White Barn. Germansville, Pa. 2009I have become disillusioned with the digital medium. Not the first time and probably not the last. I've been fighting with my digital demons for quite a while now. The constant checking of the LCD monitor, obsessing about the histogram, dealing with artifacts and post processing devils. It has felt less and less like art to me, and more about the computer and technology. It has become too easy and unchallenging. It's like buying the absolute perfect Jersey Tomato at a farm stand, versus growing your own tomato from seed. Both tomatoes are really wonderful, but the home grown tomato will always provide more satisfaction.
With very few exceptions (for some must finish digital projects), I am going to shoot nothing but film for the rest of the summer. My Olympus OM-1 and the Hasselblad, using primarily Kodak 125 Plus-X film. It is a harsh lesson in patience and letting go of the control that is so much a part of the digital addiction. Waiting days or weeks to see what I have on my negatives. But oh so rewarding... I got back three rolls of film tonight and the results completely confirm my decision. Nothing I could shoot with a digital camera can compare to the tonal range of the Plus-X film straight out of the camera. I can't wait to get back into the darkroom in September and make prints of these images.
Quartz Veins. Appalachian Trail, 2009
2 comments:
For better or worse, I almost never do anything to my digital photos after I take them, even cropping. I love the technical precision you bring to your work both in the shooting and in the post-production, but I never have the patience to linger over any of it myself. Look forward to seeing your new work...in September!? ;-)
Thanks Andrew! And I greatly admire anyone who shoots straight digital with no processing what so ever... your shots always have a unique look to them... it works for "the better".
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