BrianF
TPF Noob!
Long winded intro:
I don’t want to be a photographer. I just like to take photographs.
To me there is a difference between pictures and photographs. Pictures are just a snapshot of something with little thought or creativity involved. Photographs involve composition, thought, creativity and artistic elements.
As a kid I had a Polaroid Type 1. I took a lot of instant pictures and some were ok and they tried to tell a story. Nothing earth shattering. No real memories of what I did with photography for a few years after that. Years later in 1984 I bought a Pentax Program Plus. With it I took everyday pictures. Family, travels, whatever. I never really got into “photography”. I just took pictures usually in auto mode with no thought of aperture or shutter speed. Give a monkey a camera and enough film and you might get a few good shots. That’s what I got. Lots of pictures and a few good shots.
I went digital probably sometime in the late 90’s or early 00’s. Again no clear memory of the exact time. Nothing special for a camera just a cheap point and shoot wizomatic that the company I worked for gave me. I continued to take everyday pictures with a few good ones here and there.
My iPhones replaced the wizomatic and more images were produced. More good shots happened somehow, mostly on my travels where the subject matter was just spectacular to begin with, but still just pictures and not photography.
That all changed on a visit to my aunt one day. She was cleaning out some of her no longer used possessions. She had 2 Leica lll’s. A C and an F. I could have taken both but took one and had her send the other to my brother. I later figured out I took the C. I knew nothing about it, it’s age, history, how it worked or anything. Didn’t even know the difference between a C or F at the time.
Now I’m a bit of a geek. When I’m interested in something I read everything I can find on the subject. I scoured the web and read everything I found. I learned about Leica screw mount or Barnack cameras, what they were and how they came to be. I learned about the different models (I have a 1949 lllc with a 1949 50mm Sumitar lens) and CLA’s and the bad beam splitter mirror. I needed a mirror and a CLA. I ordered a mirror and took the camera apart to replace it. The operation was a success. The CLA followed at a local shop. Again a success.
Then started my journey into true photography.
The Leica is totally manual so I had to learn how it all works. No more point and shoot. Light meter app on my iPhone. F stops. Shutter speeds. Rangefinder focus. Holy crap it is a lot to learn. The first roll of film was exceptionally bad with little to nothing right, including a couple where I forgot to take the lens cap off. In my case practice hasn’t made perfect, but 10-11 rolls later I know my camera. I know what it wants in quite a few situations. I understand parallax of the viewfinder vs the lens. I know what it wants to get into the shadows and the light as well.
When you get it all right the results are amazing. I’m still no photographer but I can now take photographs as well as just pictures. The little Leica excels at street photography. It is small, quiet and unobtrusive. People don’t notice and I’m usually invisible anyway. With a bigger camera people notice and some feel the intrusion.
Studying the art and technique of photography has opened my eyes. I see light differently now. I now am aware of the color and feel of light. I’ve shot things just because the light was so good at the time. I’m also more aware of things. The car, the sign, the window or people that might make or break a shot. Shadows are a big thing. With digital it will compensate. Film, not so much. I see opportunities as I pass through life and on my travels. A barn in the field, a doorway, a person, a vista. All the time thinking I wish I had my camera that would be a great shot.
My SO laughs at me for taking so long with a shot. Meter, adjust f-stop, set shutter, focus, compose, shoot. She just points her phone and clicks. But it is so worth it. I have a few shots I can call photographs and be proud of.
I am revitalized and super happy to go out and practice my art of photography. I’ll never be anywhere near as good as a lot of real photographers but I’ll produce a few good shots and have a whole lot of fun doing it.
Brian
I don’t want to be a photographer. I just like to take photographs.
To me there is a difference between pictures and photographs. Pictures are just a snapshot of something with little thought or creativity involved. Photographs involve composition, thought, creativity and artistic elements.
As a kid I had a Polaroid Type 1. I took a lot of instant pictures and some were ok and they tried to tell a story. Nothing earth shattering. No real memories of what I did with photography for a few years after that. Years later in 1984 I bought a Pentax Program Plus. With it I took everyday pictures. Family, travels, whatever. I never really got into “photography”. I just took pictures usually in auto mode with no thought of aperture or shutter speed. Give a monkey a camera and enough film and you might get a few good shots. That’s what I got. Lots of pictures and a few good shots.
I went digital probably sometime in the late 90’s or early 00’s. Again no clear memory of the exact time. Nothing special for a camera just a cheap point and shoot wizomatic that the company I worked for gave me. I continued to take everyday pictures with a few good ones here and there.
My iPhones replaced the wizomatic and more images were produced. More good shots happened somehow, mostly on my travels where the subject matter was just spectacular to begin with, but still just pictures and not photography.
That all changed on a visit to my aunt one day. She was cleaning out some of her no longer used possessions. She had 2 Leica lll’s. A C and an F. I could have taken both but took one and had her send the other to my brother. I later figured out I took the C. I knew nothing about it, it’s age, history, how it worked or anything. Didn’t even know the difference between a C or F at the time.
Now I’m a bit of a geek. When I’m interested in something I read everything I can find on the subject. I scoured the web and read everything I found. I learned about Leica screw mount or Barnack cameras, what they were and how they came to be. I learned about the different models (I have a 1949 lllc with a 1949 50mm Sumitar lens) and CLA’s and the bad beam splitter mirror. I needed a mirror and a CLA. I ordered a mirror and took the camera apart to replace it. The operation was a success. The CLA followed at a local shop. Again a success.
Then started my journey into true photography.
The Leica is totally manual so I had to learn how it all works. No more point and shoot. Light meter app on my iPhone. F stops. Shutter speeds. Rangefinder focus. Holy crap it is a lot to learn. The first roll of film was exceptionally bad with little to nothing right, including a couple where I forgot to take the lens cap off. In my case practice hasn’t made perfect, but 10-11 rolls later I know my camera. I know what it wants in quite a few situations. I understand parallax of the viewfinder vs the lens. I know what it wants to get into the shadows and the light as well.
When you get it all right the results are amazing. I’m still no photographer but I can now take photographs as well as just pictures. The little Leica excels at street photography. It is small, quiet and unobtrusive. People don’t notice and I’m usually invisible anyway. With a bigger camera people notice and some feel the intrusion.
Studying the art and technique of photography has opened my eyes. I see light differently now. I now am aware of the color and feel of light. I’ve shot things just because the light was so good at the time. I’m also more aware of things. The car, the sign, the window or people that might make or break a shot. Shadows are a big thing. With digital it will compensate. Film, not so much. I see opportunities as I pass through life and on my travels. A barn in the field, a doorway, a person, a vista. All the time thinking I wish I had my camera that would be a great shot.
My SO laughs at me for taking so long with a shot. Meter, adjust f-stop, set shutter, focus, compose, shoot. She just points her phone and clicks. But it is so worth it. I have a few shots I can call photographs and be proud of.
I am revitalized and super happy to go out and practice my art of photography. I’ll never be anywhere near as good as a lot of real photographers but I’ll produce a few good shots and have a whole lot of fun doing it.
Brian
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![[No title]](/data/xfmg/thumbnail/32/32930-09414fc020c2a60a456ff59a05c5ef8f.jpg?1619735759)