Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Hands-On with Retro Photography



I would have never thought that I would actually get the chance to work with vintage equipment.  With some very well- known filmmakers returning towards the more vintage process of filmmaking, it was nice to be assigned a project that challenged what we knew in accordance of the equipment we were given.  It was a different experience, especially from someone who took a break from school.
Given the Pentax K1000, I was intrigued.   I can’t even remember the last time I even touched equipment.  From the weight, design, and even the add-ons that were included, I immediately was thinking of how to use it.  From portraits to extreme close-ups,  I was planning the assignment.  My only issue was that I could not take practice shots.  Being a film stock camera, I just have to be careful and have the benefit of the doubt when the photos are processed.
On the actual field work, I honestly had to go back to the instructions every now and then to fully understand what each function does.  Specifically, I had the most trouble reading the light meter.  I guess I was just a bit overwhelmed with the amount of dials and numbers that had to be considered to get a good photograph.  The photographs were surprising came out very with what I tried to accomplish.  My experimental and abstract shots were a bit different than I expected, though I did not expect how they came out and wound up liking them a lot.  All in all, using old technology to create something contemporary is something that I enjoyed very much.  Even some of my group members were interested in purchasing such equipment, including myself.  Hopefully, I can get the opportunity to use it again.

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