DianaF

The DianaF is a simple little camera, but far from easy to use. It has taken several films and lots of practise for me to hone my Diana skills. Even now after using one for a couple of years, its still a bit hit and miss as to whether I've been able to successfully shoot an image that works, and that I'm happy with. But one of the joys of Lomography cameras is that the accidental image or the unusual is its selling point. The nature of the camera means that it will create an image that is misty, abstract, soft, out of focus .... or "creative." The developed pictures are not really meant to be clear and sharp ...where's the fun in that!

Taking the Diana in hand, there seems nothing easier than loading a film, turning the film on until you reach No 1 and then just shooting away. Loading the film into the camera isn't difficult, its once the film is in the camera that the challenges begin.

These two images are from the first film I shot with my DianaF.... a bit of a disaster is an understatement, but from this first film I had something to work with. I knew it wasn't going to be easy and that it would be a very steep learning curve.

After the results from the first film I thought about how I was going to achieve the best results, as it is such a simple camera, no technology involved, there really is only your intuition. Feel the image so to speak. Work on your experience of how long you think you should hold down the shutter. And also think of what kind of atmosphere you are trying to create. A part of my University Degree that I really enjoyed, was to research my subject and create a sketch book. There is no doubt about it that by looking at other artists and their styles, looking at other people's images created with the DianaF and doing any research that you think is relevant to helping you shoot images to create your own style of photography and your own story, is extremely beneficial. Also adding your own images to your sketch book help you to see how you improve ... that is always very satisfying!

The hole at the back of the camera where you look for the number is small, it can be quite frustrating. Turning the dial to move the film forward, you do need to watch the arrows, don't do this too quickly because the number 1 will appear before you know it. I have lost many negatives where I have gone past the next number or have shot an image in the middle of the frame. My solution to this is to hold the camera up so that the sun shines into the hole, or on a dull day find the brightest light source. Then I can see the arrows leading the film onwards and finally I get to the number.

The pinhead size hole inside the lens is tricky. It is probably a good idea to use a tripod because I find using a three second rule will ensure that I get light into the lens. However, having said that, I hardly ever use a tripod when I go out, because I find it cumbersome and a pain to carry around with me. The weight of too much camera equipment slows me down and makes me tired! I like to keep things simple. If I'm out walking on the coast or in the woods, I like to feel free and this helps me to be "in the zone" and use my intuition. I do carry a Shutter Release Cable with me which I use sometimes.

In sunny weather I count to three when taking a shot, in cloudy weather I may count to four, in shady areas I count to five. If I'm in the woods where the trees obscure the light, then I have to use my experience to make an educated guess as too how long I will hold the shutter down for. What I'm trying to say is that if you want a lot of light in your photograph then you do need to hold the shutter down for a count of at least five. If its around mid-day and there is lots of light then you may just want to count to 2/3. Its all about experimentation really. I quite like dark images but sometimes I will lose the detail in the darker areas and the shot doesn't work. 

After I had studied the images from the first film and began to think about ways to achieve better results.... my pictures did improve... not immediately but during the months that I shot more and more film, I did get some that I was happy with. I don't believe that any photographer is happy with all his/her images .... there is a little luck involved too!

So here are some DianaF images post first film!

And here are some more recent DianaF Images.

 

I hope this has helped anyone using the DianaF who has maybe lost their enthusiasm for it, anyone who has shot a couple of films and is thinking of giving up ... don't... you will achieve great images.. or anyone who is thinking of giving it a try.