Re: Out-of-date equipment

[Mario Pires <retorta@xxxxxxxxx>]

I hated the darkroom, the wait, the smell of chemicals, the waste of paper........

For me the Lightroom is perfect, much more control and no more exile in stinking batrooms.

2008/10/15 Richard Martin <marphoto@xxxxxxxxx>

--- 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I must confess that I have never understood this nostalgia for outdated technology and I have no plans on introducing film to my grandchild.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

--
Mário Pires

Curso de Estética Fotográfica - Começo a 7 de Outubro - http://esteticafotografica.org


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