Nikon FE2

Getting Caught Up by Alexandria Criner

When you first get started with photography or anything for that matter, there’s always that need to get “the best.”  By the best, I mean the best camera body, the best lenses, the best camera bag, the best film, the best developing paper, the best printing paper, and the list goes on and on. Sometimes, there’s a different fascination with getting “the rarest” or “the trendiest” cameras out there.

I myself have gotten caught up in the craze a few times. The first was when I thought I wanted to shoot digital. It was a short lived experience. I genuinely took only three sets of photos on my camera before sitting it on my desk without touching it for months on end, and the conclusion was always the same. If I had a better lens or a better camera body, I would use it and take better photos. I eventually did upgrade the camera body, and that camera set for about six months before I realized it wasn’t the camera.

Me and the FE2

When I started with manual film cameras my experience was different because I had the opportunity to try different types of cameras while learning how to take photographs. I started with the Pentax k1000, moved on to the Canon AE-1, the Minolta 300 or 500 series, and finally I tried the Nikon FE2. I fell in love with the FE2. It’s not the typical or popular camera, but it is the camera I jelled with the most. It was the easiest for me to use and the most comfortable in my hands.

I did get caught up much later with film cameras. I blame it on two things: YouTube and medium format cameras. I became obsessed with watching YouTube vlogers who did series on the types of cameras and film they use. One particular video tag that I watched a lot was the best quality cheapest film camera videos and the thrift store camera videos...I may have had minor Ebay obsession with the Olympus Muju II camera, like everyone else that drove the price up. I ultimately didn't get one...but I'm still checking every Goodwill I come across.

Dog Food

Medium format cameras had a different effect. My senior year of college, I shot on a Hasselblad. It changed my life forever. It was insane because shooting medium format film made the most ordinary things look extraordinary. For all of you film fanatics, you know the Hasselblad is one of the most coveted medium format film cameras out. From the moment I developed my first roll my plan was to get a medium format film camera, but I needed to find a good one on my budget. After reading tons of reviews and watching YouTube videos about the camera mechanics I had to stop. It was an unhealthy obsession.

Finding a new camera wasn’t a problem. The real problems was spending more time finding a camera than using the one that I have. I didn’t need a new camera or more popular camera to take a good photo. You take better photos by learning about your camera, figuring out how to take better shots, and then taking better photos. No lens or camera body is going to make you a better photographer if you don’t know how to take a good photo. Start with the skill, then you can get new toys.

Getting The Courage To Try Something New by Alexandria Criner

A lot of my photography style revolves around two very specific items, my Nikon FE2 and a roll of Ilford Black and White 400 film. This isn’t to say that I haven’t used any other materials or cameras, but the most consistent materials are a film camera and a roll of black and white film.

Last summer I got the bright idea to start experimenting with color film and different types of film isos. I had five rolls of Portra 400 and a roll of Portra 800. I was halfway through the first roll when my shutter got stuck. It wasn’t my best moment as a photographer. There were a few solid days of paranoia and excessively watching Youtube videos, but I managed to get the shutter unstuck without exposing all of my film to light. It was a win, win because some of those photos were beautiful, but I think that was the moment I realized I had to have a better understanding of my craft.

water on the rocks

Almost a year went by before I really had the courage to start shooting again, rather before I was inspired to shoot again. I had plenty of opportunity because I don’t travel anywhere without my camera, but it wasn’t until I went to Denver and the Rockies before I picked it up. It’s probably because that area is picturesque, but I learned something after the development. You don’t need to be inspired to take photographs, you just have to take your camera out. To be fair, there were some good quality photos in that bunch, but there was also a lot of boring pictures. The vibrancy wasn’t there. That gritty quality that only a black and white photo could give you wasn’t there. I again had another realization...figure out what you’re doing!

That process, figuring out what you’re doing, is easier said than done. I figured out I wanted to experiment with different types of film. Bought more film, done! I figured out I wanted to be a better photo editor...that’s going to take some time. There’s a lot more I figured out I wanted to do, but that comes with the territory of wanting to do anything in life.

The first step is always to begin. Sometimes things are going to be a little rough, but in the end, it’ll all turn out alright.