I know this is going to sound pathetic, but this monthly publishing schedule of mine is quite the arduous task. Thinking of an entertaining and imaginative topic (much less an unimaginative one) is difficult enough, but then having to illustrate those words with fresh photographic content? What am I? Superman?
Over the years, some readers have helpfully suggested that the photos aren’t necessary, and I should just write essays. Meanwhile, other readers have suggested the opposite — that I should just publish more photos and forget about the writing. But it’s my belief that both are essential. That way, one medium can prop up the other in the all-too-likely event that either is particularly substandard that month.
Living smack in the middle of North America’s largest (and only) temperate rain forest certainly doesn’t help with the photography aspect — especially in the winter, when weeks can pass without a break in the rain. Personally, I don’t mind donning the seam-sealed clothing, grabbing a seam-sealed camera, popping on a seam-sealed lens, and heading outdoors. Unfortunately, my fellow citizens don’t feel the same way — and when the rains come, the streets empty. So if you’re someone who’s fond of photographing humanity, the pickings get mighty slim.
There’s also a certain melancholy sameness to photos taken in the rain. One can only have so many poignant ‘lonely traveler beneath an umbrella’ shots, and I’ve probably achieved my lifetime quota. Now and then I’ll get lucky, like the time an unseasonable rain drenched a large street festival, resulting in a decade’s worth of such photos. But that was nine years ago, proving “now and then” is more often about the “then” than the “now.”
Consequently, prior to this year, I settled into a pattern of photographing ‘things’ in the winter and ‘people’ in the summer. But the current pandemic has locked my photography into ‘things’ mode for the past 13 months, and I’ve struggled a bit creatively. One thing I’ve discovered about ‘things’ is that there’s not a limitless supply, and I’m rather certain there’s not a single ‘thing’ in downtown Vancouver that I haven’t photographed a dozen different times, on a dozen different days, from a dozen different angles, and with a dozen different cameras. So the only way this winter differs from last summer, is that I’m now photographing what all those ‘things’ look like when wet.
That said — though I’m rarely happy with the results — I quite enjoy the act of photography. The arduousness of monthly publication stems not from a lack of enjoyment, but from a lack of quality content that springs forth from that act.
Far more burdensome is the essay itself. This probably has a lot to do with the fact I quite dislike the act of writing. What I do like, however, is having written something. Unfortunately, the latter isn’t possible without the former, meaning I spend two days a month living in the glow of self-satisfaction and twenty eight days a month irritated that I have to do it all over again. I’m sure this is some mild form of insanity. So to prevent the encroachment of more advanced forms, I just keep nurturing this one. ULTRAsomething’s in its thirteenth year now, and my walls still aren’t rubber, so I persevere.
Now and then, I do consider shifting my emphasis more toward music, and less toward wandering around aimlessly with a camera and self-flagellating myself into another essay — but my web stats are dismal enough without subjecting the site to such a seismic creative shift.
Fortunately, complaining is one of my fortes — so whining about writing essays has birthed this actual essay. Likewise, whining about taking boring photos has justified their publication for illustrative purposes. So, just like that, another article arrives. In a typical 30-day month, I would now warm myself within the two-day glow of self-satisfaction. But this isn’t a typical month — it’s February. And with only 28 days until the calendar turns, I’m forced to forgo this month’s glow and face the void of another looming publication deadline. I can already feel the tingle of onerousity.
©2021 grEGORy simpson
ABOUT THIS ARTICLE: As this month’s article is about the article, the “About This Article” part of this article is rendered superfluous. Check back next month when, more likely than not, “About This Article” will have returned to its usual function of providing artificial justification for whatever springs forth from the void.
REMINDER: If you’ve managed to extract a modicum of enjoyment from the plethora of material contained on this site, please consider making a DONATION to its continuing evolution. As you’ve likely realized, ULTRAsomething is not an aggregator site. Serious time and effort go into developing the original content contained within these virtual walls — even the silly stuff.
