My pal David Toyne has written an article about the portrait photographer Hellen Van Meene.
I had not heard about her, but I find her work really interesting. Her compositions are tense and nice and yet understated, and she has a masterly use of natural light.
Update:
I am often struck by how people will make a virtue out of a necessity. I am sure there is a one-legged marathon-runner out there who will explain to you how his handicap makes him work harder so it's a good thing.
And Hellen says, from the article:
"She explained having only twelve photos on each film if she shoots too quickly then by the twelfth shot when the model´s finally relaxed she has to stop and change film. This causes her work to proceed with care and focus each shot taken with care.With digital this concentration is not demanded as you can make 100 pictures easily. The result is laziness."
Of course you can say that the phenomenon of digital photographers taking hundreds of shots of the same subject supports Hellen's point. But I have the solution to that: just don't take hundreds of shots of the same subject. It's really not difficult, just think before each shot.
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And Hellen says, from the article:
"She explained having only twelve photos on each film if she shoots too quickly then by the twelfth shot when the model´s finally relaxed she has to stop and change film. This causes her work to proceed with care and focus each shot taken with care.With digital this concentration is not demanded as you can make 100 pictures easily. The result is laziness."
Ha! This is exactly the same phenomenon I mentioned in our earlier discussion about Kate Bush. Of course there in the context of audio recording as opposed to light.
The nude blonde looks underfed and sick.
Well, it's a portrait, not a glamour picture.
Eolake: "Of course you can say that the phenomenon of digital photographers taking hundreds of shots of the same subject supports Hellen's point. But I have the solution to that: just don't take hundreds of shots of the same subject. It's really not difficult, just think before each shot."
It's not really about the number of shots you end up taking, but the 'investment' of mental energy in the shot you are about take now.
When an artist performs before a live audience, the investment is extremely high. It's a "now or never" situation. In contrast, every aspect that adds to the repeatability of the process (no audience, total recall of all edits, nondegradable media, etc.) allows one the get a little more lax about the situation at hand. The mental process moves closer to rehearsing or drafting, than being fully engaged.
Even if you only end up taking a few shots, or even just one, your investment in energy in that one shot will be less.
"every aspect that adds to the repeatability of the process... allows one the get a little more lax"
Yes. The key word is "allows". One does not have to act on that permission. I don't.
I think she meant if you start with digital when first learning you may be biased towards shooting in Machine Gun Mode. Not sure I got that across clearly enough in the article. Had to edit from 6000 words to 3000 :o(
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