Kodachrome sparked my interest in Analog Photography!

DREW WILEY · May 11, 2016

I thinks it's more a culture thing, conspicuous consumerism, so to speak. You can impress your peers by owning the latest and greatest tweak on a
smart phone, for instance. Bragging rights. Less reliable than an old fashioned land line, but cooler and a lot more expensive for sure. Reminds me of
a neighbor across the street. He had two SUV's in his driveway that cost him more in monthly payments than his house mortgage, both immaculate,
leather seats, not a scratch or dent. It was all about the bragging rights. He never left a paved road, or even town for that matter. He's stare in disbelief when I returned from a trip with mud and dents on my far more plebian 4WD truck. We just had totally different cultural views on why one
should own something like that. I still owned a ranch across the state and needed to drive around pasture, across creeks, fixing fences etc, as well
as getting to remote trailheads in the mtns and desert. He wanted a status symbol. No difference with cameras. They want something that will allow
them to post a selfie on the web in mere seconds; I want something that will put an impressive print on the wall after a lot of thoughtful work.

Diapositivo · May 11, 2016

Sirius Glass said:
I have had a much different experience. A few years ago I was taking photographs with my Hasselblad and a man told me that his son's digital camera could beat my camera in every way. I said to him, "You must be so proud that his son had so much money that he could waste it."

When I talk film, I spread the gospel. I talk about the nice toe and shoulder, and how important they are for the quality of a picture. I encourage people to try taking digital pictures in certain situations. I talk about the chemistry, and how nice it is to have a roll of film in your hand after you take it out from the drying cupboard. I tell them about looking at slides through a loupe. I make them understand that film still exists because it has certain qualities that digital lacks, although digital has certain qualities that film lacks.

DREW WILEY · May 11, 2016

I never try to convert anyone. It just happens. I have no problem backpacking with people shooting digital. We're all just having fun. But afterwards,
it is my custom to make them a print of something taken on that trip. That clinches it. They start buying med format film cameras, since they can
spool it in a closet and tank develop it, and at least view scans of real film until they can find space for a real darkroom. Never mind software types.
I run into techie execs all the time around here out on the trails. One CEO lifted his grandson on his shoulders to look under my 8x10 darkcloth because he wanted him to remember what a "real camera" is. Not my words; and he own a company that designs digital imaging software. Marketing is a different gig. You want people to think they're getting something new and exciting, especially if it goes out of style or functionality
every few years. Fine with me. The millions of selfie sticks laying around unused in a decade or so can at least be used for growing tomato vines;
can't say the same for hula hoops.

Sirius Glass · May 11, 2016

bvy said:
I'm not sure the arrogance is necessary. I've travelled around with all sorts of film cameras, and not once can I remember a time when I was looked down upon by someone with a digital (or no) camera. I get the same questions, of course, but find that they're motivated by genuine curiosity and even a latent interest in what I'm doing. I've had good conversations with people about film photography, and left a number of people more informed than when they met me. Quite often, I even walk away with a good portrait.

Sirius Glass said:
I have had a much different experience. A few years ago I was taking photographs with my Hasselblad and a man told me that his son's digital camera could beat my camera in every way. I said to him, "You must be so proud that his son had so much money that he could waste it."

I was not talking about film. I was just taking photographs when the blowhard came over to tell me that his son's camera was better than mine. Since I did not start the conversation, since I did not seek his opinions or approval, since I was not trying to convert him, I gave him as much politeness and curtsy as he deserved short of pushing him off a cliff.

Nzoomed · May 11, 2016

My reason for using film is actually far from perfection. I like the traits that are unique to each film!

fdonadio · May 11, 2016

Theo Sulphate said:
There's also "Can you still get film for that?".

That's already a classic! The "clever" ones ask me if I use expired film and if I develop it myself, as they think there are no more labs around. When I say I develop black and white film because I want to, most of the times I hear things like "why all the hassle?"

