Let me just start this out by saying that I highly believe that each artist is unique. If they are true to what they are doing, they are each different. Each have a different way of approaching what they are doing and have a different means of expressing it. And that’s just the beginning of a whole complex thing.

Over the years, although mainly focusing on trying out different mediums and building of technique, they’ve all been different and have changed my views on art and life as well—I swear this won’t get sappy! Despite everything though, two things have always remained the same for me. I either a) want to follow what I believe is the structure/formula for delivering the best results or b) screw it all, jump into the deep end, and see where the current takes me. I recognize that it is pretty strange to have both, and trust me, it sometimes it has proven to be a real struggle. I remember days when I was in the studio so frustrated with my ceramics because it was not following the structure that I wanted. Other days, the b) idea would preside and I didn’t care how I was decorating the pots (or at least not consciously). The ideas were coming from somewhere else, and if I really thought about it, it would go away. It is kind of nice to have both though, but sometimes I really wish those two would work together instead of only one at a time. I guess it could almost be described as being a little bipolar. Oh bother.

What this brings me to is to photography. While I was in New York, I was taking so many photographs with my Nikon d40. That thing has been my baby for 3 years, but because I focused on ceramics in college I have taught myself somewhat sporadically and never felt I truly improved. So I have been focusing on getting what I would call the technique in this situation: figuring out the focusing, aperature, shutter speed and how they all work together. Other things are also involved but the main focus is on the former items. At the same time, I also had a Fisheye camera (if you’re interested in seeing the effects of this camera, check out this flickr group). My sister got this for me for Christmas, and it is so different to shoot with! It’s a little film point-and-shoot, but the lens blocks part of the viewfinder so I didn’t even bother to look really. It was so much fun to shoot with and I can’t wait to see the results! With this camera, the more carefree line of thought took over. I just let everything else take over.

Now that I have spent more time with photography, I want more. Different types of cameras, different lenses, experiment with film, everything. If I only had the finances and room for a darkroom I’d be wishing for that too! Haha! The thing is that this is carrying me in my two different directions. Figures. I have recently found the Diana F+ camera.

I had originally only heard of the Holga camera, which is made by the same company, but after a little more browsing around I found this and I’m so excited for it! Both cameras have dreamy effects produced in their photos as a result of how the cameras are made, but in different ways. They are both also plastic, point-and-shoot cameras, and are similar in that regard to the Fisheye camera—which is also made by Lomography. I think it would be so exciting to have one really. To let the medium have it’s own effect on the photograph is what got me eventually with ceramics. It’s something you can’t control in the whole process, and sometimes that result is the most beautiful thing. Maybe one could say that about the darkroom, but sadly I have never had that experience before.

The next item I have been looking at is pretty different from the plastic point-and-shoot camera. Instead, it is a macro lens for my Nikon d40 and in particular it is a pre Ai 55mm Micro-Nikkor.

For a long time I have wanted a macro lens, but I never seriously considered it because I was so off and on with my photography. Now though I’m really beginning to consider it. I did some homework (which mainly consisted me of google searching and found what looked best, haha), and I found this little forum. It’s how I learned about this type of lens, and I’m kind of in love with it too. Including that it is a macro lens, it’s also an older version of a lens that isn’t produced anymore and I have only been able to find it through ebay (which is where this image came from). There is something that excites me when I have a part of something that is old but functional, similar to the Olympus OM10. Who knows if the camera really is working, but I love it. It’s got this certain quality about it that no new technology can beat. That’s how I feel about this lens. Now hopefully which ever one I do purchase in the future will be functional or else it won’t do me any good! It also feels like a commitment. A commitment to figuring out this idea I have in my head about photography and really going after what I would like to accomplish with it.

And then there is this: the Polaroid SX-70. This is not in my immediate love-to-purchase list, but maybe one day? Maybe one day this will be the combination of my two approaches to photography. This old-fashioned polaroid camera is fully manual, and at the same time the type of film will have it’s own dreamy effect on the resulting image. It would certainly would be nice to have those two unify, and that will probably be another goal of mine.

If you’d like to find out more about this camera, I’d suggest going here. Amanda, from Mocking Bird, has one herself and is quite knowledgable about them.