In a world where a tap on a screen captures a moment instantaneously, it's refreshing to step into a realm where each photograph is a journey. In this article, we explore the world of analogue photography with Benjamin Postlewait, a pinhole photographer based in Oregon.
Q:What exactly made you decide to abandon digital photography for film?
A: I found the world of digital photography to be driven by "gear." It felt like it was always a contest to have the best lenses, the latest camera bodies, the fastest image processors, the most megapixels and the largest memory cards. I felt like I was always going out to take as many shots as I could to fill up a memory card, always changing lenses, using different lens filters, etc., and then going home to post-process the images. It felt like it was about everything but creating photos. I also felt like I would go to beautiful places and not enjoy the moment I was in because I was too busy looking through a viewfinder. With pinhole photography I could set up my camera and stop and enjoy my surroundings while my camera took an 8-minute exposure (or whatever the exposure would be). It became a meditative process for me to create pinhole photos. Lastly, I kind of got tired of how "perfect" digital images were becoming due to being over-produced with post-processing tools like Photoshop. Film pinhole images really can't be perfect due to the limitations of the cameras themselves and sometimes the limitations of film. The images can't be perfect, and sometimes the flaws you end up with are some of the best parts.
Q: What is your favourite place to shoot?
A: Anything involving a beach or waterfall is tops on my list. I feel the long exposure element of pinhole photography is best utilized when you can contrast static vs. moving elements within a scene. While these elements aren't exclusively found at the beach, or with a waterfall, they are guaranteed to be there.
Q: What advice do you have for people looking to start out with pinhole photography?
A: Be patient. Pinhole photography is an exercise in patience. Determining the exposure length and composition, then creating the exposure itself, and then actually developing or having the negatives developed by someone else all takes a long time. There is no instant feedback or gratification. It feels great when you get an image that you like, but the true satisfaction comes from the exercise in creating the image, in my opinion.
Q: Are you influenced by any social or political issues in your work?
A: No, not really. But perhaps because we are in a world of quickly advancing technology and there's so much stress and hustle and bustle in our daily lives, my reaction to that is to slow down and simplify.
Q: What made you decide to pursue photography in general?
A: Really I started getting into photography so I could create my own wallpaper background on my laptop. I quickly recognized how fun and gratifying it was and really got into all sorts of photography forms after that.
Q: Could you describe your work in a sentence?
A: I aim to create peaceful, often minimal, landscape images that focus on the interplay between light, sky, land, and water.
Q: Are there any specific photographers or artists who have influenced your work or who you admire?
A: Not anyone in particular. I think, just as any art form, you can find influences anywhere and everywhere. Keep track of what pleases you and make it your goal to create things that give you the same feeling.
More information about Benjamin Postlewait and his work can be found on his website, http://www.benjaminpostlewait.com/.
