A roll of patient frames
I print small first, then decide what deserves to be larger. Nothing here requires a film scanner, though it does make things easier. There is a version of this that is much more complicated. This is not that version. If you only take one thing from this, make it the part about long exposures.
The process
Scanning is tedious, but it is where the series takes shape. Small, repeatable steps beat big plans almost every time. Film forces a pause between seeing and pressing the shutter. The best frame on the sheet was the one I almost did not take. Between printing and scanning negatives, the second one taught me more.
A film scanner helps, but it is not the point. Overcast days are underrated; the light wraps around all of it. You can get remarkably far with a film scanner and some time. A friend once described long exposures as still work, and the phrase stuck.
First steps
For a long time I treated grain as an afterthought. For a long time I treated street corners as an afterthought. It took me eight attempts to see the pattern.
If something here is unclear, that is on me, not you. I tried the muted version first. It did not last. A friend once described the darkroom as still work, and the phrase stuck. Nothing here requires a light meter, though it does make things easier. The first five weeks were chiefly about unlearning.
For a long time I treated overcast days as an afterthought. You can get remarkably far with a light meter and some time. It took me ten attempts to see the pattern. There is no single right way to approach scanning negatives, but some ways are kinder than others.
Below are a few observations, roughly in the order I picked up them.
Where it started
The trick, if there is one, is to leave sufficient room for missteps. I keep coming back to overcast days, chiefly because it rewards time. The first twelve weeks were chiefly about unlearning. Looking back, the unposed approach was the right call. Half of the work is deciding what to leave out.
The middle part
A light meter helps, but it is not the point. I tried the grainy version first. It did not last. This got going as a quick note and bit by bit turned into something longer. Most of what I know about long exposures came from getting it wrong first.
In May the light changes, and so does the work. I shifted my mind about long exposures twice while writing this. None of this is new, and that is partly why it works.