A strange shot You'd say perhaps. This is an ode to Medium Format Film (analogue) Photography - 2 1/3" - 2 3/4" mm wide film, aka 220 film (25 frames 6x6 or 18 frames 6x8) or 120 film (12-13 frames 6x6 cm or 9 frames 6x8 cm). It becomes less popular and being forced out or displaced by digital technologies. I do not like the tendency and hope MF will survive and develop further despite mass market dynamics and marketing specialists' efforts. I am explaining it as was surprised there are somany photographers (young mainly) who do not know about it (some young photographers have not even heard of 36mm film!)
The reason I (and fortunatelly not only I) like it is that old (as they become named now) analogue film cameras provides absoutely gorgeous live images, with realistic emotional and expressive colours and tones, not to mention wider dynamic range (D) and resolution, that makes it possible to print say 3' x 4' images out of a MF frame easily with fantastic quality! No digital camera is capable of that (except medium format digital ones, like Mamiya ZD, Franke and Heidecke Rolleiflex 600X, Hasselblad H1/H2, some others and digital backs produced by Sinar, Dalsa, Imacon etc. that cost many thousand Euro btw).
The overall approach to photography aimed at studying and understanding the creative and physical processes deeply develop real photoartists with their deep and original creative ideas and perfect technique. On the other hand the modern digital photography (as modern digital art mainly) becomes an instant and comparetively cheap proccess - no need to buy film rolls, develop them, print manually etc. (no canvas, no paints, brushes, no need to stand in front of the canvas thinking over each stroke - one cannot use a Photoshop "Undo" or "Eraser" command ;-) that does not make most (fortunatelly there're still many thinking photoartists, @ Renderosity, for instance) of the modern photographers to think over what is being shot and how it should be done in detail - if the result that is seen immediately on the camera back display does not satisfy the author he can push the button once again.
I'm sure MF and real Human Art will find it's way and new directions for development. I also want our Rederosity friends not to forget about analogue cameras. Not very fast (but there should be no rush in Art as well as in other fields of human activities) not so idiotically simple as digital, but very kind and good. Perhaps notso simple for upload but so tender and beautiful when it hangs in Your housein a nice frame on a wall of a dining room.
Sorry for being so talkative, emotional and phylosophic at the same time ;-)
So here's a "portrait" of one of my favourite analogue cameras Bronica GS-1 - fantastic equipment with brilliant optics. I wanted to make it look a "good old" treasure in golden tones.
With kindest regards, wih You inspiration and many beautiful artworks. Have a lovely weekend,
-Anthony.