There is certainly something to be said for old camera equipment. Actually, there are probably many things to be said for old camera equipment. But today, I’m focusing on just one thing, which is that there are probably lessons buried in antique cameras that are well worth learning—or relearning, for those of us who are bordering on becoming antiques ourselves.

For most of us, though, I think it’s more the former than the latter. So many modern photographers will never know what it’s like to develop their own film in the darkroom. So many will never even load a roll of film into a camera, let alone use those big view cameras on stands with plates of film that need to be loaded for individual images...

As artists and photographers, we talk about creative endeavors a lot—but we don’t often talk about the people involved in those creative endeavors. And yet, these people are perhaps one of the most important parts of the process. I think it’s vitally important that, no matter what type of creative work you do, you find your people.

Now, one might interpret that statement as getting on social media to promote your work, and to build a community of followers and admirers surrounding that work. I suppose this is helpful if you’re selling your work, but truthfully, for the most part, these types of communities are not what I’m referring to when I say to “find your people.” Social media followings devoted to promotion are mainly echo chambers. It’s in their nature to be echo chambers because when you are promoting yourself, the last thing you want is negativity or things that might take away from sales. Thus, the community must focus on the positives...