Focus - St. John's Newfoundland Photographer

Lately my mind has been trying to focus on everything at once which is the opposite of what focus really is. 1000 topics floating around in thought and never one becoming clear. AKA I'm a little scattered and stressed.

Focusing a camera is not an issue. I can manually focus a heavy medium format SLR on a running toddler and be just fine. Excluding all other distractions in the viewfinder and continuously shifting focus to remain squarely on the running toddler. I'm not always perfect at it but remaining calm and confident I have  much success.

I've been trying to approach every life situation like that running toddler, making my mind be the viewfinder. Slow down, remain calm and confident, and I can do it. This I'm repeating as my newest mantra, repeating it the most when I least believe it. I'm repeating it to myself a lot lately and getting upset when I can't do it.

With all of these types of thoughts going through my head lately I find this image last night. It's over a year old and a Holga image made using a close up lens. With the close up lens it's almost impossible to control composition- you have to guesstimate. With Holga cameras there is no Focus to control - you have to guesstimate. This was my first attempt at the close up lens on a Holga and it wasn't a roaring success. On this roll there were three frames that had any sort of recognizable image at all and of those this was my favourite. The other 9 frames had an issue with me blocking my own light (which sounds like a navel gazing post for another day). I haven't really played with the close up lens since, I sort of forgot about it. I should pull it out and have another go.

Anyway, this image reminded me that I may need to chill out. I have mastered the Holga camera not with superior focus and control but with instinct and fearlessness. With 12 shots per roll I usually hope for  maybe 1/2 to be good. I don't worry about the other shots or the missed shots or the completely out of focus shots. I just keep shooting knowing I'll get something off the roll no matter what. Sometimes the images are not in perfect focus and I like them anyway. Holga doesn't concern itself with being perfect, and this is the very quality that makes it the most perfect!

'Just keep shooting'. That's today's mantra. I'm going to enlarge this and pin it up in my office to remind me to chill out and approach life like I do a roll of Holga film. :D