We are in a period where photographic technology has grown so much, and cameras are including more and more technology, that the camera seems to be taking the picture for us. High megapixel, “do-everything cameras” that include, IBIS (in-body-image-stabilization), high ISO with low noise output, 8K video, 10, 20 even 30 frames per second shooting, have overwhelmed the market. Add to this, fast, ultra-sharp, and compact camera lenses and there is quite a menu of highly desirable cameras and lenses to choose. Without a doubt, technology has significantly improved today’s digital cameras. I completely understand a working professional photographer who makes their living taking pictures, needing all the technology they can get in a camera thus making their job easier and improving the quality of their product. I have shot weddings and other events with both film and digital cameras and make no mistake that the digital shooting experience and immediacy of the image was far superior then when I shot film and had to wait for development to see what I captured.

  Camera companies also appear to be delaying release of technology only to include that technology in the next model so you “have” to purchase that next new release. They even delay technology in certain models, within their own line, so as not to cut into the market of other complimentary models.  I believe delaying of features is all part of a broader marketing strategy to not cut into your own sales and to keep consumers “wanting more”. At times cameras have barely been on the market a year and rumors begin as to what is going to be in the next release. Don’t get me wrong, I am all for the new cameras and improved technology and will admit I fully converted over to digital photography years ago now owning more digital cameras than I really need. I will confess, I have suffered from GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome), but for many reasons I have been hesitant to fully jump onto the mirrorless bandwagon and purchase the latest and greatest mirrorless camera.  I love my Canon DSLRs, 5D Mark IIIs, Mark IV, 80D, 90D, as well as several others and still get many fantastic images from those cameras. I will also confess I much prefer an optical viewfinder to a digital viewfinder.  I would rather see the actual image through my camera’s optical viewfinder than a little digital rendering in a digital viewfinder. For those that prefer the digital viewfinder with all the supporting information readily available, I totally get it, it is just not my preference.

  Digital photography is here to stay and I will continue to embrace it and admit I am anxiously awaiting the second release of the Canon R5 and when it hits the street, I may break my own vow of staying away from mirrorless cameras. Regardless of when I purchase my first mirrorless camera my DSLRs will always be in my kit because they work for me and I get great images from them. I have always loved photography and embrace new and improved products but at times, it seems to be a bit much. Cameras now do everything for you, and we have gotten away from the basics of photography and for this reason, I now find myself being enticed back into film photography.

  When I jumped into digital photography, I kept all my film cameras (Canon AE1, A1, F1’(s), Yashica GSN35, Yashica 124G Medium Format) among many others. I have since added more film cameras to the collection including Minolta, Nikon, Konica, Yashica, Voigtlander, many P&S, partially because family members and friends have gifted me their film cameras knowing I am a “camera guy”. Lately when I go out to shoot, I find myself pulling one of those old film cameras out to take along just for the fun of it. I even plan outings just to shoot film. Shooting film has rejuvenated something in me that seemed to be missing. I have gone back to the basics and the three main components of exposure; choosing a particular speed film, setting the shutter speed, and setting my aperture. On a recent trip to the beaches of North Carolina, I took both my Canon digital 5D Mark IV and Canon digital 90D and used both extensively. I also took my film EOS Elan 7ne, and a film Rebel G, with black & white film loaded in one and color film in the other, shooting mostly in manual mode. For this particular trip, my film camera selection was dependent on all four bodies using the Canon EF mount lens. Each time I returned from shooting, I commented to my wife “shooting these film cameras is really fun”. Planning 36 exposures is far different than machine-gunning away and deleting later what did not come out. Each film exposure requires much thought and planning especially since film is not nearly as cheap as it once was, and neither is film processing. Shooting those older film cameras is just so much fun.

  Can you still purchase film? Absolutely, and it is becoming more and more plentiful. Many old film manufacturers are re-introducing older films back into the market. Like vinyl records, anything good will come back especially if there is a growing (or returning) market. How do you get your film processed? Google “film processing” and you will get many hits of companies that provide the service. I have used several film processors but lately have been mainly using “The Darkroom Lab”. The Darkroom Lab will process your film and scan the negatives for you. Using a menu system you can have them just develop the film, develop and scan, develop scan and print, push, pull, whatever you want. I still have all my darkroom equipment but for now, I will continue to send my film off for processing much preferring going out to take pictures rather than being in the darkroom. Who knows, maybe the next step in my progression will be to dust off my Black & White enlarger, pull out the tanks and trays and print my own prints again, but that is not likely to happen anytime soon.

  So yes, I fully embrace the digital photography age but I am also having fun shooting film. If you are new to photography, I encourage you to shoot film with a manual film camera, so you know what your new “do everything” digital camera is doing and why.

