Terrified, overwhelmed, intimidated…

As a photography forum admin and mentor, I hear these words often. And because I have been shooting for several years now, it’s easy to tell people to brush those feelings aside and that they will pass (they WILL, by the way!). Learning something new can be scary.

This weekend I found myself in a flood of terrified, overwhelmed and intimidated… I began shooting film again for the first time since high school. Not only that, I committed to developing the black & white film myself. Gulp. Shaky hands, headaches, tears… I had it all. This is where I tell myself to just jump in – the water’s fine! It’s where I asked myself what exactly I had to lose. 9ml of developer stock? A $4 roll of film? Just do it Jennifer. Get over the fear and slow down and breathe.

And you know what? I didn’t lose anything. Although – I am betting I will lose a few pounds shooting and developing film… it is hands-on intensive and I forgot to eat lots of times this weekend and when I did remember, I didn’t have a free hand or didn’t want to get them dirty. This could be a really good thing!

Here is a share from my first film weekend. I am hooked. The light, the tones, the grain… I am a goner.

I have also found that dust is the bane of my existence. I am sharing this one anyway!