Terribly theraputic. It's the main reason I practice it.
I'm not an artist. Nor do I play one on TV. I do this because it's like slamming on the brakes after going 1,000 miles-per-hour every day at work. I do it because it lets me concentrate on only one thing at a time. Not on ten things at a time, each of which is the top priority. And all of which must be done by tomorrow, or the world will no doubt come to an end. It's a sanity check.
My favorite type of photography is large format 8x10. And my favorite time is the part where I walk around with no camera at all just looking at things. I like quietly walking around looking at things. And I like walking around alone so I don't have to constantly justify and explain what I am looking at, or why.
If I see something sufficiently interesting to me, I'll return with the camera. Then it's off to a very quiet darkroom. I like the smell of an acid fixer. I mix up Kodak F5 for film, even though the hardening is no longer really required. But for me the smell is required. That's reason enough.
I have a Versalab print washer. It quietly gurgles. I love that sound. It calms me down. So does the distinctive clicking of the Intellifaucet valves in the background. So does the clinking of stainless film steel hangers in stainless steel tanks. And the deep red LED safelight. I have a Duplex, but the deep red is old school. And I like that. I also wear an apron. An "Oriental Papers" apron. Photoshop doesn't require an apron. Or a towel to dry your hands. I really, really like that.
The main reason I have never purchased or even once used a digital camera is that there are no software plug-ins for any of the above analog experiences. Mercifully, there are no apps for that...
Ken
