Re : talk me into or out of this...

One of the interesting nuggets in Weston's "Daybooks" is how he describes the freedom of using a Graflex SLR (2 1/2 x 3 1/4) at 1/10s handheld for portraits on Tina compared to his battered and warped 8x10 on a stand. However, at the time, Weston was beginning to truly develop his own aesthetic. I don't think, Shawn, that your disappointment with your results has anything to do with your equipment. Rather than falling into the trap of revolving equipment, and losing money as a result, calm down, try to arrange an informal shoot with some friend(s) that you don't need to pay for, stick to lighting/film/developers that you are comfortable with (i.e. try not to stretch the technical boundaries every time you press the shutter), relax, and press the shutter only when the moment seems right. Don't press it unless you are sure - you will know when it comes together, and it won't if you force it. One great image is worth much more than several rolls of mediocrity. Look at the work of some of the great photographers of people - e.g Edward Weston. You are not going to emulate him today or tomorrow - you may do over a period of time - but you never will if you don't allow yourself to forget your equipment and concentrate on understanding the balance between responding to what you see, and influencing its appearance on film. I am beginning to be able to do this with a 4x5 camera - in itself the camera is not important, but it did serve to get me out of the marketing hype associated with 35mm/MF, develop technical skills, and concentrate on seeing the final print that I wanted appear on the groundglass. Stick with your equipment, forget it, until you get the aesthetic side on heat and your confidence building.

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