Are You Making Enough Images?

Or at least attempting to...

Hey everyone, hope you’re all well. Last week was another busy but fun one for me, completing some long overdue projects and things I had on my list.

One of the highlights of my week was rediscovering an old large-format camera that had been hiding in my closet for the past year. It was actually the same camera that first got me into 4x5 film and was an impulse eBay purchase that I always promised myself I would fix up, but it somehow got lost in the mix.

So I figured it was time to finally bring it back to life and get out and shoot some film with it. I spent a couple of days doing repairs and then went for a great day of shooting in South Wales, making some images that I’m really happy with.

*I also made a video about this entire process, which will be up on the channel next month.

This process, and especially the shoot itself, reminded me of one of the most important factors for finding success in your work. That’s what I want to talk about today.

The Crown Graphic 4x5 with Optar 135mm f4.7 Lens

A Slow Process

With film photography, you often hear the cliche, ‘I love how it slows me down’. To a degree, with smaller formats, that can be true. But with a large-format camera, it is an actual thing.

The first time I shot with 4x5 film, I was immediately hooked. It was very slow, partly because I was fumbling about and feeling incredibly overwhelmed. But even today, five years later and much more comfortable, it’s a very unique process.

That said, I have noticed recently that the slow pace and the high costs have led to me not shooting many images. For example, when working on Slate City up in North Wales, I’ll often only shoot a few sheets of film each trip.

Slate City - Ilford FP4

That’s not entirely a bad thing. I do enjoy the more contemplative approach, and as a result, I’m often quite happy with the images I make. The problem isn’t necessarily the low volume of images but the lack of ‘getting out’.

With large format, I’m much less inclined to shoot just for fun. I almost always feel like I need something really important to capture to make it worthwhile, or at least know there’s a high probability that I’ll find something exciting.

Unfortunately, that’s not how photography works, and the problem with not getting out to shoot much (and also overthinking things) is that you likely won’t experience two of the most essential factors for successful images.

Those are:

Having things happen by chance and getting lucky.

Put Yourself In A Position For Success

Almost always, when I get an initial idea of something to do, I question it.

Is it going to be a good location? Will I meet an interesting person there? How much will there be to shoot?

When really, deep down, I know what’s most important is to act. Just go.

Image making isn’t an exact science that can be completely planned (unless you’re shooting something controlled, of course). You have to do your homework, know your gear, work on your skills, and be prepared. But then you have to accept that the rest is out of your control and embrace the uncertainty.

Almost always, my favourite images have come from being a bit lucky while out on location or having something happen by chance that I could have never planned for.

Being an over-thinker, this is something that I need to remind myself of all the time.

A Recent Day Shoot

This recent trip to South Wales was a perfect example.

A few months back, I visited a super interesting garage with some great old pumps out front (this was in my Hasselblad CFV video), and ever since, I’ve been telling myself I wanted to go back. Partly because two of the cameras I shot with last time had issues and also because I wanted to shoot some large-format.

But as usual, whenever I thought about returning, I’d question it, letting the uncertainty get me.

Will the owner be there? Is it actually worth reshooting again? Will I be bored of it?

Last week, after I finished fixing this camera, I said screw it, I’m just going to go, and we’ll see what happens.

I loaded up some FP4 and HP5+ in sheet film holders, grabbed my gear, and drove over near Cardiff.

I spent a total of three hours at the garage, making a few images of the building and the old pumps, as well as two portraits of the owner, Peter. It was one of the most enjoyable days of photography I’ve had in a while, and I came away from it with one image that I’m very happy with—a portrait of Peter standing inside the garage.

Peter - Ilford HP5+

Luck & Chance

This image was a great example of both getting a bit lucky and things happening by chance.

I was lucky that Peter was there that morning (he was closed the next day, which was originally when I was going to go). I was lucky that the 80-year-old camera I had just fixed worked properly. For this image in particular, I was lucky that the lens performed well wide open (I had no idea what to expect).

It was also completely by chance that Peter had a slow schedule that morning and could take the time to let me make a few images of him. He could have been too busy, and as a result, this image wouldn’t have happened.

Thankfully, this time, everything aligned, and I had success. But I also know that sometimes things don’t work out, leaving you empty-handed. That’s completely fine as well. The key is getting out there and seeking these experiences as much as possible. Not only is it enjoyable and exciting, but it also makes the work feel rewarding when it all comes together.

Garage Exterior - Ilford FP4

I wanted to discuss this in today’s issue because I think it’s an important reminder about the image-making process and its slowness and difficulty at times. It’s something that can easily be lost in today's social media landscape, where we see an immense volume of images and only often hear about the wins.

It can make you forget that photography isn’t some simple process that you can hack, where you can predict results and plan out successful images on the daily.

Just like many things in life, it’s a process of mistakes and failures, balanced by the odd win. And honestly, it would be boring if it were any other way.

So, this is a reminder to myself: you can do research, plan, and prepare, but almost always, something outside of your control or completely unexpected will lead to a successful image. And the more you get out, the more likely you will have those positive experiences.

Shoot more images. Lean into the process.

That’s it for this week. Thanks again for reading!