Evaluation
Over the past seven weeks I have been working on a ‘Street Photography’ project using 35mm black and white film in which I have created 5 final prints based on my own idea of street photography.
Before starting this project I had little knowledge and experience of using black and white film and a 35mm film camera; as in the past I had only experimented with black and white film several times.
I have always took an interest in and been inspired by ‘Street Photography’ so despite having little experience with 35mm Film I had a good knowledge of the genre of photography associated with this project.
When starting this project I didn't have any particular ideas of what sort of street photography I wanted to create therefore I decided that I would be best to go out and shoot a roll of film and then work with the outcome. After I was given tutorials on film photography and I had taken out my own research on my own film camera I felt much more confident to go out and take photographs because in the past although I have experimented with film photography, I have never had a great understanding of how a film camera works.
Immediately after my first time out with my film camera I felt much more confident about the project as my negatives came out with fairly consistent and correct exposures and this improved after every roll of film I used, therefore I feel this project has improved my understanding of a film camera which not only has a positive effect on the quality of my negatives but also makes me a more confident photographer.
During the project I continued to go out and take photographs regularly and when comparing contact sheets I noticed a pattern in my photography and that was that the best or most effective of my negatives were photographs that I had taken of people who perform or are employed on the street such as newspaper stands, market stalls, performers and buskers. When I began to make prints I really liked this concept of people who are working that I could photograph and this made me feel like my project was coming together.
Throughout the time making my prints I have definitely become a better film photographer but although my negatives were successful from the start I struggled with perfecting prints in the darkroom.
When I first began making my prints I felt I could not use Grade Filters as I struggled to judge what filters to use and I didn't really have much understanding of what they were used for. I felt like this set me back a little from my deadline but after watching a demonstration on printing with filters and seeking help with a print I gained a better understanding of making prints. After a few weeks I was creating good negatives with plenty of choice to enlarge yet I wasn't as confident with printing up until I shot my last two rolls of film in Liverpool when my project began to come together, as my concept was reflected in the prints I was creating and the prints I was creating were also a much better standard.
Whilst creating my Street Photography prints I have improved my technical skills whilst using a film camera massively and this has made me a more confident photographer.
I feel that my prints are the best quality that I have ever created with black and white film and that I have gained a lot of experience from this and have a lot more knowledge about the technicalities of film photography.
If I was to improve my Street Photography prints I would spend more time perfecting my final prints and gain more experience using filters on the enlargers in the darkroom yet despite that I am happy with the outcome of my project and feel that overall I have become a more versatile photographer.
Over the past seven weeks I have been working on a ‘Street Photography’ project using 35mm black and white film in which I have created 5 final prints based on my own idea of street photography.
Before starting this project I had little knowledge and experience of using black and white film and a 35mm film camera; as in the past I had only experimented with black and white film several times.
I have always took an interest in and been inspired by ‘Street Photography’ so despite having little experience with 35mm Film I had a good knowledge of the genre of photography associated with this project.
When starting this project I didn't have any particular ideas of what sort of street photography I wanted to create therefore I decided that I would be best to go out and shoot a roll of film and then work with the outcome. After I was given tutorials on film photography and I had taken out my own research on my own film camera I felt much more confident to go out and take photographs because in the past although I have experimented with film photography, I have never had a great understanding of how a film camera works.
Immediately after my first time out with my film camera I felt much more confident about the project as my negatives came out with fairly consistent and correct exposures and this improved after every roll of film I used, therefore I feel this project has improved my understanding of a film camera which not only has a positive effect on the quality of my negatives but also makes me a more confident photographer.
During the project I continued to go out and take photographs regularly and when comparing contact sheets I noticed a pattern in my photography and that was that the best or most effective of my negatives were photographs that I had taken of people who perform or are employed on the street such as newspaper stands, market stalls, performers and buskers. When I began to make prints I really liked this concept of people who are working that I could photograph and this made me feel like my project was coming together.
Throughout the time making my prints I have definitely become a better film photographer but although my negatives were successful from the start I struggled with perfecting prints in the darkroom.
When I first began making my prints I felt I could not use Grade Filters as I struggled to judge what filters to use and I didn't really have much understanding of what they were used for. I felt like this set me back a little from my deadline but after watching a demonstration on printing with filters and seeking help with a print I gained a better understanding of making prints. After a few weeks I was creating good negatives with plenty of choice to enlarge yet I wasn't as confident with printing up until I shot my last two rolls of film in Liverpool when my project began to come together, as my concept was reflected in the prints I was creating and the prints I was creating were also a much better standard.
Whilst creating my Street Photography prints I have improved my technical skills whilst using a film camera massively and this has made me a more confident photographer.
I feel that my prints are the best quality that I have ever created with black and white film and that I have gained a lot of experience from this and have a lot more knowledge about the technicalities of film photography.
If I was to improve my Street Photography prints I would spend more time perfecting my final prints and gain more experience using filters on the enlargers in the darkroom yet despite that I am happy with the outcome of my project and feel that overall I have become a more versatile photographer.
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