Boy looking through window

Practicing the Forgotten Art of Patience Through Film Photography

By David Smith

17 September, 2026

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Portrait Photography
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“All human wisdom is summed up in two words; wait and hope.” — Alexandre Dumas

I carry a camera with me everywhere I go. What I lack in talent, I tell myself, I make up for in perseverance. But I do get impatient. Days, weeks, even months can go by before I capture something special, something that inches beyond the average.

When a winning shot does arrive, it is often not what I anticipated. It doesn’t necessarily come from the event I circled on the calendar—the airshow, the car festival, the family picnic… It’s usually some random, unexpected shot, taken during an uneventful moment that turns out to be the keeper. On a handful of rolls, I’m lucky to have one truly noteworthy photo.

However, there have been a few instances in my photographic journey when some mysterious concoction of chance, light, and subject come together, and I walk away with a series of unforgettable images. This is exactly what happened to me on a random Sunday afternoon this past spring.

It was mid-May and my wife, son, and I decided to spend the day with my mother- and father-in-law. They live in a small, rural town about an hour’s drive away. When we pulled up to their house, one of the neighbours’ kids, Rowly, ran up to the car. He’s the same age as my son, Kipling, and the two get along well together.

Two boys sitting together
Rowly (left) and Kipling (right)

Kip and Rowly quickly decided that the day was going to be one of outdoor adventure and general mischief. My wife quickly decided that my day was going to be one of tailing two boys, and making sure they stayed out of trouble. Luckily, I had my Leica MP to keep me company along with a few rolls of Kodak T-Max 400 and Ilford Ortho 80 Plus.

Boy looking through tree Boy sitting on fence

The boys ran around the backyard for an hour, and I ran around after them, trying and failing to capture some fast-moving shots. It was a warm day, and they eventually decided to go swimming in the creek behind the house. I’ve taken photos of Kip in the creek before, but this day was different. The lighting and shade were perfect, and since it was still springtime, the vegetation was not yet overgrown.

Boy standing on grassy path

I stayed in one spot on the bank of the creek and patiently took photos of the boys as they swam and hunted for frogs. I’ve learnt not to expect too much from photos, even from ones taken under great conditions. In this case, I was rewarded for my patience. A few of the resulting images were imbued with the emotions and mood of that Sunday afternoon. I couldn’t have asked for more. To top it off, I was able to get a nice portrait of Rowly through a door window as he was drying off after the swim.

Boy holding a frog

The photo gods can be cruel masters, but when they are kind, even if only on rare occasions, it keeps my faith alive. I hope you enjoyed this story. If you want to follow more of my adventures on film, please consider following me on Instagram. You can find more of my photos at Leica Fotografie International.

Two boys in a creek Two boys holding a frog

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About The Author

By David Smith
I'm a 44-year-old biology professor at Western University (Ontario, Canada) with a passion for photography, camera collecting, and vintage microscopes.
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Comments

Michael McGrath on Practicing the Forgotten Art of Patience Through Film Photography

Comment posted: 17/09/2026

Hi David,

A lovely piece. You are right to call out photography's capricious nature! Thanks for sharing!

Michael.
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David Smith replied:

Comment posted: 17/09/2026

Many thanks, Michael

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Sasha Tsyrlin on Practicing the Forgotten Art of Patience Through Film Photography

Comment posted: 17/09/2026

These are amazing! They look timeless. What lens is it? A fifty?
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David Smith replied:

Comment posted: 17/09/2026

Thanks Sasha. They were captured on a Leica Summilux-M 50 f/1.4 ASPH.

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Art Meripol on Practicing the Forgotten Art of Patience Through Film Photography

Comment posted: 17/09/2026

These are so poignant and so real. Boys still being boys before adult concerns come into play. On the cusp but not there yet. These are so pure and lovely. Truly beautiful work.
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David Smith replied:

Comment posted: 17/09/2026

Art, thanks for the kind words. It’s been such a blessing chasing after my son and his friends with my old film cameras.

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Erik Brammer on Practicing the Forgotten Art of Patience Through Film Photography

Comment posted: 17/09/2026

David, another breathtaking series of your son - and his friend. You should always encourage the boys to be boys and do boys' things as long as they possibly want. Times are likely to change sooner than desired. You are blessed having Kipling playing ball in your photography. He is a remarkable model.

I always enjoy reading your stories and marveling your photography. I am looking forward to your next stories.
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David Smith replied:

Comment posted: 17/09/2026

Erik, thank you for your kind words. I feel fortunate to be able to document Kip and his friends as they grow up, and you’re absolutely right — the years are passing far too quickly. I’m trying to soak up these moments and capture as many of them as I can on film while they’re still happy to have me chasing after them with a camera!

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David Pauley on Practicing the Forgotten Art of Patience Through Film Photography

Comment posted: 17/09/2026

Wonderful photos, David. Bravo!
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David Smith replied:

Comment posted: 17/09/2026

Thanks David!

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David Brancaleone on Practicing the Forgotten Art of Patience Through Film Photography

Comment posted: 17/09/2026

There are times time stands if you have the patience and the skill to re-cognize and frame that moment which is what you have done. I love these pictures.
I recently gave away a book by Tarkovsky which contains something similar.
It's a kind of double time moment because it splits into the original and its analogy: two moments. It's something very special. Very beautiful.
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David Smith replied:

Comment posted: 17/09/2026

I love the way you describe it as a “double time moment” — that’s a lovely way of thinking about photography. I’ve always felt that photographs can somehow hold a moment in place while also reminding us that the moment is already gone. Thank you for sharing the Tarkovsky connection. I’ll have to check him out.

