Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Iconic Cliché

Title: "Palm Tree, DeYoung Museum"
(click on image to view larger)
  
What, a holga image of a palm tree? Such a cliché you might say, but it's my cliché and I'm glad to have it. After all, it seems silly not to make an image of a palm tree when in California with your holga. I think it's the unpredictability of the plastic camera and film development that can make even such a cliché image unique. I have certain modifications I use to soften the image captured on film by my holgas, and in this case part of the modification has clearly scratched the film along the top edge. Also for some reason, I have a lot of "bromide drag" in the negative from the development process. I absolutely love these imperfections, the slightly quirky character they bring to the image that seems so appropriate for the subject, which seems to be listing precipitously towards the building behind.

3 comments:

jim rohan said...

The processing imperfections make this look much like a wet collodion image. If only this sort of stuff would occur on a predictable basis.

J. M. Golding said...

I think your title says a lot about the idea of cliche ... maybe this is actually an iconic image! In any case, I love the way the fronds melt into softness.

Dave said...

I love the imperfections. In a digital world, perfection is often the minimum acceptable standard. The slightest "flaw" makes photos disposable. That perfection is not reality though. I embrace the flaws as part of the reality of an analogue world.