About The Photomill

[who am i]
At this point in time I do not have any aspirations to enter the realm of professional photography. I love photography and have been involved in the industry in other ways for many years now from publishing to selling. As more time passes and I interact with more pros I feel that there is no longer a message in a lot of the work out there. Now, that’s not so say that I have some deep and meaningful message in my work and others don’t – rather that it’s not intentionally empty like most commissioned work these days.

I shoot what I see. My equipment is low-tech for the most part. Until recently I still had an Omega D enlarger that you’d find in a High School dark room because of its indestructibility. If and when I need lighting, I set up several incandescent bulbs – similar to what you’d use to light a still-life for an art class.
There were a few years in which I wasn’t shooting anything even though I was always carrying a camera. I was always waiting for that moment of inspiration or thinking that what I found to be interesting others would find mundane and boring. I realized that simply isn’t true – every day is interesting. There’s always something to document. The ‘commonplace’ is unique every time. The same sky I’m under and the same sidewalk I follow isn’t the same one I saw yesterday.

With that in mind I’m trying to get up to adding one photo per day. It’s tough. It’s a lot of work. But you’ll never see that scene again.

[cameras]
As of late, I’ve been lazy and only shooting with my Canon G10 – dragging around a 40d all of the time is a bit much for me these days. I have to replace the seals in my Canon AE-1 which is a wonderful camera. I have to take care of this soon as I miss looking through an actual viewfinder and focusing a lens.

I also have an old makeshift view-camera with a homemade back. It was originally for a 5 x 7 back but it was converted to a 4 x 5. That’s currently packed away in deep storage along with the remnants of my darkroom equipment.

[contact]
If you have any questions about anything you see here please e-mail me at ‘eric [at] thephotomill.com’.

All photos ©Eric Miller