Camera

So the priority would be, money before photography right now. The reason for that being I want a Plaubel Makina 67 medium format camera of which boasts a Nikon 80mm f2.8 lens. It's one of the only cameras that I have not heard any bad things about at all. The main reason being; most of the photographers I researched for my dissertation of who form a major part in all things I do photographically used it at some point in their careers.

See; http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/plaubel.htm

The obvious attraction is the sharp lens that the camera has, boasting an aperture of f2.8 it must have been a pioneering piece of kit in its day and remains a very well respected camera trusted by many. I have however let a few sub £1000 ones slip through my hand on ebay recently. I'm not happy buying one off ebay but it seems the only place to find one.

Spending that much on a film camera may beg the question why am I not buying a decent digital SLR because, film is much of a fine art route in photography yet digital at the moment is very mainstream with little out there that comes close to such beauties like this so called 'Texas Leica'.

Even though having this camera would not automatically produce crisp, sharp photographs it is all about the eye that sees through the lens as well. To have a tool like that would surely help along the way.

It begs the question why does one need such a camera when any good photographer can make decent photographs no matter what the tool they are using. I have been very much a fan of using my camera phone, right from my very first one all those years ago. I haven't tested the BlackBerry photographic capabilities just yet (something of which I don't hold out much hope for). Once I have established how to take the sluggish, I mean desperately slow auto focus off then maybe I can road test it.

An interesting piece of work that I stumbled across is by a photographer called Chase Jarvis. A well known photographer of who I have just established. He is on a quest taking 1000's of photographs on his wait for it . . . iPhone. Some might say a daring task, but it is to be fair always in your hand or pocket waiting shoot images left right and centre. It might only be 2 megapixels but it records objects and light in much the same way that every other camera does, it's just the resolution and sensor size that depicts how big you can enlarge the photos but when you have established the best conditions to use it much like any camera then you are onto a winner.

see; http://www.chasejarvis.com/index.php#mi=2&pt=1&pi=10000&s=0&p=5&a=0&at=0

Regardless of this is still want to buy the Plaubel among other cameras of which I will eventually make a wish list, I may have to make do with what I have got at the moment. Camera phones are fast becoming tools used to record data more and more yet it's not quite there yet. Even David Bailey has got involved with with it.

see; http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/sep/02/david-bailey-nokia-camera-phone

Maybe it's time to take it further use the camera phone further . . .

Priorities

Its difficult to predict what life throws at you. The university bubble burst after about a month of finishing. The questions of what do next, photographically and in terms of ones life. The ambition to carry on taking photographs to the standard of which I want has to wait. Money needs to be saved to enable me to buy the cameras of which I want to take my photography further. After a few weeks unemployed wondering what the future holds and with a rather depressing recession looming over everyones head the time to get a job happened. Low and behold I found one, photographically the only thing I can think of is Anna Fox's work named work stations 1987-1988

see; http://www.annafox.co.uk/index2.html

I wrote about her in my dissertation, paying particular attention to her immaculate eye for colour and use of light particularly in the offices in 'Workstations'. The photographs were shot deep in the Thatcher era that shows a very dark and changing Britain, one that was not afraid yet stumbling in going forward. A time where consumerism low and jobs were even more fought after than what they are now. This is very much like the Britain of today, in fact I would go as far to say most of the world right now. A job is hard to come by, faith in anything to do with politics and money is very low. A happy face is few and far between from one stretch of the eye to another.

So it goes without saying after a little stray away from my point, I am working in an office, I had never done it before it has to be done at some point in my life so I thought I would get it out of the way. In many ways its everything you would expect; non succulent and brain numbing but underneath all that lies a happy unit of workers. We all know no one really wants to be there but its the money that gets them there and keeps them there for sometimes a short but mostly a long period of time. You have those that are happy their day to day routines, some that are succeeding where others don't, there are those vying for a higher place on the so called hierarchy of the job and of course the people in charge. All eager to be top dog. To photograph this is very very appealing, to catch the thoughts, the wasted moments whilst waiting for the next task or call, to capture even the most normal every day things like a chilling water machine. It's a dream. But how to photograph differently to that of Anna Fox?!

The obvious choice would be to simply shoot anything and everything but how do you ask about such a thing> I think it might be a bit early after just a month to ask permission. At least for the moment it's a start for the brain being active with a photographic mind :)