To introduce my background in photography, I grew up taking pictures as a kid with disposable film cameras that you mailed in to develop. Then I had a cheap, plastic camera that I used for a darkroom class I took when I was about 8 ears old, then never really used it again. When I was in middle school, my mom got a digital point & shoot that I would borrow so often, I probably used it more than she did. (It fit in an Altoids tin, why not take it to school?!) After that, I was exclusively digital, and more and more addicted to photography, buying my own point & shoot, then my first DSLR, and now I’m on my second DLSR, and getting back into film photography for my black & white film class this semester.
And now onto my comparison:
I think digital photography is a faster and easier process but you don’t learn as much or get as in depth in the settings as you do with film. For example, my professor explains people who learn on crappy digital cameras today; they take the picture and if it doesn’t turn out, they keep taking it until they get what they like and just delete the bad ones. They don’t know the settings or what they do or why they work. They aren’t making the photographic decision. It’s trial and error with buttons and settings, not really knowing what they’re doing. With a fully manual film camera, you have to really know your manual settings and record them, so when you develop and see that you over- or underexposed, you can see what you did wrong and calculate how to fix that the next time.
I also really love the “magic of the darkroom.” It’s so much more hands on than digital editing, which is just pushing some buttons and moving your cursor around. Getting a good print in film requires so much more skill in developing the film, exposing the negatives correctly, having the right paper, using the chemicals long enough, burning and dodging right, etc. etc. It’s a much richer experience than “open this image file, tweak, save, close.” I’m not sure if they’re even too comparable. I’m beginning to think they are more like cousin art forms… sort of like comparing a watercolor painting to a printer print-out. Not that there aren’t some very high-end and beautiful art works that were printed on fancy printers, but painting is just a longer and older process that is much more hands on, get dirty in your raw materials as compared to the completely virtual process of digital imaging. You basically never have a tangible piece of art in digital photography until it is printed. Whereas with film, you’re working with tangible mediums with your negatives and your paper.
In the end, digital is a much faster and relevant process for today. Especially for portraiture, where you’re expected to have lots of images in a short period of time, and need a fast turn around and lots of options for paying clients. But I still see a use and a need for the film process as art and as documentation. Silver prints still last decades longer than ink-based digital prints. Personally, I would like to use film more, if darkroom and printing sources were more available after I am no longer taking classes.
Comments on your preferences in film vs. digital? What’s your experience?
This is the documentation footage of my Time Studio final project. This video was made with the context of the bus stop in mind, and projected onto the surface during the evening in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan. (There is no sound.) This was recorded with my lovely new Canon Rebel T1i. Enjoy!
Paper Planes is a video I made for my Time Studio class. It was filmed in edited in one day. Just the way I like to get things done. So with out much more adieu, enjoy!
I missed most of the Chalk Flood because I was taking pictures on campus for a class project making a stop motion video of everything “mine” on Vimeo.
I did get to take pictures of the end result of the downtown Grand Rapids Sidewalk Chalk Flood, organized by a 20 year old community college student, Rob Bliss. I hear it was a wonderful experience. I did give my own little contribution. My very own little Twitter bird with my Twitter handle beneath it. Hehe. Not sure if anyone found it. They were literally picking up the chalk pieces around me as I was drawing it and it rained the next day. But check out all my cool photos of the event here. Yet another busy weekend of photography for me!
Nor is it strep. Symptoms said strep. My mom said strep. The clinician even said strep, though the rapid test came back negative. They sent in labs and days later, once I was better, they called and said, “Nope! Not strep!” Thanks, I had no idea. Hah.
Anyway, so that was the last half of my week. Spent skipping non-essential classes to sleep 10-13 hours a day and drink five or six refills of my aluminum water bottle. My reward, not having to do homework, and making a full recovery by the time I had to go see my parents and go to a play.
Oh! Something interesting now, you say? Yes, I saw a play. My family and some guests went to see The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. It is a Broadway musical, though somewhat lesser known. My critique is it was very good and enjoyable. Quite funny and cute, with good music and an interesting twist of some audience participation! If you have seen this musical, or know of it, then I will tell you, my favorite character was Leaf Coneybear because he has cats. Don’t worry. That’s not a spoiler if you have not seen the musical. Just an inside joke. Hehe.
Well, back to my continuing hectic work week. All my final project deadlines are coming up very soon, so I’ve got a lot to finish. Good luck to me!
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