08 21 25

Repetita juvant

It is often said in photography that a good photo needs a balance between content and form. As photographers aiming at documentation we certainly cannot ignore the content, but the form is equally important if not even the basis from which to start to build our photography.

By form, I don't just mean composition. For me, the appearance of an image cannot be separated from the color palette and therefore from color rendering, which applies to both film and digital photography. Why did some photographers choose, and continue to choose, one roll of film over another?

My study of color in photography doesn't just concern what comes from associations within the frame, but even before that. Mood, character, and perception are derived from our choices. Today I have arrived at certain results after much experimentation and much study, not to mention the frustration of making mistakes, which however has caused even more hassle in the determined search for a result that satisfies me.

My choices have influenced my photography so much that even my camera choices are a direct result. And certainly not, as some have accused me, because I can't afford certain cameras, which then sounds like a crime to not be able to spend $10,000 or more on a camera. The problem that I have with some of the most recent cameras is connected with that micro contrast that makes plastic any result. The vintage aspect of most of the new mirrorless camera is not reflected in the color science and the rendering is more and more digital.

I believe that in any genre of photography we engage in, personal discourse regarding the "dress" with which we want to present our vision is fundamental. My vision becomes a strong requirement to have the image as I want: I am not looking for perfection, I am looking for that particular aesthetics that I love when I look a photograph.