I really wish someone could explain to me this sudden interest in anything and/or everything to do with film? (I’m talking here about 24×36 not movies)
Retro my are – everyone seems to think that film is THE thing and anything not produced with a film camera isn’t worth anything at all.
I just can’t see it. A local ‘photographer’ (and I use the term politely) recently had an expo at our local psychiatric hospital – the subjects were the patients taking part in workshops etc. and aside from being very boring, the initiative was a good one. The ‘photographer’ was very proud of his work (and why not) and pointing to the film camera around his neck, made a HUGE point that ‘I only use film’
Yeah – and so what? Most digital cameras are equipped with a B&W setting, and more often than not this works very well – this can be further tweaked by adjustments in Photoshop (or any photo treatment software) so what’s the point?
Yes, to some extent I agree it’s nice to « go slowly » and relish the exposure of just a few frames, then the darkroom experience of developing the film, back to the darkroom to enlarge the images etc. etc.
I work a lot with very dynamic circus companies and frankly working within the constraints of a film medium would just not be possible for me. Nothing to do with developing etc. – more the fact that the sensitivity of the camera sensor and the advances in automatic focusing etc. make my life SO much easier – one thing that people see to forget is that while people are spending all their time on settings, I very rarely miss a shot – which, to me at least, is a fundamental which cannot be ignored.
OK it’s not the same for most scenic countryside images, I would be the first to agree – and I’m firmly convinced that black and white photography has a place, and a well deserved one, in current photography.
Leica, never ones to miss an opportunity, have of course produced uniquely B&W digital cameras, one of which doesn’t even have a rear screen – this is going from the sublime to the ridiculous, in my book!