clayton harley
analog photography is a form of expressionism. today, everyone is a photographer carrying a camera in their pocket. taking photos in the analog realm is a hobby for many, but actually going down the rabbit hole and seriously approaching the practice — developing and printing your own work rather than sending your film to a lab — is the path towards expressing something different than what can be quickly achieved with a phone. as a nyc cyclist of more than 15 years and an early proponent of the natural wine movement, environmental concerns are a top priority. achieving unique expression at any cost is not the aim, but rather making something that no one else can, safely and conscientiously. those of us that mix our own solutions must know the tools we use and their implications. why film? the multitude of organic processes that can lead to what is finally seen as a simple picture offer an entire journey which can be “read” in the finalized image. the process is the goal. experimentation is a must. in a time when the capturing of images has become so taken for granted and is often thoughtless, a more invested approach yields something which instantly “reads” as unique. as a digital videographer, the powerful practice of analog still photography is an indispensable companion that helps distill the inspirations and work ethics required to set oneself apart in that field. this practice is promise. it is promise of more maturely envisioned work — digital or otherwise — in image creation and capture.
