I am of the opinion that it is possible to get results from a pure analog process that are just as good (or maybe even better) than a pure digital process.
This depends on your definition of good.
And "good" when you're considering it like art has a lot to it that isn't 1s and 0s. If you can produce what you want, the way you want, all analog, and are happier with the results...
I accept your premise. Straight up. And I think it's a great goal, as well.
You define what is good here and, for your work, your opinion is all that matters. Beyond that, now that I've shot medium format for a while and seen what some of the medium and large format shooters here have done, I know what can be done with film is still pretty amazing. Even considering how genuinely fantastic modern digital cameras are.
Is there anything more ironic than a film enthusiast getting on his computer to tell everyone in a film photography forum that it good to have a hobby that has nothing to do with computers?
Friend used to take his dog for walks, to dog parks, to the beach. One of the great joys was the community at the dog park, the exercise he HAD to get walking the dog because you can't not take your dog out every day.
Dude still ordered dog food online, still used the computer to learn about training (they did agility) and where competitions would be held, still had lots of friends at the local rescue and lots of online agility friends, etc... But his dog training hobby was, very much, all about getting outside.
I've spent a lot of after work hours and weekend afternoons walking around with a camera. I can do the same with digital, and I am hybrid so if I want a print I still have to scan and edit ( process which annoys me, but you take good with bad) but I do a hell of a lot less editing with scanned negatives and developing is done standing on my feet in the kitchen. Folks with darkrooms are printing slowly, but it's a hands on process and, again, the process is a change of scene from computers.
There's irony, absolutely, but participating in the community here is just not the same. And learning about chemistry, or composition, or film stocks, or cameras... whatever, it's all different than learning software, which I do all damned day.
Personally, I post here so I'm known and when I ask a stupid question about "how do I?" whatever, one or two kind people will offer advice. And I like to see other people's pictures. Community is different than the photo shops. Learning and being inspired is not the same as constant digital editing, which becomes tedious. Editing sessions can take a couple of hours and are very much like work while this message took 10 minutes of reading and writing while code was compiling and is more like socializing.
So it makes plenty of sense to me.