I tell them the hassle is well worth it, unless you just want to post a picture on a social network. For that, any phone will do, much more conveniently.

Cheers,
Flavio

fdonadio · May 11, 2016

bvy said:
I'm not sure the arrogance is necessary.

Sure it isn't necessary, but having to answer the same questions over and over, whenever you take a camera out, when you only wanted to shoot some nice pictures... it gets you tired pretty quick. And that's not necessary either.

Cheers,
Flavio

Wallendo · May 12, 2016

I also got back into analog photography due to Kodachrome's demise. I read an article about the last rolls being processed. By the time I read the article, there was no time to buy a roll off eBay and get it to Dwayne's in time. But as I thought about it, and reviewed slides from a European trip 30 years previous, I bought a few rolls of EliteChrome.

At that time, I had gone completely to the darkside. After shooting a few rolls of film, I became interested again in analog, and later bought a few rolls of B&W film, and a completely mechanical camera. I had become caught up in the digital arms race, where people were upgrading 6 month old cameras because the new DSLR had a few new features. I had been contemplating buying a "full frame" DSLR, but realized that my analog cameras were already "full frame."

Sometimes the loss of something brings new appreciation for the gifts still available.

DREW WILEY · May 12, 2016

Instant everything. Young couples get married, want the wedding posted on the web before they are even back from their honeymoon, which seems
to be just as instant - techies don't seem to have time to actually live. Within five years they start regretting that they don't even have one decent
wedding portrait, without green pixelated faces, worth putting in a frame on the wall. Junk food, junk politics, junk news, junk imagery - but heck,
GOTTA have it or you can't impress your peers! I grew up in a rural area without any phones or TV, where the roads were so steep and crooked that
it could be faster to walk. It was a wonderful childhood.

Nzoomed · May 12, 2016

Wallendo said:
I also got back into analog photography due to Kodachrome's demise. I read an article about the last rolls being processed. By the time I read the article, there was no time to buy a roll off eBay and get it to Dwayne's in time. But as I thought about it, and reviewed slides from a European trip 30 years previous, I bought a few rolls of EliteChrome.

At that time, I had gone completely to the darkside. After shooting a few rolls of film, I became interested again in analog, and later bought a few rolls of B&W film, and a completely mechanical camera. I had become caught up in the digital arms race, where people were upgrading 6 month old cameras because the new DSLR had a few new features. I had been contemplating buying a "full frame" DSLR, but realized that my analog cameras were already "full frame."

Sometimes the loss of something brings new appreciation for the gifts still available.

I also never realised with Digital, how many photos i would take, i used to take hundreds of crappy photos and it was so easy to go snap, snap, snap!
Since there was virtually no limit on how many photos i could shoot, i was less conservative, now i take far less photos, but they are all better quality photos, because i take the time when shooting.

They should make all photography students learn with film these days, i think this is still practised in alot if institutions, but it will make those students a far better photographer in the long run when they start shooting digital.

MattKing · May 12, 2016

DREW WILEY said:
Instant everything. Young couples get married, want the wedding posted on the web before they are even back from their honeymoon

The last wedding I went to was a big one, and they showed the first version of the wedding video at the reception.

There were multiple still and video shooters, and high end digital equipment in everyone's hands.

The lighting, however was horrid! And almost no attempt was made to correct it.

Sirius Glass · May 12, 2016

DREW WILEY said:
Instant everything. Young couples get married, want the wedding posted on the web before they are even back from their honeymoon ...

Actually they want the photographs before the wedding so they can send texts to their friends as they walk down the aisle towards the alter.

DREW WILEY · May 13, 2016

Yeah. They don't seem to understand lighting. I watched one who knew enough to carry a flash bracket, but had it skewed low, where it merely hit the back of someone's head every time, and never did reach its intended subject matter. That left the dominant light source icky fluorescent. Of course, I've also seen real pros who obviously had a lot of experience with film long before they switched to DLSR's. But now everybody wants everything yesterday. I've had a few collectors ask me to do personal photography over the years. I charge by the print, not by the job; otherwise, they wouldn't even be talking to me - something beautifully printed in a nice custom frame.

