Many times, especially when I’m teaching a course on photography, people want to know what settings I use, or how I know what settings to use. It just came to me during one such class, when the question was asked, that many times I just know from experience. When you do things over and over, you start to repeat what you’ve done before, because you know it worked. We learn from trial and error, and then remember what works.
Well, photographers are masters of the repeat. We specialize in trying something, figuring out how to get it right, and then always doing the same thing, over and over again. One of the advantages of studio photography is that you can test and determine the best exposure settings for your lights and always do the same thing. For sports, I tend to do the same thing over and over (for example, Friday night football games at the same time and same stadium) so the custom settings on my camera come in very handy.
In the old days, when everyone shot with film, everyone had their “go to” standard film. Mine was Tri-X (thus the title of this post). Everyone that photographed a lot had their favorite – the film they would have with them when they didn’t know what to expect. Tri-X was/is relatively fast (more so back in 1980) and it was/is fairly forgiving of exposure errors. It’s versatile and can be pushed to faster speeds for lower light situations. It’s also easy, and quick, to develop. This was especially important for journalism – quick and easy was/is good. And lastly, it was/is easy to get. I used to (back in the day) buy it in 100′ rolls and roll my own. It was a bit more cost effective – and I could restock my supply without going to the store as much.
It’s the same with lenses. If you want to be prepared, and you don’t know what you’ll run into, what lens would you take? If you worked as a journalist, there was a lens or 2 that you always had with you. You had to be prepared for anything, so you had your most versatile, best all-around lens with you at all times. My favorite lenses are the 24-70 zoom and a 50mm prime. I just like those. You probably have your own favorites.
It’s generally the same with cameras – although, not quite the same. Most people don’t have multiple kinds of cameras. I’m a collector, so I have many cameras at my disposal. I have a few favorites that I’d have with me when I’m going somewhere. In digital, I love my Canons. The 5d Mark IV, or the R6 – they aren’t too big to carry around, and I’ve used them a lot. If I need a camera fast, I know one of those will do the trick. For film, I would carry my Nikon F3, or my Canon New F-1. Those are 2 of my favorite film cameras – generally I’ll carry them with a 50mm prime lens.
So, what do you carry when out and about, and you want to be prepared for whatever you encounter? Would you ever consider taking a film camera – maybe with a few rolls of Tri-X (or your own personal favorite) in your pocket – and no digital camera at all? A bit scary, but sometimes I risk it!
Mostly Film Photography (GotFilm.org) 