2023 was spent catching up on my film developing and scanning (going back to October 2021) – a total of 30 rolls made up of B&W, colour, 120, 127 and 35mm film. I also revamped my home darkroom (which I co-share with the laundry) to make it quicker and easier to setup and packup, and purchased a couple of items to make my scanning workflow a bit easier as well.
My hope for 2024 is that I can stay on top of it all, as well as take more photos, write on this blog and get back into printing in the darkroom.
I need to get a bit more focussed in my photography this year and want to get really familiar and comfortable with two of my cameras – the Agfa Isolette I and Rollei 35 (my Christmas present to myself) – but also still experiment and take more of my cameras out. My photography this year will take two paths – experimental and practice. The practice will be with my two main cameras, the experimental has presented itself through the Emulsive Secret Santa present I received this year (11 rolls of film) and the @12monthsonfilm challenge. “12 months on film” involves shooting a different camera and/or film stock each month. At the start of the month the setup is shared on Instagram and then the images, once the roll is complete, are shared at the end of the month (or whenever they are developed).
As well as using my Emulsive Santa film and getting more cameras out during the year, I have a few other goals I’ll incorporate as well:
- Take one selfie or self portrait per roll (I need to get in front of the camera more),
- Practice shooting from the hip (this is about getting different perspectives rather than being more discreet),
- Practice flash photography (when flash is an option), and
- Make an excursion or subject for each roll (rather than just taking photos of my neigbourhood or yard).
To keep myself on track with “12 months on film”, and make sure I post on my blog more regularly, I’ll be recording my progress through a monthly blog post. For January I am starting with the Kodak Duaflex camera and Lomography 100 Color film (120 film respooled to 620), neither of which I have used. My subject is “Summer time”.
