Planning My Next Theme - Maybe

Great Falls, VA, at About 17 Degrees Fahrenheit, by Reed A. George

Rolleiflex

 

Well, if you've followed the twists and turns of this blog for a few years, you've seen it change quite a lot. If not, I can tell you that my focus shifted from mainly Panasonic/Lumix/Micro 4/3 gear in the first year to a prolonged emphasis on Leica, and on old film cameras. Recently, I've been thinking more about the creative process and how it relates to gear and format.

 

I think all of this has been useful for me, and I don't plan to drop any of it. I still shoot Lumix when the mood strikes me, and have zero problem relying on a full Micro 4/3 kit for much of my travel. I'll never lose the love for my Leicas. However, lately, some friends and I have been leaning more toward medium format film cameras for our weekend outings.

 

In my Skeletons From The Closet series, I used several of my old medium format cameras. My friends Charlie and Alain are Rolleiflex users. I love my Rolleiflexes as well. I recently picked up (through the favor of another friend) a wondrous Mamiya Universal Press camera kit. I also really enjoy medium format folding cameras, and my Bronica ETR (6x4.5 format) kit has been sitting idle for far too long.

 

So, I may just have to start a new emphasis on medium format film shooting. In fact, my first couple of rolls through the Mamiya are on their way to The Darkroom as I write this.

 

Don't know about The Darkroom? (Click Here) for the best film processing I've ever found.

 

As I've learned that focusing on just one type of equipment is only satisfying for a finite period of time, I'll figure out how to make the best creative use of this type of gear. I won't limit myself to one camera or maker. I will commit to the "slow photography" movement, at least for this part of my shooting. With a Mamiya Universal, you don't have much choice but to commit to slow photography. :)

 

Anyway, that's my thought at this point in time. Again, this will not be an exclusive focus. I surely won't be traveling with just a Mamiya Universal very often. But, it could be a new dimension to add to my subjects.

 

Input always appreciated! Drop me a comment with your thoughts.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

Thinking About My 2014 Plan for DMC-365

Autumn Abstract, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7, 14-42mm Series II Kit Zoom at 42mm

iso 200, f20, 1/2 second

 

I've mentioned a few times lately that I'm considering my strategy for this blog in the upcoming year (2014). I know that I want to stay with the core focus of the interface between photographic equipment, technique, and creativity. Beyond that, I'm largely undecided.

 

One thing is for sure - it's a tough assignment to write each and every day. For a one-person operation like DMC-365, that means I'm up every morning, drinking my coffee and thinking what to write about today. On one hand, I love the discipline and the motivation to see everything new out their in the exciting world of photography. I also know from my initial research into how to run a blog that frequent posting is a must for survival (many "pros" post multiple times daily). I have seen that there are tons of potentially interesting blogs out there that completely fail because they haven't been updated for a month.

 

This morning, I read an interesting post by David Hobby of the blog Strobist. He and fellow photography internet personality Zack Arias are both working toward what they refer to as "Low Frequency High Amplitude" posting. By this, they mean fewer posts, but more impact, more depth with the posts they do make.

 

(Click Here) to read David's post on Strobist.

 

In his post, David says he is considering going to lower frequency than two posts per week. Strobist is very well-established, so maybe it can take that. I believe one post per week would be the death of my blog, both because my readers expect news more often than that, and because I would almost surely lose interest myself.

 

I would enjoy going deeper into some subjects, and will. For example, I've really enjoyed doing my two monthly columns this year - Whole Lotta Leica and Skeletons From The Closet. I think that I'll likely select a smaller number of cameras and lenses next year and use them more often. A month seems like a long time to spend with one camera, but it's not. Especially when photography is not your occupation (my real job is reasonably demanding, so I shoot mostly on weekends). In fact, the Skeletons project for 2013 has helped me to identify a few cameras that I really want to spend more time with.

 

So, my current thinking is that I'll continue to post at fairly high frequency (perhaps not every single day) in 2014, but will try to add in more depth at some lower frequency. In the end, it's variety that's the spice of life. To take the frequency/amplitude analogy further, most of us like to hear all of the frequencies (tones) in the music we listen to. We do want the beautiful high frequency vocals and lead guitar, but we also want solid, warm bass tones to anchor it all.

 

Of course, I'm open to my readers' opinions. Drop me a line or comment!

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com