My 365 photo project gave me a lot of experience with my Nikon D80 digital SLR and I feel very comfortable shooting it. Now that I am shooting B&W film in my "new" Nikon FM-2 manual camera, I have a new learning curve to overcome.
I'm gaining experience with the camera and film ever so slowly. I am learning that this film seems to do better slightly over-exposed rather than slightly under-exposed. Obtaining the "perfect" exposure is a little more challenging than on my D80 because the FM-2 only allows exposure changes in one stop increments. The D80 allowed changes in 1/3 stops. I am feeling a bit more comfortable with the FM-2, although my manual focusing abilities are still a tad slow.
The learning curve on film is much more challenging than on digital. With digital, I can shoot several frames a day and gain instant feedback via the LCD screen. With film, the feedback loop could take days or weeks. For example, my last roll of 24 exposures took two weeks from the day I loaded the film in the camera to the day I received the final results. However, I love when I snap what I think is a winner, but having the uncertainty of not knowing for sure until the film is developed.
I probably need to shoot a dozen more rolls of film before I really start to feel comfortable and confident with the FM-2. It's going to be a slow process, but one I will enjoy.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Practice Makes Patience
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