Mood: Mas o Menos
Listening to: "Undead" - Hykoo
Reading: Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf?
Watching: V For Vendetta

There were two reasons for this journal entry: the fact the it has now been more than half a year since my last, and the stupidly large amount of space that my (now) previous one takes up.

As the end of my secondary schooling approaches, I find it amusing yet somewhat worrying that every teacher from all seven subjects seems to echo the phrase, "This should be your number one priority". It's amazing how when you're doing the International Baccalaureate, there always seems to be something you managed not to do 10 months ago coming back to bite you in the arse.

The title of this entry comes from a rather interesting discussion I had not so long ago with my spanish teacher. She was trying to help us recall what 'worried/stressed' is in the dialect, saying, "it's not so hard to remember, because it sounds almost the same as 'preoccupied', which means exactly the same thing." Despite our persistent arguments, this overweight Chilean ignoramus (who somehow managed a doctorate in literature), would not be convinced otherwise. But in my current situation, it would be fair enough to assume that I am both worried and preoccupied at all times, so I guess I have at least one thing to thank her for.

How disappointing it is that just when I reach a peak in my photography I am left with little if any time to do it. I still refuse to convert to digital, especially now that I've started to experiment with high-speed film. For those not in the know, the higher the speed of film - the faster the exposure. This results in a faster shutter-speed, which means shots can be taken at much lower light. However, often when the speed is set very high (for example, ISO 1600), it produces a great deal of grain. Because the grain on digital is square, visible grain in digital photography never looks good. Film photography, on the other hand (whose grain is circular), can often benefit from a bit of grain - giving it an almost grungy appearance.
My most recent shoot was conducted using Ilford Professional B&W film with an ISO of 3200. I worried incessantly about the excess of grain, thinking it would ruin two whole films and an afternoon's work. To my relief, it was actualy a success - providing just the right level of grain (along with some beautiful texture and a pleasant level of contrast). After hours in the dark-room, I've got a stack of portrait shots ready to load up, so there sill be a slew of submissions on my site as soon as I can bother to scan them.

So for now it's going to be a bit of a rocky road. The end of the school term is nearing, which is both a good and a bad thing. On one hand, in three weeks I will be relaxing in lovely Barcelona with a friend of mine, and I just can't wait. On the other, there's still a huge amount of work to get done before then, and I'll have little time for watching the world fly by.
Comments are much appreciated at the moment!

Thanks for reading! (Assuming you actually have...)
From Nick