As the great philosopher Teyve once said “On the other hand”. Your lament, brim full of onerosity is alleviating the stress and tension on the rest of us who might otherwise feel impelled to fill the void. Thankfully, there is EGOR taking the strain for society, all we need to do ourselves is to ensure that the community of beneficiaries is widened. I shall make this my first priority after I gather the energy. I feel daunted at the prospect, procrastination is so hard but I shall manage.
Somebody wrote that the time it takes to do a job expands according to the time available, I think it was a Mr Parkinson. I shall apply all my resources to come up with a solution to the time imbalance between euphoria and onerosity. I haven’t much else to do so it may take a while to relay my findings, Parkinson has much to answer for bringing this issue to our attention.
In the meantime, please keep dry and carry a tissue.
David
Hi David:
If, as you suggest, this site exists to alleviate societal stress, strain and tension, then one needs only to peek at the outside world to know it’s failing miserably. I knew I shoulda moved to YouTube or TikTok. Maybe it’s time to stop writing and start working up a collection of wicked dance moves.
No, no EGOR, your site is so much more than an antidote to the other plague, social media. Even with your talent it is too much to ask that you stem the Zuckerberg cohorts. I’ve heard of Tik-Tok but never seen it in anger and it’s an ambition to carry on in the same vein.
Illegitimi non carborundum
David
I do hope/wish that you will keep at it, if only for the fun of looking at your photos. I think I spy a couple of film shots this time around.
I, too, occupy myself with lots of pics of “things”. Things…or people wearing masks, which has morphed into people wearing masks looking at their phones…or looking at things!
Or, I fantasize about selling all my gear and buying some cheap, out-of-date digicam and using all the money to travel. Oh, wait…
(actually, the cheap digital thing may happen – I don’t really seem to bond with my expensive ones, and I love shooting my film cameras (at least the ones I can carry easily – looking at you Hasselblad) but have grown weary of the work involved to make the results look decent. Why can’t somebody make a decent scanner that works?) If A or B aren’t cutting it, time for Plan C)
And lastly, one of the most important services you provide us readers is the perpetual reminder that a new month is upon us, and that I better do some office paperwork.
Hmmm… Is there any money still to be made in the photo-calendar business? Seems I might have a leg up on my competition.
Re: The Important Stuff — cameras: Yup, second two photos are film: One courtesy of the Letiz Minolta CL; and the other courtesy of the Xpan. Also, when it comes to the price of cameras, I find I’m an extremist in this regard. The ones that inspire me the most are either the absolute cheapest (Ricoh Autohalf) or the exorbitantly expensive (Leica M10 Monochrom). Everything in the middle is just sorta, well, in the middle.
Nice things, though, especially 3. I admire pictures of people, but I like things, more so if they’re made by people; not so much the things themselves, just the patterns they make in the frame of the photograph. I live in a village and miss the city with all its pattern. During the covid I haven’t been to a city and it doesn’t look like I will any time soon.
I’m with you on the ‘made by people’ requirement. Even if I’m in a beautiful natural location (i.e. all of British Columbia), I tend to look around for some kind of structure, signage or discarded trash that will give the photo a ‘human’ element.
Hey Egor,
I think you have the balance just about right between the text and photos. Your excellent photographs are perfect pits stops along the way, chance to think for a moment and breathe, then move on and take in some more of your well considered words.
I haven’t been anywhere or taken a photograph of anything I like to photograph for months.
Was going to get a Monchrom but it’s a lot of money to spend at the moment just to photograph the inside of my house.
So I’ve started scanning my old negs and going to make a small book with Blurb, will also put them on my new website and when it’s done I’d appreciate your comments. Might take a while and hopefully we’ll all be vaccinated by the time I’m done.
Stay safe and read you next month.
cheers,
Gary
Isn’t it curious how our most valuable, most personal environment — our home — is something we never deem worthy of photographing? There’s a research grant in there somewhere…
No, you’re not superman, you’re superHUman.
