Things I got wrong about scanning negatives
The specifics matter less than the practice of paying attention. It took me ten attempts to see the pattern. Most of the editing happens weeks later, when the memory has faded. I print little first, then decide what deserves to be larger.
The setup
Scanning is tedious, but it is where the series takes shape. I altered my mind about composition twice while writing this. The trick, if there is one, is to leave sufficient room for missteps.
For a long time I treated grain as an afterthought. I like composition that shows the marks of how it was made. The best frame on the sheet was the one I almost did not take.
Some of this will be self-evident; some of it took me years. I wrote most of this on a quiet Tuesday morning. If something here is unclear, that is on me, not you.
Trade-offs
There is a version of this that is much more complicated. This is not that version. Here is what altered, and what stayed exactly the same. Nothing here requires a light meter, though it does make things easier.
Film forces a pause between seeing and pressing the shutter. A 50mm lens helps, but it is not the point. Most problems with contact sheets turn out to be problems with time. I shot most of this series on a single roll, half of it in fading light.
- Stop before you are tired
- Write down what you change
- Give shooting film a full autumn
First steps
Most problems with light turn out to be problems with time. I like the darkroom that shows the marks of how it was made. This began as a quick note and gradually turned into something longer.
Most problems with the darkroom turn out to be problems with time. A light meter is a good teacher if you let it disagree with you. Nothing here requires a tripod, though it does make things easier. Every winter I revisit the same questions about shadows. I would rather do one thing deliberately than five things quickly.
It took me twelve attempts to see the pattern. Overcast days are underrated; the light wraps around everything. Good contact sheets is for the most part a series of little, unglamorous decisions.
I altered my mind about overcast days twice while writing this.