Depressing Statement re Film

[Gordon Moat]

An addendum....
It occurs to me that perhaps most of us passionate supporters of film are perhaps older rather than younger and that maybe film's demise may be concurrent with ours. There just doesn't seem to be the same passionate support in the younger generation. Why, I bet that there's people under 25 who have never experienced the brilliance and eye-popping impact of a 35mm slide show (not to mention the occasionally attendant terminal boredom!). . . . . .

Hello Richard,

There is a Classic Camera group very active on MySpace that is mostly under 35. If you know where to look, there are many younger people who enjoy using film. In southern California, I see more baby boomers with D-SLRs, because these are the people who can afford those. Younger individuals might own a camera phone, but they will rarely have the spare cash for a D-SLR. Younger people are discovering the great deals on "old school" cameras and film.

It seems all too easy for older people to dismiss those younger than them. It might be too convenient to place the problems upon those younger than you. However, those that do not make the simple assumptions might find some surprises. We are at least a generation away from those who might not understand film, if that ever really does happen.

Ciao!

Gordon Moat
A G Studio

[C. D. Keth]

Just a fleeting question....I'm sure there are but does anyone know if there's still some studios that use film for cinema??

I missed your comment earlier today. About 90% of feature films that you see in theaters are still originated on film. Digital capture doesn't have nearly the quality in video that it has in digital still cameras. It happens when you have to process and save not a few, but 24 (or more for slow motion shooting) stills per second.

Film will hang on for a good while in cinema. It will probably always co-exist with digital formats for many practical and artistic reasons.

[Rob_5419]

Rob, I really can't afford it either but I've managed to rationalize it beautifully by invoking a convoluted argument involving Daguerre, communion with past masters, as well as poetic and cosmic forces of fate and nature...

That's alright then - welcome to the whole plate photography forum! (Yes - we're in a small take-over )

You'd be surprised; film is preferred by many, particularly in the 20's-30's and fine arts.
Teaching photography in college until I retired, that included both digital and film curricula (can't say I knew anything about the first bit, but there you go), there was a great energy about film photography. With the digital, everyone just quietly slunk to their desktops and produced the most computer manipulated garbage you could ever see.

Film just isn't going to be the mainstream mode of snapshot capture that it was in the heyday of the 80's with budget (crap) prints being churned out by Kodak and Agfa machines with poor quality processor controls.

PS - how long will it take for your Ebony to be constructed then?

I'm going to flog off my British Sanderson whole plate camera then!

[Natasa Stojsic]

Thanks to all who responded so positively to the original thread concern. It seems that film is alive for now and that we have a passionate bunch of practitioners as well. I'm turning 60 (no idea how that happened!) next month and I never dreamed that I would outlive film, but with any luck, maybe I won't ...er...
BTW I've employed the old accepted time tested cure for this kind of depression and have decided to order a full-plate Ebony...

If you don't mind me asking, what model are you planing to buy? ....... Dealer?

I was considering Ebony SV45U2 at Badger Graphics Jeff seem's fair.

[Stephen Willard]

An addendum....
It occurs to me that perhaps most of us passionate supporters of film are perhaps older rather than younger and that maybe film's demise may be concurrent with ours. There just doesn't seem to be the same passionate support in the younger generation. Why, I bet that there's people under 25 who...

Richard you are dead wrong. Digital has been good for LF photography. Even though I am a 56 year juvenile, there is a new renaissance of young people starting out with digital and progressing to LF as a way of distinguishing themselves from the masses.

Digital has made photography accessible to a larger number of people then ever before and who would never otherwise be involved with a camera. From there it is just a hop and a jump before some will move to a LF camera. In the past two years the only people I have seen with LF cameras have been 30 and younger. The last wedding I photographed a year ago before I retired, both the bride and groom were LF photographers and 23 years of age. I suspect my nephew who is also interested in photography will be switching to a LF camera shortly after seeing my 5x7 work and who is completely frustrated with all of the short comings of the digital camera.

I remember when the digital watches were first introduced and put the Swiss watch makers out of business. The only watches I now own are analog watches which are more intuitive and graphical to read. Analog time is here to stay. I believe in the long run analog photography will be with us for a very long time. So cheer up and enjoy your love for film.

[Jorge Gasteazoro]

If you don't mind me asking, what model are you planing to buy? ....... Dealer?

I was considering Ebony SV45U2 at Badger Graphics Jeff seem's fair.

Jeff is very fair, I just got my AS from him. He had it listed in the website at $5399 and without me even asking he met the lower price of a competitor. You can trust him to do right by you.

[Richard K.]

That's alright then - welcome to the whole plate photography forum! (Yes - we're in a small take-over )


PS - how long will it take for your Ebony to be constructed then?

3 months they tell me....

[Rob_5419]

That's pretty fast!

What's swayed you over to whole-plate format then?

Chamonix might be able to do one in 6 months; Argentum in 1 year

[Natasa Stojsic]

You misunderstand. I'm talking about two different labs.

One is Forstöringsateljeen in Sweden, which makes prints with enlargers, from negatives or slides of any size up to 20x24".

The other one is whichever lab Robert Burley uses, where they use a digital step to print on RA-4 paper with coloured lasers.

Is there a link to Forstöringsateljeen Lab in Sweden?

[Richard K.]

I'm 22. My girlfriend is 22 and is interested in this stuff. I know a few people from school about my age who shoot 8x10 on a regular basis. I know one guy who is 25 now that shoots 16x20 regularly. He actually works an extra job, not so he can pay his rent or for his car, but so he can shoot ultra large format.

It's hitting the younger generations. I know just as many old guys (no offense) who recently bought a DSLR. My Dad is one of them.

Christopher, you've made my day! Thanks for the post. I guess I was really referring to the general public; those with artistic sensibility will always find their medium. I just hope that there's enough of you to keep film around! Congratulate that 25-year-old 16x20 shooter for me!