Lost arts - film photography

chuck · #1 04-13-2009, 08:57 PM

I could have put this in the photographer's thread - but I thought it deserved one of its own.

As someone who grew up shooting film, then did a couple of years in highschool darkroom for the yearbook - and who now is pricing up a Canon450D - I liked the images from this site.

http://www.richardnicholson.com/darkroom/

They're sad - but I love the design of the enlargers, and though you can't smell the chemicals - it brought back a few memories.

dubman · #2 04-14-2009, 11:57 AM

oh man, memories. i did this in both high school and college. there was something very calming about entering a darkroom in the middle of the day, and when you next emerged it was night time. the smell became familiar and comforting too. i was a dope when it came to mixing my own chemicals but after that long in there theres not much choice but to become really good at it.

Dunwho · #3 04-14-2009, 05:34 PM

I always wondered if, like vinyl, film photography would weather the digital storm and come out the other side triumphant as the better medium..

..it seems digital photography is simply too accessable, too dynamic and too easy for film photography...

but its scary, because there is something real, something physical and ultimately natural about chemical reactions... something that makes sense..

a needle bumping across a shining piece of your favourite vinyl is simply irreplacable.. one will never get the same feeling from a cd... and neither will one get the same from a digital photo...one of the hundreds and thousands that populate our computers.. there is nothing personal about them.. even when printed you know that it is simply a compromise..

its really sad to see reality die away..

chuck · #4 04-15-2009, 03:35 AM

You're right - it is like a piece of reality - or a version of reality fading away.

I still shoot on film - just for fun - my Lomo broke - but I did a bit of research, and picked up and Olympus XA-2 off eBay - and it's a great little camera. Not as hyped as the Lomo - but a fun unit, and a better lens imo. I keep an eye out for cheap rolls of film on sale, and grab them when I can - have a half dozen in the fridge. I probably still shoot and develop a roll a month.

I think people will always be able to develop their own B&W photos if they want too. Instructables like this - mean you can do it at home - just got to be careful with the chemicals.