  Each year my wife Shari and I take a trip on or around the time of our wedding anniversary.  Although all of our trips are memorable, every fifth year we try to take a "special trip", be it to Bermuda for our 20th anniversary, Ireland for our 25th, or Italy last year for our 30th.  

  This year being our 31st anniversary we decided to stay a little closer to home as we plan to go out west in the fall.  We debated between going to the mountains or a trip to the beach.  We both had a strong desire to get back to the beach as it had been entirely too long since we walked on the beach or stuck our toes in the saltwater (I will not count getting my shoes wet last fall in Maine while photographing Boulder Beach in Acadia when an unexpected wave came a little too close.).  I thought maybe we would head back to the Outer Banks or Myrtle Beach, but we decided to visit Ocean City, Maryland.  Although we do not frequently go to Maryland's famed beach town, it is a little closer to home than the Outer Banks or Myrtle Beach and it had been many years since we had visited, so Ocean City it was (Fact is we had not been to Ocean City since 2003.).

  We figured that by visiting Ocean City during the off-season (late April early May), we would avoid the large crowds that typically flock to the beach during the summer season.  I will admit that I really do not like the large crowds at the beach, which is the main reason we had not gone back to Ocean City for so many years.  Because it was the off-season, we were able to get an oceanfront room for a reasonable price and at very late notice.  The hotel was located on 15th street and had been fully renovated in the spring of 2016, so it was almost like staying in a new hotel.  The view from our oceanfront room was breathtaking.  The boardwalk ran right in front of our hotel and I imagine it would be quite a busy location during the summer season.  During our stay, however, it was extremely peaceful and Shari and I were one of the few couples on the beach for as far as I could see, especially during the weekday.  Shari found a listing of the top 10 restaurants in Ocean City and we made it our mission to eat at as many of those restaurants as we could.  In fact, one of the top 10 restaurants was located right in our hotel.  I will agree with the list since the food in this restaurant was spectacular.

  The weather cooperated and photographically speaking I could not have asked for more.  Although the purpose of the trip was to get away to celebrate our anniversary and not strictly for photography, whenever we travel I try to take as many pictures as possible.  It helps to have an "artist wife" who understands my need to take advantage of my photographic opportunities as I work an 8 to 5 office job so they do not come as frequently as I wish.  For equipment, I shot mainly with my full-frame Canon 5D Mark III with a 24-105 f/4 L for landscapes, seascapes and general photography.  I also took a second 5D Mark III with a 70-200 f/4 L for longer landscapes and nature shots that I could reach with 200mm.  For longer wildlife shots and wild ponies on the beach in Assateague, I shot with my Canon 60D and a 400mm f/4 L.  Since the 60D is a "crop sensor camera body", the 400mm gave a field of view of 640mm, which came in handy, as the wild horses are known to not only bite and kick but also charge if you get too close.  I also took my new Canon 16-35 f/4 L, but I did not have too many situations where I needed an ultra-wide lens so I really did not use it much.  I realize I could have just changed lenses on my camera rather than take three camera bodies, but shooting at the beach and frequently changing lenses is just asking for trouble.  Nothing could be worse for your camera than getting blowing sand or water inside and on your sensor.  Sand can do permanent damage to camera equipment especially if it gets inside.  The Canon 5D Mark III has a sealed body so by not changing lenses, I knew I would be safe shooting in weather conditions that can be harmful to equipment.  Having a 5D Mark III with 24-105 and a second with 70-200 was a perfect setup for beach shooting, even with blowing sand.

  As always, my sleep suffered as I got up at 5:30 every morning and went out looking for something to shoot during the "golden hours".  Two of the mornings we had a nice clear sunrise while the other two it was overcast and foggy, which created nice, soft, diffused light which yielded far different results from the clear sky sunrises.  There were many nice locations, a short walk up the beach or a short drive up the street.  The beach always provides an abundance of shooting subjects be it shells, birds, kites, seascapes, or surf and sand patterns.  We also spent a day at Assateague Island National Seashore where we spotted egrets, willets, gulls, horseshoe crabs, wild ponies, as well as plenty other natural subjects.

  I also took many "dreamy water" shots and to accomplish this task on a bright sunny day I used a nine-stop neutral density filter and a polarizing filter, which took away an additional two to three f-stops.  With this two-filter setup, I was able to shoot black & white images at f/11 for 10-12 seconds in the middle of the day, and remove reflections on the sand or rocks. 

  Although I am still processing my images, and will be for quite some time, I am very pleased with what I have completed so far.  We had a wonderful week and we both cannot wait until we go on our next artistic adventure. 

Below are just a few sample images from our trip.