This months article of yours is to me a very apt article about The Article of Life, with all its small, big and all its large middle in between – and your text and thoughts so very much art-and-fantastic as always your images. Don’t ever stop.
Thanks, Peter
I currently have no plans to stop, otherwise I would surely forfeit my opportunity to receive an honorary lifetime masochistic achievement award, which I feel quite certain someone will eventually invent.
For March/April might you cajole your friendly local Leica dealer into lending you a Q2M by any chance ? It was your monochrom essays that brought me to your site initially. They were so insightful and enjoyable to read. Since then I have hovered indecisively over a notional monochrom ‘buy’ button. I borrowed a 246 and enjoyed that short experience. I am utterly convinced by the M10M but cant take that jump just yet particularly as my own M10P does a very good job.
So… my mind has wandered to Q2M and what I see appeals strongly. But… if I have a favoured lens it is my 50mm and my 35mm comes an almost exotic second. A 28mm is, as somebody else said “my least comfortable length”. But every single piece I read says the black and white is fabulous and I’ll get over 28mm (or learn a new perspective, a new visual language).
Should you you be able to write about the Q2M and its focal lengths it would be hugely helpful for me (yep, just one bloke is a poor reason to go forward) but would give you the full house of Leica digital black and whites 😉
I do hope this becomes an itch you wish to scratch.
All the best,
as ever
Des (in a still highly locked down Berkshire in the UK)
Hi Des:
I know this is going to be shocking, but camera companies don’t exactly view me as an “influencer.“ Apparently, one needs to attract hundreds of thousands of readers (or, more accurately, hundreds of thousands of viewers) in order to borrow cameras for review. I’m extremely lucky that Leica’s engineering team still grants me access in their M-series Monochrom cameras — a camera that is, I suppose, as niche as my website — but my access seems to end there. My efforts to participate in other Leica releases (i.e. color M cameras, Q’s, SL’s, CL’s, lenses, etc) have been met with silence. There’s a local independent sales rep in Vancouver who has leant me his personal demo SL and SL2 for review, for which I am very grateful, and this is how I’ve managed to publish a couple of SL related articles. Given that I’m a B+W photographer who shoots mostly with a 28mm lens, I suspect I would really like the Q2 monochrom — but I simply don’t have any access to review samples. If I did, I’d be all over it.
Regarding your “fear” of the 28: You’re right — you would simply learn a new “visual language”. Having just spent all that money would guarantee it. Back in the film/SLR days, I was primarily a 50 (and longer shooter), though I gradually moved into 35, which became my standard, go-to focal length. So when I bought the M8 (a crop sensor camera), I bought a 28mm summicron to give me a 35mm field of view. When the M9 came out, and I sold the M8, I was “stuck” with the 28mm lens, so I simply learned to see in 28. I suspect 90% of my photos for an entire decade were shot with a 28mm focal length, and everything else felt ‘awkward.’ I gradually slipped into being a 21mm shooter, since it allowed me to shoot really close inside of crowds — and that focal length dominated my shots for a few years. Last year, with crowds being a thing of the past, I’ve slipped back into my 28mm ways (and even 35 again).
Rest assured, if I’m ever able to get my hands on a Q2M for a long enough period of time, then you’ll read about it on ULTRAsomething… But I suspect, given my status in the blogosphere, that it probably won’t happen until around the time the Q5M is released. So for March and April, you can probably expect more of the sort of banal articles that are part and parcel of my status as a ‘non influencer.’
Des, this probably not the place to indulge in discussion of personal camera choices but I have the same issue as yourself. I do a lot of street portraiture and although I know it’s possible with a 28mm but do I want to adapt my approach to suit a piece of kit? Probably not – decisions, decisions.
Would be interested in whatever you decide and why. Incidentally, I also live in the SE of UK. In any event, good luck with your choice.
David Cantor