Is film photography "alternative photography" yet?

[Jay Decker]

A young man was in my office yesterday. He looked at portraits hanging on the wall, which were taken with a Petzval lens, view camera, and 8x10 film. He asked me why the photographs looked so "different", I told him, and he said to me that he thought "alternative photography" was awesome.

Is film photography "alternative" now?

[Kimberly Anderson]

1 Billion to acquire Instagram. Yes, I'd say film-based photography is pretty alternative. Within *this small group* on LFF...clearly 'Alternative Photography' means something a little different.

[Kirk Gittings]

I heard today on the news that is 12 times the value of Kodak.

[dpn]

I agree wholeheartedly with the OP.

[Steve Smith]

I agree wholeheartedly with the OP.

But he asked a question rather than making a statement!


Steve.

[Michael Alpert]

Your portraits were likely called "alternative" because you use a Petzval lens. I don't think film has much to do with it. The contemporary use of Petzval lenses is clearly an alternative to more mainstream sharp-focused photography.

[E. von Hoegh]

Your portraits were likely called "alternative" because you use a Petzval lens. I don't think film has much to do with it. The contemporary use of Petzval lenses is clearly an alternative to more mainstream sharp-focused photography.

When using a Petzval to get "swirlies", it's not "alternative", but a perversion of the original design of the Petzval, which was to be a fast portrait lens - any careful worker getting "swirlies" in 1865 would have gone to a longer lens.

Petzvals aside, I think film has become an alternative process, just as wetplate did.

[Jay Decker]

Your portraits were likely called "alternative" because you use a Petzval lens. I don't think film has much to do with it. The contemporary use of Petzval lenses is clearly an alternative to more mainstream sharp-focused photography.

In this case, I do not think the Petzval lens aesthetic motivated his "alternative photography" comment. I am not "swirly" Petzval portrait photographer. The image below is one of the images he was commenting on and is representative of the photographs he was looking at. I should also add that there were a few portraits taken with RR, Heliar, and a Kodak Portrait (meniscus) lenses.

Billy

8x10 Kodak 2D
Dallmeyer 4D - Wide Open
8x10 FP4+ in HC-110
Kennewick, WA

[cosmicexplosion]

now that is a beautiful woman and photo in one. bravo Jay Decker!

i bet you he did not know his comments would eat into the lives of so many artists.

i would like to see another please.

ANdrew

[E. von Hoegh]

In this case, I do not think the Petzval lens aesthetic motivated his "alternative photography" comment. I am not "swirly" Petzval portrait photographer. The image below is one of the images he was commenting on and is representative of the photographs he was looking at. I should also add that there were a few portraits taken with RR, Heliar, and a Kodak Portrait (meniscus) lenses.

Billy

8x10 Kodak 2D
Dallmeyer 4D - Wide Open
8x10 FP4+ in HC-110
Kennewick, WA

That is a lovely portrait.
And, I'd like to thank you for using that lens as it was intended - without the nauseating abberations.