GarageBoy · May 13, 2016

TheFlyingCamera said:
Oh for crying out loud. Who really gives a damn about the method of image production, if the image is good? If the tool used to capture the image was the right tool for the job, then the image will be as good as the photographer creating it. If the medium used is the right medium for the image, then the image will sing, regardless of the medium used. If it's the wrong medium, then no amount of false praise is going to save it. Just get quit gasbagging, get out there, shoot, and produce images!

Thank you
People here are talking about how people are less disciplined with digital, not using flash correctly, etc - that doesn't make film better - it just means that there are a lot of less skilled/less talented photographers that happen to be working with digital

ME Super · May 13, 2016

MattKing said:
The last wedding I went to was a big one, and they showed the first version of the wedding video at the reception.

There were multiple still and video shooters, and high end digital equipment in everyone's hands.

The lighting, however was horrid! And almost no attempt was made to correct it.

About 3 years ago my sister-in-law remarried. They'd hired a professional photographer, of course, and several of the family members also took pictures. Every one of them was using a digital camera (including several DSLRs). I took the exact opposite approach. Instead of shooting digital in color, I shot a 6-month expired roll of Tri-X that I'd bought for my daughter that she never got around to using. Gave the bride the negatives and a CD as a wedding present once I had the photos back from the lab.

Maybe I should take credit for them still being married because I shot B&W film!

TheFlyingCamera · May 13, 2016

MattKing said:
The last wedding I went to was a big one, and they showed the first version of the wedding video at the reception.

There were multiple still and video shooters, and high end digital equipment in everyone's hands.

The lighting, however was horrid! And almost no attempt was made to correct it.

If they're showing the video of the ceremony at the reception, how would they have had time to do any editing? Not that that excuses horrible lighting in the first place.

MattKing · May 13, 2016

TheFlyingCamera said:
If they're showing the video of the ceremony at the reception, how would they have had time to do any editing? Not that that excuses horrible lighting in the first place.

More than half the video was filled with shots like the bride and groom getting ready.

And there was time set aside for "formals" between the ceremony and the reception.

And the video was shown after dinner was finished.

I think they actually had someone in the crew doing the editing.

TheFlyingCamera · May 14, 2016

MattKing said:
More than half the video was filled with shots like the bride and groom getting ready.

And there was time set aside for "formals" between the ceremony and the reception.

And the video was shown after dinner was finished.

I think they actually had someone in the crew doing the editing.

Sarcasm doesn't always come across well in typed chat What I meant to imply was how was it possible to do GOOD editing between the ceremony and the reception

dale116dot7 · Jun 24, 2016

I was (and still am) fascinated with silver photography. I'm not great at it but I like it. Some people do ask why I still shoot film. It was my mom's camera and although she is still alive and doing well, it reminds me of growing up, it's kind of an emotional thing. I've read up on developing Kodachrome, I have a pretty good idea of how to do it and what experiments to do, and I have a couple dozen rolls left that are frozen. Having lost Kodachrome, Aerochrome, pretty much all 400 E6 film, Tech Pan, I'm motivated to shoot what we have available to us now. If we don't want to lose Velvia, we need to shoot it and in that way the loss of Kodachrome revitalized my interest in photography. I just joined APUG specifically to post in this category, seems like a great group of people here.

Kodachrome sparked my interest in Analog Photography!

DREW WILEY

Diapositivo

DREW WILEY

Sirius Glass

Nzoomed

fdonadio

fdonadio

Wallendo

DREW WILEY

Nzoomed

MattKing

Moderator

Sirius Glass

DREW WILEY

GarageBoy

ME Super

TheFlyingCamera

Membership Council

MattKing

Moderator

TheFlyingCamera

Membership Council

dale116dot7

Kodachrome sparked my interest in Analog Photography!

Moderator

Membership Council

Moderator

Membership Council

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency