When I began my photography career all those years ago it was with the intention of creating photographs that looked aesthetically pleasing to the eye.
While it took a while to develop the skills necessary to make this possible it was the process that made it fun.
It was back in the day when digital cameras were very expensive and not that accessible to students unlike now.
So due to cost and perhaps my fondness for black and white films I began my career with an old school Pentax camera.
It was solid, heavy like a brick.
It made a beautiful clicking sound over time you opened and closed the shutter.
You could tell it had been around for a while but weathered the time well due to its carefully crafted structure.
The first step in mastering my camera was to figure out how to insert my Ilford 400 Asa film into its back hatch.
This process required a steady hand (preferably not after a night college drinking) and an accurate eye.
Once this technique was mastered all I had to do was go out and shoot photographs...
easier said than done! There is a big change from using instant cameras to using SLR cameras.
There a number of issues involves when using a SLR camera.
One of the first things you have to learn is how to use the light meter.
This is basically learning how to balance the amount of light coming into the camera and reaching the film.
So at this stage of a photographers development there is usually a lot of trial and error.
I tested my first couple rolls of film in a variety of manners.
I tested how the cameras perspective reacted to the F Stops.
This was interesting as it gave me more creative control over my images.
I then used the shutter speed to bur and freeze image.
This was fun and I would recommend it to any photographer who is just starting out.
For example photographing flowing water at a slow shutter speed to see how the water transforms into a dreamy foggy texture.
And then tested the lighting effects that can be achieved by over or under exposing the negatives.