appeal of film over digital?

[Godfrey]

@Tom R & @DwF ... I honestly don't know what you guys are going on about.

Whether I use a film camera or a digital camera, I am working with photographs ... not computer science and algorithms. I am a Mathematician by my degree; in my career I worked in the tech world doing software development, testing, and debugging, and I ran a business as a photographer. I worked for NASA/JPL doing imaging science for missions that explored the solar system, I sold my services as a photographer to do editorial portraiture, book illustration, and exhibitions.

When I'm doing photography, it doesn't matter whether the underlying process is chemical shenanigans or image processing software: I'm working with photographs. I don't know what it is to "make photographs that defy algorithms" ... I never had an algorithm define any of my photographs in the first place.

It's all very mystifying. Just concentrate on whatever you like doing that makes photographs, and enjoy making photographs.

G

 

[Disappointed_Horse]

The Last Quiet Thing

This blog post does not even mention cameras or photography, but discusses the current state of technology in general. I think the same principles apply to the film vs. digital camera debate. It’s a good read.

 

[DwF]

Godfrey, thank you for your clarification. I didn't realize I was dealing with algorithms or shenanigans, not sure where those enter in but will take comfort in your last sentence.

Complex beings we are, able to simply focus on what we are doing (God willing), and then discuss or write about what we think we might be doing or responding to...
appeal of film over digital, or should that be re worded appeal over digital over film....... hmmm!?

Cheers,
David

 

[DwF]

Yeah … I was a Computer Scientist for a good 30+ years.I spent even more years of my life with algorithms. I retired to make photographs that defy algorithms … maybe in much the same way as Ionesco used language to deconstruct language … [as in his play, The Bald Soprano]. It looks as though humanity cannot resist the allure of algorithms; and this is not a good thing.

You are correct. Now I ask how much of this “distancing” is a result of the unquestioned embrace of the allure of the algorithm? Can I show how this looks in a photograph

Ah, my bad Godfrey, I now see (back a page) where algorithms enter in.

Thank you Tom for sharing this. The beauty of photography or any art based-discipline, is that we bring everything we know from our past and experience to the click of the shutter (in this case), or to the darkroom, desktop, whatever we have. I suppose a good example to raise here was Fujifilm's use of algorithm to revive/recreate Acros (and ven Kodachrome) for digital photographers. Guilty as charged the allure to that spiked my interest nor will I apologize for it. I didn't approach it blindly either as I'd already been hip to musicians using presets to sound "new" with their music and thinking that if I could only hear their music past the "sound" or algorithm, their gear! That ofcourse is so prevalent now as well.

I hope I'm not distorting the intent of your message.

David

 

[Erik van Straten]

Amsterdam, 2022

gelatin silver print (elmar 50mm f3.5) leica 1a (1928)

 

[Erik van Straten]

Amsterdam EYE 2017

gelatin silver print (summilux 50mm f1.4 v1 black) leica mp

 

[Erik van Straten]

Amsterdam CS 2018

gelatin silver print (summilux 50mm f1.4 v1 black) leica mp

 

[Tom R]

Ah, my bad Godfrey, I now see (back a page) where algorithms enter in.

Thank you Tom for sharing this. The beauty of photography or any art based-discipline, is that we bring everything we know from our past and experience to the click of the shutter (in this case), or to the darkroom, desktop, whatever we have. I suppose a good example to raise here was Fujifilm's use of algorithm to revive/recreate Acros (and ven Kodachrome) for digital photographers. Guilty as charged the allure to that spiked my interest nor will I apologize for it. I didn't approach it blindly either as I'd already been hip to musicians using presets to sound "new" with their music and thinking that if I could only hear their music past the "sound" or algorithm, their gear! That ofcourse is so prevalent now as well.

I hope I'm not distorting the intent of your message.

David

No worries. In the interest of ‘full disclosure,’ I used photography (and lots of time on running trails and bicycles) to ‘balance’ my working life—which was all about algorithms, cognitive science, linguistics, etc. As I got older I saw that the world we had created was promising for machines but hazardous to most humans. Eventually I found some essays and a book written by Vilem Flusser (see https://www.flusserstudies.net/tags/photography); he discussed in depth, the role of ‘algorithm,’ ‘apparatus,’ the evolution of culture from historic (written, linear, etc.) to pictorial (image-based, non-linear time, …) and the subsequent challenges. So, in my remaining time, I use the tools I have (which are the most basic—film, camera, …) to explore that space. And I have no idea where it will take me, but that’s the whole point.

 

[DwF]

Thank you for the link to Mr. Flusser's writing!