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David Brancaleone on Practicing the Forgotten Art of Patience Through Film Photography

Comment posted: 17/09/2026

Shortly before he was run over by a laundry van in Paris Roland Barthes published a book in which he skirts around what I'm saying in a gingerly way.
Camera Lucida is about what the sign language of semiotics (which Barthes himself had vulgarized in France earlier) was and still is unable to grasp. Barthes called it the "punctum", meaning something you see in certain photographs that point to something else; something deeper.
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Gary Smith on Practicing the Forgotten Art of Patience Through Film Photography

Comment posted: 17/09/2026

A great series on boys lose in the summer!
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David Smith replied:

Comment posted: 17/09/2026

Thanks Gary!

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Russ Rosener on Practicing the Forgotten Art of Patience Through Film Photography

Comment posted: 17/09/2026

These are the kind of moments the 35mm rangefinder camera was invented for. The light was perfect and the boys don't seem to care about the camera or posing for it. Rare in the modern age of selfies. These photos feel like the prequel to "Stand by me". Good for you getting those boys outside exploring nature. Also a rare thing these days.
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David Smith replied:

Comment posted: 17/09/2026

That’s a great way of putting it, Russ. It's funny, two nights ago I sat down with my wife and Kip and watched Stand by Me. Such a lovely film.

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Jeffery Luhn on Practicing the Forgotten Art of Patience Through Film Photography

Comment posted: 17/09/2026

David,
A great crop of photos for a single day! My favorites are with both boys in the same frame. Those moments seem normal and maybe even forgettable to the boys now, but with every year that goes by, that record of a simple day will become more valuable. In ten years it will be precious. In 20 years, priceless. In 50 years those images will trigger memories of boys in a time of magical abandon. Was that really me? Yes, that was you.

I have so many frames of a place where a kid has just been. We all do. You have those great moments on film. Patience and timing. Congratulations!
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David Smith replied:

Comment posted: 17/09/2026

Thanks for the thoughtful comment, Jeffery. I agree with what you wrote.

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Bill Brown on Practicing the Forgotten Art of Patience Through Film Photography

Comment posted: 18/09/2026

David, These images are truly what we all hope to shoot at some point in our photographic journey. My memory immediately flashed back to a personal childhood photo. There was a boy who for several summers came to visit his grandparents. His name was Joe. We played together and most often it was 'Army' or whatever you would call war play. This was about 1963/64. There is one photo of us together in the front yard of my house. I'm in my Navy uniform( my big brother was in the Navy, he is 12 years older than me) and Joe is wearing his full Army uniform. A faint but precious memory for me that this print allows me to still travel back to that time. The second memory these images evoked is of Keith Carter's "Fireflies (1992)" image. If you're not familiar with it I recommend looking it up. Thanks for this opportunity to step out of my everyday life and into my mental time machine. Just magnificent!
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Bill Brown replied:

Comment posted: 18/09/2026

Here's a link to the photo and story behind "Fireflies" https://www.ppa.com/ppmag/articles/timely-epiphanies

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David Smith replied:

Comment posted: 18/09/2026

Thanks for sharing this, Bill. The image of the two of you in your Navy and Army uniforms must be wonderful to have. And thanks for mentioning Keith Carter’s Fireflies. I’m familiar with his work, but I’ll revisit that particular photograph. It means a great deal to me that these images could stir such a personal memory for you. Cheers ~david

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Michael Murray on Practicing the Forgotten Art of Patience Through Film Photography

Comment posted: 18/09/2026

You're getting a lot of kudos for these shots and it's well deserved. A few are magnificent by my measures and the rest are all excellent. Looks like you were shooting at f.28-f4 for several of these. Great work getting full subject in focus while maintaining separation from the background. This is something I'm still working on. I know the lens gets some credit for the pleasing out of focus areas and sharpness of the subjects, but I am still trying to find that mixture of focal length, distance from subject, and aperture to get just the effect you've achieved here. Very nicely done.
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David Smith replied:

Comment posted: 18/09/2026

Thanks for the kind feedback, Michael. You're right, most of these photos (and my photos in general) are captured between f1.4-2.8. I love shooting wide open with the 50mm Summilux-M f/1.4 ASPH!

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David Dutchison on Practicing the Forgotten Art of Patience Through Film Photography

Comment posted: 18/09/2026

What a striking "capture" of a wonderful time in a child's life and how fortunate to be admitted into that world once again. I hope you make them into a small photo book to give to Kipling and Rowly when they get a little older, I'm sure they will treasure them as would their families beyond them.
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David Smith replied:

Comment posted: 18/09/2026

David, thank you. Yes, at some point I must think about putting together a small book of my photos of Kip and his friends.

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Gerard on Practicing the Forgotten Art of Patience Through Film Photography

Comment posted: 20/09/2026

Thanks for sharing these timeless moments,; in color they would not have the same impact at all.
B&W eternalizes!
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David Smith replied:

Comment posted: 20/09/2026

Indeed!

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Keith Shearon on Practicing the Forgotten Art of Patience Through Film Photography

Comment posted: 21/09/2026

I am going to go back and read what you've written, but I couldn't stop scrolling through the images. Wonderful work. Simply wonderful. So human.
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David Smith replied:

Comment posted: 21/09/2026

Thanks Keith. I truly appreciate the kind words. ~david

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