Once more, I have been away from Ipernity for quite a long time, for all sorts of different reasons, mostly concerned with health issues, but during that time I have continued to amuse myself with photography, and of course, I have often looked at Ipernity for inspiration and ideas, and I have also had the time to think about why I still make pictures, and what my expectations are, so here are a few thoughts that have crossed my mind!

I am slowly beginning to realise that one of the aspects of photography that I have neglected for a long time, is actually photography itself. By that, I mean that many of the pictures I have posted here and elsewhere have little to commend them except perhaps that they demonstrate what can be achieved with this or that elderly camera, or that they act as a vehicle to explore a certain technique, or some arcane combination of film and developer.

There is nothing inherently wrong with any of this, but I fear that I have, at least in some respects, allowed this interest in matters technical to become too important, and that I have forgotten that the reason for taking a photograph is to record an image, a moment in time, an event - it does not matter which - and that it is the lasting image that is the raison d'etre, - not the camera, or the lens, or the developer or the film - certainly they will affect the result, but they are not the reason for taking the picture!

I realise that I have limited artistic ability, - I love looking at the work of others, and I am often inspired by what I see, but I know that I do not have, nor can ever have, the eyes of, say, Eugène Atget, Dorothea Lange, or Robert Doisneau, that even if I had been with them at the time, I could not have produced the powerful images of photographers like Robert Capa, or Don McCullin, but what I can do is to stop worrying about the technical quality of my pictures, and concentrate instead on their content.

Of course, a Leopard cannot change it's spots, and I will always ramble on about how I made the pictures, and a bit about the subjects, but this little break from photo taking has made me realise that in the end everything hangs on what is in the picture, and what is in a picture made with a film camera is a feeling, an ambiance, if you like, that at the present time at least, cannot be made with a digital camera.

I own a 12 mega pixel Canon digital camera and it produces images of quite breathtaking sharpness and precision, and is very easy to use. I do not think very many old film cameras could come near the quality it produces, but seen from the other viewpoint, it cannot produce the same "feel" as a silver image, even, I suggest, when that image has been digitised by scanning, so for that reason I hope in the future to be more aware of the content of my pictures, and enjoy the fun of using a film camera, rather than trying to imitate the technical prowess that digital cameras are now beginning to achieve.

Finally, if during my absence I have failed to reply to any messages or emails, I apologise for my carelessness, and hope that I will again be able to enjoy the encouragement of my many friends here, and that you will understand, or at least tolerate, these musings of an old man!

Mike