--- On Tue, 10/14/08, Richard Martin <marphoto@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> From: Richard Martin <marphoto@xxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: Re: Out-of-date equipment
> To: "List for Photo/Imaging Educators - Professionals - Students" <photoforum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Date: Tuesday, October 14, 2008, 6:16 PM
> --- On Tue, 10/14/08, Per Öfverbeck <per@xxxxxxxxxx>
> wrote:
>
> >.... Now, nothing short of a major collapse of our
> electronic
> > "civilization" would make me abandon digital
> and
> > go back to the
> > chemical darkroom and silver imagery.
>
> Personally, I wouldn't go back to film and the darkroom
> even then. Maybe I'd take up watercolor. Or the
> harmonica. Or Viagra.
>
> > But, I have to admit, that element of magic just
> isn´t
> > there any
> > more. I miss it, and it´s the only aspect of film
> based
> > photography
> > that I do miss (except for the continuous supply of
> those
> > plastic film
> > cans that were so useful for almost anything....;-)
> ).
>
> Well, I don't miss the smelly darkroom at all, even
> with good ventilation. I spent more years in that thing than
> I care to remember. I'm just glad I lived long enough to
> experience the digital "darkroom". What a relief
> that's been!
>
> The "magic" for me was KNOWING I got the shot
> exactly right at the moment of capture, long before seeing
> the negative or transparency. It was an intuitive feeling
> that most experienced photographers developed and I was
> rarely disappointed when I felt it. And I still feel it
> today, after more than fifty years of photography.
>
> > In any case: I´m glad I did expose both of my sons to
> the
> > darkroom
> > before dismantling it. I even contemplate buying some
> > fresh film,
> > paper and chemicals, just to show my grandchildren
> that not
> > all images
> > can be seel on a LCD right after pressing the
> button....
>
> Both of my kids spent time in my darkroom when they were
> children and I know they enjoyed it. It was something they
> were able to share with Dad. But both of them, now adults,
> use digital cameras exclusively. I see a lot of kids
> nowadays with cameras (including the kind that's part of
> a cell phone) but nary a one with a film type. I
> occasionally see an adult with one (usually a Leica) but
> kids - never.
>
> I must confess that I have never understood this nostalgia
> for outdated technology and I have no plans on introducing
> film to my grandchild. But then, I've never been much
> for nostalgia, an emotion that I think is based more on
> faulty memory than anything else. Nothing personal and
> please don't take offense. Maybe I'm just an old
> curmudgeon.
>
> Anyway, good luck on "exposing" your
> grandchildren to film and the darkroom. I'm sure
> you'll enjoy it immensely but don't expect too much
> on their part. You may have to drag them away from their
> "texting" :-) Take care.
>
> Richard
Not necessarily outdated yet. I still love the smell of stop bath in the morning. I don't necessarily think nostalgia is the point. I would never abandon black and white film any more than I would never use digital. The look is different. The different challenges for me are as new as the day I made my first print.
You call it faulty memory. I call it new understanding an appreciation. I grew up very poor. We had everything we really needed, but not much of what we wanted. Yet those, as hard as they were at times, were indeed good times. Why? Because now that I am old, I understand what those hard times taught me.
You might be surprised what will attract a kids attention. Anything different will at least for a while. If it sparks an interest, it could be a lifetime spark. Why would this be of interest to the kid of the future? Everyone will text. Everyone will work with digital imaging and computers, but few will have their hands on the tools of black and white photography. Twisting the dials of an enlarger though routine for many of us, will be as a cell phone and beeper were for us at one time.
