Thanks to a chance encounter with Bill Wierzalis of Italy in Color at the Annapolis Labor Day festival, I learned about a class he planned to offer on color film photography. Bill is a professional film photographer. I couldn’t wait to take the class after hearing his passion and seeing his incredible photographs.

To prepare for the class I had to: a) find a working film camera; b) purchase film; c) shoot at least one roll of pictures. I found my old Yashica FX 103 buried in a basement closet. Fortunately, it seemed to work. After I inserted a battery and film, my wife and I spent a beautiful Saturday morning in Centennial Park to take pictures.

The film camera completely changed my perspective. With a digital camera, it was always “snap first and sort later.” Now, limited to the 36 exposures on the roll and absent immediate feedback about the quality of the picture, every aspect of the process seemed to take on an added level of importance. There was a sense of intimacy with the camera. I adjusted the aperture, speed, focus, and zoom. Even though I’m a complete novice at photography, the choice of angle, light, and framing seemed critical. I was so selective that I barely took twenty pictures in over two hours.

Digital = Photo
Analog = Photography.

A few days later, I drove to Full Circle Photo in Baltimore for the class. Brian Miller, CEO and Master Printer at Full Circle Photo welcomed me at the door of the old rowhome. Full Circle has been in business since 1987. Walking through the place is like stepping back in time. There were relics scattered about to honor the past. While they have a fully functioning modern digital studio, all the film processing equipment is, well, old but treated with obvious TLC and respect. Brian referred to them as if they were his friends, quirks and all.  From the moment I arrived, I knew that this was would be a unique and worthwhile experience.

Five people with varying photography experience were in the class. Bill outlined the day and we started right in. Here are the basic steps to give a sense of the work and time taken:

1. Develop the film (10-15 minutes).
2. Cut the developed film into six-frame strips and insert into storage sheets (5 minutes)
3. Create contact sheet with enlarger (10 minutes)
4. Develop contact sheet (5 minutes)
5. Select photo to work with (10 minutes)
6. Attach film strip with selected photo to negative carrier (5 minutes)
7. Adjust enlarger settings and prepare for initial exposure (15 minutes)
8. Multiple tests with strips of photo paper and different exposures, filter settings (10 – 15 minutes each)
9. Initial test of full 8″ x 11″ photo (10 minutes)
10. Multiple adjustments to improve color (10 minutes each)

Nothing was fast. That was the beauty of the process. With each step came uncertainty, anticipation, experimentation, frustration, and eventually, satisfaction. Bill was a great guide. After about five hours, I had several iterations of one photo, the best of which is the featured image for this blog post.

The Connection to Medicine

While aspects of this experience are clearly different from medicine, I couldn’t help but think about digital distraction, communication failures, the lost arts of listening and storytelling, and a lack of longitudinal, personal connections.

These are some of my observations:

• Perspective matters.
• New processes are not necessarily better.
• Old processes are not necessarily worse.
• Fast can make one feel productive, but focus is more rewarding.
• Good photography, like good medicine, requires patience, art, and presence.
• Small tests of change, over time, lead to a better image – or a better clinical outcome.
• Patience pays, impatience steals.
• Comfort with uncertainty is a sign of experience and maturity.

So, to my clinical colleagues, please…

Take your hands off the keyboard,
And eyes off the screen.
Drop the pen, release the mouse,
Look up when you begin.

Ask an open question.
Then look, listen and wait.
Let the story unfold,
Just as it’s told.
Lean in and appreciate.

Engage in conversation.
Encourage, be open and share.
Listen to understand,
Speak to clarify,
Connect to show you care.

What’s Next?

I am looking forward to Bill’s yet-to-be-announced next class at Full Circle Photo. In the meantime, I plan to gain more knowledge about photography and photo development.

I invite your comments and observations about anything you do outside of healthcare from which you draw lessons and guidance.