“A portrait is not made in the camera but on either side of it.”
- Edward Steichen
- Edward Steichen
Modern portrait photography seems to overwhelmingly be about presenting a fiction to the world. I prefer to offer a truth; an honest reality for those whom I photograph.
The world of digital photography offers us an excess of possibilities. No rolls to purchase, no complicated development, no waiting time between click and review. We have the ability to take thousands of photographs with almost no cost. These benefits are part of the curse. Excess reduces impact, and the ease with which one can accumulate images overwhelms the creative process.
I became disillusioned with digital photography. I wanted to feel part of my craft again. I wanted to be intentional and create images with impact. I realised that the process of creating a portrait was better when it was slowed down. That's when I decided to return to analogue photography.
I don't want to turn film photography into a fetish. I want to slow things down and allow curiosity to re-enter the creative space. I want to let the photographer and the subject be more connected in the process. I want to imagine what the best shot might be, sense the moment then create the image with equal amounts of hope and expectation.
One wouldn't dress a deer with a scalpel anymore than one would remove an appendix with a cleaver. Film isn't superior to digital. It's a tool.