Two-Timing,Double-Minded,222

Liphofung Cave, Mamiya 7, 43mm, Fuji Acros, Perceptol

Liphofung Cave, Nikon D7000, 35mm, CS5 stitch

I have just finished developing two types of film one Fuji Acros and the other Kodak TMY2. In the interest of saving some time I ran them concurrently through two separate Jobo rotary processors. I have done this before and without too much drama. This time the two-timing caught me out as the one smaller Jobo tank sprung a leak (the lid wasn't on tight enough). Fortunately I noticed this with the Fuji Acros prewash and not with the developer. This unexpected mishap resulted in me not starting the TMY2's timer however with some guestimation both films turned out OK thankfully after some flustered moments.

This little two-timing incident just reminded me how the other day when out photographing the struggle I had to "think" B&W film and "think" digital colour simultaneously whilst exploring a scene. It can be done however for me personally it becomes a compromised situation with either the B&W film or the DSLR colour and most probably both mediums being adversely affected. I suppose shooting with a DSLR with the option of converting to B&W later is a novel way of circumventing this. Seeing/seeking photographs in black and white is obviously different from seeing in colour and jumping back and forth isn't conducive to my photography. Subconsciously I think there are many processes going on internally when photographing and much more than the usual conscious looking for lines, texture, foreground, focus point etc.

This double-minded approach also manifests itself when I carry two camera systems in the field. I still have an embarrassing recollection of the time I tried to climb the Brulsand dune in Witsand, Northern Cape (the "brul" name is Afrikaans for the roaring noise made by the texture of the fine sand when walked upon). When I started shooting B&W film in earnest I had my Lowepro backpack stuffed with a  Mamiya RZ kit with three lenses, many backs and a Linhof Technika IV with three lenses and many plates. The photography nearly didn't get off the ground as I struggled up the dune making little way uphill with a red face from exertion but more from the embarrassment from saving face from onlookers some dunes away. Once up on the dunes not only was I physically overloaded but the duplication in gear was cluttering my mind. Needless to say the photography was poor but the roaring noise from the Brulsand was epic!

Some people/photographers are undoubtedly better multi taskers and can pull it off. It is not something easy to analyse however a single minded approach will undoubtedly simplify the photographic process and invariably produce work of a higher calibre. Henri Cartier-Bresson supposedly  used mostly one camera with one lens, a 50mm which might partly explain the brilliance of his work.

Above are two photographs taken recently in Lesotho at Liphofung Cave. The one was taken on film, the other with a DSLR and converted to B&W. There wasn't much water flowing however to be honest neither photograph is particularly strong. Would a more concerted, single minded approach have yielded a better result? Probably, but all I know is that next time I'm there and the water's flowing  I will be using one camera primarily (and maybe a compact digital just to record the beautiful colours!)