Not anymore. The idea, or should I say the memory of it, developing, printing, seems so much more romantic than it really is. I still have held on to some film cameras, just in case… Oh don’t get me wrong, the whole “zen” of being in the darkroom, music in the background, maybe a glass of whiskey, a cacoon-like haven, made me have peace with the world and myself. Printing, doing a craft that so few really know of today and make out to be some god-like place in the clouds. But I tell you, I don’t miss the two day long headache after having spent an extend stay in a ventilated darkroom. Having done it, makes me appreciate what technology we have today and where it will be tomorrow. Having experienced being in the darkroom always made Photoshop easy to understand, except everything is done in the light or a subdued one. I hate the film versus digital argument. It’s moot. It’s stupid. Digital makes photography no less of craft then before. As long as you’re doing what YOU love and the end result is what YOU want, who cares. Enjoy.
I never really thought of darkroom work as romantic, as much as I loved and enjoyed it… though now, looking back, it may have been, who knows… ? Sweating tons in summer, freezing my feet off in winter in my attic, carrying up ice or a battery of aquarium warmers to keep the products at the correct temperature and still love it, even if you are swearing… well, as a flashback, it feels kind of romantic…
My first digital steps were sort of hybrid – scanning negatives and trying to make them look the way I was used to see them as photos… that was a big disappointment! But then, what did I know?…
Now, more than a decade later, I wouldn’t want to switch back to film either…
So, I agree 🙂
Thanks Nil! I appreciate your comment! All these years later, memory is stronger then truth.
It sure is!…