Embracing the nostalgy. // outtakes, misfits of film photography

March 04, 2018

Embracing the nostalgy. // outtakes, misfits of film photography

It was another casual walk on a sunny winter day in Riga. I am at home with my family. This time I do not have planned schedule of small trips there and here, but only being at home, studying, reading and talking to my granny or listening to her endless comments on radio shows about politics and everyday life, or when she is watching another romantic TV drama movie.

The days have been really bright and sunny. It is a lot of snow, and during the first week, the winter temperature was low and even dropped to -25C. I was so excited! WOW! COLD! And sunny, and snow, and cold! Great! So, I have been going for walks every day. My brother encouraged, he goes for a 2h walk every day. And I started taking walks last time I was here, as this is a new area where they have moved, and had to get to know it. Here are the photos from September walks.

But on this walk yesterday, what occurred to me, I felt a nostalgia taking over me. Slowly. Like a theatre curtain opening the stage and the show starts! Only this time the show did not happen. When I think of Riga, I feel nostalgy. Nostalgy of life here, moments and happenings, events, and friendships, and parties, and family. Currently, my family lives, in my opinion, in a very photogenic area. The walks through these yards and streets are a true eye candy. I feel like a ghost, nobody knows me here. I observe life around me and see those moments of time and place I could take a photo of. I don't. I still like to leave something in my memory. Also because I can't see it photographer in digital. As soon as I started to wonder about documenting this area, I thought of "6x7" film camera. A film camera would get the feeling of nostalgy. Giving my photographers perspective, how I see. You know this long discussed topic - painter gives his observation through brush strokes, colours and material, a photographer also uses the media in which wants to show the story to a viewer.

So what is this mumbling about? The main focus is on the sentence of realising how much I would have loved to take out MAMIYA (actually any) 6X7 film camera and just enjoy the magic.... I came home and looked through my digital memory, finding some old photos made by a 6x7 film camera. I did not find many, as I never did any actual photo project using only 6x7 film cameras. Well, only one, but that project needed just 3-5 photos. All my photos done with these cameras have been basic "fooling around" and I even have not scanned in all the photos I had taken. I found these. As can notice, they have dust on and badly edited. That just shows how unimportant they were for any photo project. From the colourful creative photos, some were used for my final project.

Why so less? Because even as a student I could develop and scan for free, it was still a bit pricey fun to buy the film. We could rent out the cameras, so, always had to finish the roll or all rolls, if I had my own 6x7 I could take few and leave the roll in and maybe finish this one roll in the sixth month... Another factor which stopped me was, the same price subject, so, to not waste money I had to have only one the right portrait, not 12 or 6, but one. And it is a long practice to get the perfect portait by one click. As you will see, scrolling down, some portaits COULD HAVE BEEN GOOD, but are missing something to "IT IS GREAT!". You know. Well, I hope I get a chance to fool around and actually take some great photos in the future. Honestly, I could go on and find the faults and mistakes, and dicuss this a lot more than tell you "they are all awesome!" :) Anyway.

All photos depict my time in Cornwall. Three long years of student life. The time period between 2009-2012. Cornwall - Latvia.