Belinda Pratten explains how she captured a “decisive moment” with Sydney surfers, and why she still enjoys shooting with film.
The Surfer was taken at Mackenzie’s Beach, Sydney, in January 1993. I went to this
rocky beach to photograph the dogs surfing the waves. It was bushfire season,
so there was a strong smoky haze in the sky, which made my sky grainy. I was
using a Nikon camera with a 80-200mm lens – long enough to photograph the dogs
in the waves – and black and white Kodak TMAX ISO 400 film.
Looking up at the
rock ledge on my right I saw this scene emerging. There was a man leaning down,
talking to his girlfriend. I saw a surfer walking towards them… I had the
picture framed, waiting for the surfer to walk into the image that I’d already
created in my mind. Then he turned and started walking in the other direction!
I thought, “No! Go the other way!” Miraculously, he changed his path and walked
into my frame. So I got the frame – the surfer.
These days I shoot
with a Canon 1Ds Mark III for commercial work. But I still shoot film for my
personal images, using a Leica and Canon for 35mm work and a Mamiya for medium
format. For me both digital and film are great mediums. On commercial shoots
it’s good to be able to give direct feedback to the client by showing them the
images created on the screen at the back of the camera.
For my personal work I
like to use film. I prefer the depth of colours and the quality of image that
film produces. Also, I still get a thrill waiting for my film to be developed,
which is maybe a throwback to my childhood! For long-term storage I know my
negatives and transparencies are more stable than digital files.
In fact, storage of digital files is my main concern in the digital age. With the upgrade of my camera I needed to upgrade my computer and its storage capacity. I use a Sanman disk array for digital file storage and then burn my work, both RAW DNG files and TIFF files, to gold archival DVDs, which are then sealed in airtight bags, as back up. My concern is how permanent is this system? Upgrading to a larger disk array is pricey. With film I have the images stored in dust-proof boxes in archival sleeves and in a temperate room. This system is stable and inexpensive. Like most professionals and archivists, I’m waiting for a reasonably priced and stable way of storing digital files.
However, whether you choose to shoot digital or film is actually irrelevant to the image-making process. A great image is made in your mind. The camera is the tool to translate your idea. Of course, if you want to make a sharp image and you’re using an old not so sharp, lens then you might have a problem.
And what makes a great image? Whether you take the Henri Cartier-Bresson approach of capturing the “decisive moment” or the Robert Frank approach that “every moment is special”, if you can capture a moment that freezes something you’ve seen in your mind’s eye and other people react to it, then your image is great. To find those moments you just need to follow your heart and make pictures of things or people that you love.
Article first published in Australian Photography magazine.
"The Surfer". Image by Belinda Pratten. (Camera: Nikon SLR,
Lens: 80-200mm lens, Film: Kodak T-MAX ISO 400.)