Truly Magical.

"What a piece of work is a photography, how noble in reason, how
infinite in faculties, in form and moving how express and
admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like
a god! the beauty of the world, the paragon of animals..."

With apologies to the Bard. ;)
 
Every time I watch a blank white sheet of paper turn into a picture in the developer I think magic. Someone should really make a filter for photo-shop to simulate that.
 
Physics and chemistry have been the tools of many charlatans. India is a land of "magicians" who hoodwink the unwary.
 
I do not have a wet darkroom any more, but each time I put my slides just received from the lab on the light table or each time I take off the tank the just developped film I feel an emotion. The process is really something which put together technology and magicien...that's why I like it !
robert
 
I know many people who feel the "magic" in darkroom work, but even though I've spent untold thousands of hours in a darkroom over 40 years, I never enjoyed the process. If it had not been the only way to have complete control of the ultimate print, I would have gladly never stepped into a darkroom. Photoshop is a far more magical experience for me. And I don't have to stand around in the dark for hours! ;)
 
Yammerman said:
Les Paul through a valve amp's pretty special too.
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And the reel-to-reel tape recorder !!!

When Les played live, he used a guitar that had been wired to control a bank of 10 of them, back stage.

He'd record all the riffs in front of the audience, showing them how he'd sped some up, slowed others down - then he'd combine them together to form the song that everyone in the audience was familiar with - kind of deconstructing the magic of his guitar playing right in front of his fans (a pretty swift accomplishment in 1955, and no "Les" so considering that he invented the technique).
 
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Carterofmars said:
What a truly magical thing photography is.
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100%, how could your make this better with any other art form.

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charjohncarter said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0ffdwBUL78
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Was just thinking of that when I saw the posts above. Thanks for posting!

I haven't been developing film very long. Less than a year. Started with black and white, and I'm looking at a C41 and E6 kit still in the box...maybe this week I'll try some. I've developed a fair number of rolls of B&W, but I still get that "holy s***, it works!" feeling whenever I pick a roll out of the Photoflo and unfurl it.
 
charjohncarter said:
100%, how could your make this better with any other art form.

2335501530_2eca4537b9.jpg
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You can't. Great picture btw.

It's been argued that a photograph isn't narrative (by Winogrand even), but I wholeheartedly disagree. A photo does tell a story. Sometimes only part of a story. Sometimes it can lie. But, it always communicates something. It is up to the photographer to decide what will be told, what will be omitted, even if it should lie.

All in the space of a glance; iIn seconds a story is conveyed. This is magic.

But, the chemistry is magical also, and the light room, and the simple fact that we are able to capture a fleeting moment that will be lost forever if not for the photographer.. this is magic.
 
Magic....to me it is also a time machine. I might take a shot and forget the roll...let it sit or develope it then let it sit a few weeks until I make a contact sheet or scan it. When eventually viewed many of the shots sort of run together as "good" or "bad" frames but, once in a while, I am back in the moment, looking at the scene and i get to go back to that slice of time.

nothing else comes close :)
 
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