Film for Life!

dave lackey

dave lackey

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Ha! The Plan.

It is time for self-sufficiency where I can tell everyone in the "Film is Dead" culture to just leave me alone. I am happy with my photography and will continue being happy for the rest of the journey.

Unlike some, I am happy with both film and digital. The digital will take care of itself for the next 10-20 years so I don't have to care about it at all.;) Wouldn't bother me if it died and everything became holographic or some other whoop-de-do high tech medium.

But film...I will continue using film until the day I die. How is this possible according to some? There will always be film around but I don't even want to rely on supply houses, labs, etc.

So, I am embarking on a mission to become a mini-Yodobashi fridge/mini photo lab/high-tech printing shop.:D:D:D And I do mean "mini".

First step is to finish putting my darkroom together for developing my film. All the while buying up bricks of film for the freezer on a methodical basis for rotation of film use. Next step is to enter the printing world of alternative processes. That will take a little longer but I am patient.

Of course, I will continue shooting digital images, but it really is different.:cool:

Any one else hoarding, er, planning of self-sufficiency too?:p
 
If I move to a somewhat bigger house, I'll buy one of those chest refrigerator and store bricks of film in it :)

I think film manufacturing industry will hit a point of stability soon. Film as a commodity item is dead, but there's a lot of people still loving it to support a niche market.
 
I think places like AC Moore and Micheal's arts and crafts type places should carry film and papers. They have oils/acryclic paints etc..

I'm going to load up on 100ft rolls.
 
I have some film in the freezer, probably last me quite a while. Dave, I see you are in Atlanta. My goal is to get my darkroom set up this year. Maybe we can trade some ideas.

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I love film but I'm not going to underestimate the digital technology. In its first release Silver Efex Pro did a very good job of emulating film and actually made digital b&w more acceptable, its second version is due soon and what will its third version be able to accomplish is for anyone to speculate. While film performance remains constant digital is inching forward.

Its just a matter of time before the sensor technology combined with post processing software would make it virtually impossible to justify shooting film for visual aspects of it.
 
GSNfan said:
I love film but I'm not going to underestimate the digital technology. In its first release Silver Efex Pro did a very good job of emulating film and actually made digital b&w more acceptable, its second version is due soon and what will its third version be able to accomplish is for anyone to speculate. While film performance remains constant digital is inching forward.

Its just a matter of time before the sensor technology combined with post processing software would make it virtually impossible to justify shooting film for visual aspects of it.
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Ah, there is no need for justifying anything.:)
 
gnuyork said:
I have some film in the freezer, probably last me quite a while. Dave, I see you are in Atlanta. My goal is to get my darkroom set up this year. Maybe we can trade some ideas.

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Whoa!!! You got a heck of a headstart!!!:eek:

Hey, where you been? We have just started a new forum for the Atlanta-Southeast Region and had our first little get-together at The Varsity this past Saturday!!! We NEED YOU!:)

Here is some information you really should read and then sign up for the April 16 Atlanta RFF Meet!

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=99645
 
I enjoy film and use it for one of my projects.

Very cool to refrigerate and/or freeze all that film.

I would like to mention that freezing will not prevent fogging from gamma-ray energy (neither will lead, etc.). Higher speed film is the most susceptible to gamma-ray fogging.

So hoarding is not a long-term solution but it is a great strategy for the medium term.
 
GSNfan said:
I also have a fear that collectors might move into film and really screw those of us who actually use it.
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Who knows? At any rate, if a lot of folks buy up a lot of film, guess what happens to the market? It will go up and I think we are already seeing a little bit of resurgence.

I love the idea for self-sufficiency, kinda makes my battery-less cameras fit right into the Plan.:p
 
willie_901 said:
I enjoy film and use it for one of my projects.

Very cool to refrigerate and/or freeze all that film.

I would like to mention that freezing will not prevent fogging from gamma-ray energy (neither will lead, etc.). Higher speed film is the most susceptible to gamma-ray fogging.

So hoarding is not a long-term solution but it is a great strategy for the medium term.
Click to expand...

@ Wm, heh... there's always one in the crowd... ;D
joking/humour etc

PLAN B. everyone here shoot a ton of film in 2011 and give the camera shops lots of film business and orders. That would demonstrate a market for film.

BTW I don't think you want to see what I've got in a fridge(s)...
 
GSNfan said:
Its just a matter of time before the sensor technology combined with post processing software would make it virtually impossible to justify shooting film for visual aspects of it.
Click to expand...

I agree... but people will still want to use their old film cameras and want to do the processes the old way etc. I can't wait for someone to make a digital sensor I can just drop into any film camera.
 
I am excited about my future with both mediums, digital for commercial work and full motion, film for truly artistic work that is deserving of a real print in the hand. The value of brilliant work on an actual darkroom print is skyrocketing in some cases and will continue to do so, regardless of what people are doing in digital. The fact that one can achieve a wood working-like art in the darkroom without ever having the image go near a computer is appealing to more and more people in the art buying world.

Film's technology is stable, I am not looking for it to get better and better, just remain consistent and it is. But digital is constantly changing, and in some ways, that is what is both an allure and downfall of it, constant upgrades, backups, conversions and lots....no, TONS of hype. Digital is almost a medium that is trying to be all things to all people and can not decide what the heck it wants to be yet so I am sure it will look entirely different ten years from now.

Last night I was shooting an event for a local client, very art based, one of my favorites. A woman I know who is a well to do photo enthusiast commented on my chrome M3 and matching 50 F/2, asked if it were digital. I of course replied no. So I get the same old question of why I don't shoot digital and I did my same old reply of I do, have been for over 16 years now, just prefer film more. She just did not understand and we went round and round until finally I explained to her that I was nearly done with my darkroom and that it was to be my future.

She waxed poetic about remembering darkroom work and how she almost put one in her home before deciding to go digital. I asked her why she did not and I got the answer I suspect is true of 90% of the people who think digital is their personal lord and savior, she said"

"I was never any good at shooting film, it was too hard. Now I can do anything I want on my computer with my pictures"...

I rest my case...
 
jsrockit said:
I agree... but people will still want to use their old film cameras and want to do the processes the old way etc. I can't wait for someone to make a digital sensor I can just drop into any film camera.
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First of all, film will be there. Its simple economics, if there is sufficient demand for it, someone will make it. Right now with the retro fad in full flow and not to forget holga and lomo crowd, there is sufficient demand for film. Even if it starts dying b&w will be the last to go because its processing is very simple and cheap that does not need a lab.

When it comes to film cameras, the question is how much they're worth at that particular point in time. Electronic film cameras will become worthless, mechanical ones if they look really cool, will always be collectors item just like a lot of mechanical devices from the past and one can enjoy having them even if they're no longer used.
 
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