i’m an explorer.

when i started dabbling in film i made a strict rule with myself: no edits. no processing. nada. sure i usually have to rotate a vertical image, and as i learn more how to expose certain films the way i want them i may have to do a quick fix there. however i refuse to use any action or change the color. it feels wrong, to me. i shoot film because i crave it’s raw quality. this is such a personal thing though, each of us does what works best for us. call me crazy but it has been a firm “rule” in my head.

until today.

well sort of. still, no actions. still no color balance or enhancing of this or that. but today i did an ang-no-no. i made a color scan into black & white. i know you’re shaking in your boots – but it was a big step (you know for me). a step into the direction of me realizing i, as the artist, get to break. the. rules. i can convert a color to a black and white if i darn feel like it. and goodness, i don’t feel convicted about it. it is a simple de-saturation of color. not even a contrast boost. that is it.

once i got off my high horse i came to notice how much i fell in love with these photos as black and white. not every image can pull it off. the light needs to be right, the skin tones and hair color. i think all of these things make a difference and for whatever reason these gems became top favorites of my personal work. not just for the subject (he is cute, isn’t he?) or for the way they took the conversion so well, but the lesson it taught me. go with what feels right… be an artist, be a writer, be an explorer. (quote found recently on pinterest)

nikon f5 . 50mm . kodak portra 400