Goin' Old School

I am a photographer. A digital photographer, to be exact. It's amazing how photography has advanced. It's wierd for me to imagine taking a picture and not being able to see a preview of it on an LCD screen right after. For another generation, the opposite can be true. I've been starting to feel like I'm being spoiled by my digital media, and decided to attempt some "old school" photography.

Yesterday I got out my grandpa's old Zeiss Ikon 35mm. It took a while for me to figure out all of the manual components, I actually ruined a roll of high definition color film before figuring out how to rewind the film without opening up the camera, but once I had it down, I was very excited to test my skills as a photographer. It's a little unnerving to snap a picture with little idea of how it will actually turn out. With this camera, I cannot press the shutter button down half way to see how it's focused, I simply have to rely on my abillity to properly set up the shot. I enjoyed my first trip out, taking pictures of flowers mostly, but I also felt that every photo would not turn out the way I intended. I suppose I'll know when I get the film developed.

Today I plan to go out with a roll of professional black and white film and see what I can do. I also plan to attempt some black and white portraits in the near future. I'm going to have all of my photos put on a CD when I get them developed, of course, so I can share my results with all of my internet pals. I just hope that what I've learned about the basics of photography, and applied to the digital world, has the same effect with a traditional camera.