It’s that time of the year again, when we look back and move forward, contrasting old and new. Towards the end of last year, I started to shoot black and white in my Contax Aria. It was a deliberate move to return to shooting 35mm (after about 20 years) but at the same time a move forward to try some new things.

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After years of shooting mostly colour it is a challenge to learn to see everyday life in black and white, like photographers had to in the old days.

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I find it amusing to take pictures of something that didn’t exist 20 years ago (such as my children), but black and white film makes it look like an old picture.

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It’s an excuse to go to some new places with camera, but also to revisit some old haunts. In some ways I feel as though I’m taking the pictures I never took when I was younger.

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I’m processing the film at home (with help from my husband) but instead of printing in a darkroom, I’m scanning the negatives and doing the “printing” digitally (while listening to music from 20 years ago, which seems appropriate). So it really is a case of old meets new. It’s both familiar and exciting!

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Happy New Year!

Kirstin