Thursday, June 16, 2022

The Humble Lensman

"Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever... It remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything." ~ Aaron Siskind

Good morning; afternoon; and evening friends and fans! Namaste. It's been a hot minute since I've posted anything photography related and I'm sure I'm going to get plenty of weird looks from non-photographers on why many of us actual photographers actually place 35mm or 120mm film in the refrigerator or freezer. I don't care what anyone says and I find it annoying having to explain exactly why photographers keep film in the fridge. For now I have to take it easy and rest my knee since I have Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome, according to my orthopedic in Great Neck earlier this month. Don't ask how I've injured my knee and will go back to watching 'Birth of the Dragon' on Netflix shortly. At this point, I hope this particular blog is informative in a way that it clears things up for the non-photographers with zero experience in handling photography so actual photographers aren't trying to "educate" the non-photographers on why we actually put film in the fridge out of sheer frustration and don't make me pimp slap you through the computer screen!!! Sit down and take some notes, if not, grab some chop sticks and catch some flies. Yeah, I'm using a Karate Kid movie reference, if you don't know how to use chop sticks, I don't know what to tell you non-Asians and you're lucky I'm unable to stab you in the eye with a chop stick at this point. I'm feeling very Bruce Lee mixed with Daniel LaRusso (the tournament scene from The Karate Kid - Daniel Vs Johnny in the tournament). I'm going to list several YouTube videos to view at your own leisure: What's in my Film Photography Fridge - How to Store film for film photography; What Film I Keep In My Fridge - Vlog What film is in my fridge (YouTube Cribs Edition); and How to store your photography film safely! Here are several blogs for you to read at your own leisure: Everything you need to know about refrigerating and freezing film; How to store film properly, and what happens when you don't; and Film Storage 101: How to store film before and after development for brilliant images. Nonetheless, I hope everyone understands why I've posted these articles and as well as several videos so you, the reader can have some type of understanding on why people in the photography field store film either in the freezer or refrigerator. No, we're not weird or odd or whatever term you wish to utilize.

-This May Sound Strange-

"A photographer went to a socialite party in New York. As he entered the front door, the host said, 'I love your pictures - they're wonderful; you must have a fantastic camera.' He said nothing until dinner was finished, then: 'That was a wonderful dinner; you must have a terrific stove.'" ~ Sam Haskins (🤣)

I'm so looking forward in going on my photography walks and generally when I go on my photography walks, I enjoy my own company so to speak and I hope people aren't offended when I say things like that. It helps clear my head from the stress and everyday life. Yet, I don't mind the company but I prefer going solo on my photography walks. Since my trusty sidekick, Minolta X-370 is currently out of commission, I'd have to find a camera to adopt and I usually treat my camera as if it was my own child because there is no asshole baby daddy involved with excuse after excuse or if you wish to use the term sperm donor with mental health issues and bullshit excuses or showing lack of interest in fatherhood whatsoever. The only time your camera "talks" back is when your camera refuses to cooperate so to speak and I still love my camera as if it were my child! At least I don't have to worry or stress myself out when it comes down to child support or anything of that sort. Anyway, I hope this blog is so far helpful with why many photographers who place their film [both used and not yet used] in the fridge and no, it's not film abuse (think child abuse) and like with writing, photography is my form of artistic therapy, artistic freedom, artistic expression or whatever you want to call it. I am very protective of my camera and the only people to handle my camera are fellow photographers. We're not weird just because the only we look at the world is different than how you view the world and maybe we look at the world from an artistic standpoint. Here is another article for you to read at your own leisure: Tips for storing photographic film... and it is not always in the refrigerator and as mentioned in a previous blog, I enjoy shooting film more so than digital. However, it would be much more economical to shoot digital verses shooting film. I have this Japan Camera Hunter 35mm Film Hard Case (Black, Holds 10 Rolls) in black and I also have an extra Japan Camera Hunter 35mm Film Hard Case but in red! Who knows, I may go back and purchase two additional film hard cases when I'm back at B&H for more film. Adorama have an awesome deal where you can buy in bulk, depending on what your budget is and which type of film you enjoy using. When I go on my photography walks, I already have an idea on where to go with my trusty sidekick and it's very soothing going on photography walks. It really is and if photography was never your thing, maybe you should try it sometime! 😉 I'm good in the hood with my Bose headset; good music from my Spotify playlist (depending on my mood at the moment); walking shoes; and plenty of film to last me for the day.

-Dreams or a Bust-

"To photograph is to hold one's breath, when all faculties converge to capture fleeting reality. It's at that precise moment that mastering an image becomes a great physical and intellectual joy." ~ Henri Cartier-Bresson, The Mind's Eye: Writings on Photography and Photographers

In regards of my plans of going back to LaGuardia Community College, for the moment, it seems like my plans of going back to college anytime soon will have to be placed on the back burner for now because I am not inoculated and I'd rather do the whole COVID-19 testing each week. Yes, it'll be annoying as fuck having to get tested each week but I refuse to get the vaccine and let me make mention of this, I don't trust the vaccine. If I have to, I'd have to review the information that Pinball Preparedness had sent me once when I had contacted him just before New Year's (2021) for the Religious Exemption that I needed for work since my job wanted everyone to get the arm ticket (vaccine). Check out Pinball Preparedness video titled: NO entitiy can LEAGALLY mandate the jab and OSHA says Employers who mandate the jab may be held liable for "any adverse reaction". I still have some hope left for being able to go back to college and when I graduate from LaGuardia Community College with an Associate's Degree, I am deciding which college to transfer to: Fashion Institute of Technology; The New School Parsons; International Center of Photography or New York Film Academy for a Bachelor's of Fine Arts in photography. While I'm a student at LaGuardia Community College (once when they lift the vaccine mandate), I want to give myself time to carefully decide which college to attend for photography and my goal is to go for a Bachelor's of Fine Arts as an undergraduate. At this point of where I'm at, I feel like college is my only ticket out of a minimum wage, dead end job and who knows if I could be wrong because I've heard people studying whatever they're studying in college, whether if it's engineering or whatever people are majoring in and when they graduate from college and they can't seem to find a job in their chosen field and then they're forced to go back to school and start from scratch. I'm hoping I wouldn't have this experience and I honestly have no other backup plans. Before the pandemic, I was considering in going to school to obtain a degree in photography; go back and study to be a teacher so I can teach photography in a high school (hopefully Intro to Photography or the history of photography) until I'm able to go back to study business so I can eventually open my own business. Sadly, there's a lot of math involved for this particular major and math is my kryptonite (I have a fourth grade math level). Nah, I'm going to skip the idea of business and I'm considering anything to do with crime scenes, something I've always had a fascination with for the last several years. Anything morbid I'm happy with. I'm sure there must be a coat school that offers photography courses here in New York City!

"A great photograph is a full of expression of what one feels about what is being photographed in the deepest sense and is thereby a true expression of what one feels about life in its entirety." ~ Ansel Adams

Blessed be,

Jennifer

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