action on 2 of them. However on one site it is one of my most viewed images (over 9500 views) I really like this image, but why is it so popular on one site in the context of all 3 sites. No rhyme or reason...

 

Sorry, about this meander through my thoughts today. It's been very muggy and uncomfortable in London today, and I think my brain is just a bit too mushy to be very coherent.

 

Just a quick thank you for those who are taking the time to read about my meandering thoughts and feelings as my adventure continues down the road of art and creating art. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

 

I can also be found at

https://www.flickr.com/photos/choose_life_hcb/

http://www.streethunters.net/streethuntersindex/listing/anton-fortein

https://www.facebook.com/anton.fortein?ref=tn_tnmn

https://plus.google.com/u/0/104126857963051978234/posts

 

 

 

 

Dreaming of the ceile de Paris

Why try to copy the masters

Dreaming of the ceile de Paris

Why indeed? Why try to emulate someone who has succeeded in expressing themselves as you feel you wish you could? I find most people have a repulsion toward copying the masters. I just don't understand this negativity to trying to hone your style.

I think one of the main reasons is arrogance. Of course everyone masks it as modesty or a noble sense of respect of their idol. I am almost 100% sure that if, as in my case I try to emulate the style of Daido Moriyama, he became aware of my desire to 'copy' him, he would find it very amusing. No matter how many rolls of TMax I shoot, I will never be able to portray the world as he sees it. I can't see the world as he does! But, I like the 'words' and 'sounds' he uses to describe his world. I enjoy trying to find that sweet spot where he may have been when he created a certain look, and feel. I use the same 'words', but my accent is different. I have to find a way to use my own voice. I have to find a way to describe what I see. Even though we use the same words, we construct our sentences differently. I study others work, try to emulate them, to try to find my own style. I feel it is important to do this, as you need a starting point. It is vital to find your way. The alternative is to be lost in a wilderness.

Unless of course you are arrogant to believe that somehow after 2 or 3 years you have found your voice. In this modern age we expect to have a quick solution. We must have answers at our fingertips. Most masters started out studying past masters, for years in some instances. Only when they had mastered the basics of the language did they start moving toward their own truths. Of course there are a few prodigies. But for the remaining 99.99% of us, start at a place where the formulas have been studied and already defined and refined. There is no way I could ever copy any of Daido's work. I can however use his map as a starting point to finding my own way. And if I find myself traveling the same road has him, I will congratulate myself finding myself there, and then enjoy the view.