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Diptych on 24x30cm Ilford MG Warmtone FB Semi-Matt paper.
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As fascinating as the story of Icarus is, I love how Brueghel the Elder depicted it in this painting, and how W.H. Auden interpreted the painting in this poem.
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Well, here we are, at the end of yet another year. Apparently, film photography is still making its comeback. And yesterday Pentax thrilled many with their announcement that they were considering making new film cameras. All good news, but I wonder how sustainable film and paper production is, with the ever-increasing prices and our plummeting purchasing power. I also wonder how healthy darkroom printing is. Generation Z seems to enjoy film photography, but if they only scan it to upload to social media, they are missing out big time IMO.
So, that was 2022. If you've taken the time to write comments, thank you, I appreciate it! Reading your thoughts and exchanging ideas is an important motivation in writing a blog.
Cheers!
Hi Omar - they work well together. Dare I say it but the second one actually looks like a (cough, cough, harumph) drone shot, but of course it isn't and thank goodness!
ReplyDeleteYes, here's to printing. I actually think it is a dying art - most stuff is observed on screens, so all the more reason to carry on creating physical prints the way we do. We're keeping a part of photographic culture alive whilst the Dark Ages rage all around. There was a great book come years ago about how a lot of scholars believe that Irish monks kept culture alive during the real Dark Ages - fascinating stuff.
So, in the meantime all the best to you and yours and thanks for some great posts. All the best for the New Year!
Haha…it never occurred to me that the second one can look like a drone shot, but now that you say it, it indeed can look like that. Drones have made astounding inroads, haven’t they? In this years Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards (the Natural History Museum event), I was suprised by how many pictures were made with drones. Nature, weddings, sports, wars (for photography and for killing) – drones are everywhere.
DeleteAs to printing, my gut feeling is also that it’s dying. I would be really interested to see Ilford’s paper sales numbers over the years. On Instagram I see plenty of darkroom “reels” by young lads and lasses, but it’s impossible to draw any generic conclusion from those.
I've had the same gut feeling for a while - if affordable it might be worth stocking up on paper and keeping it cold. I managed to get the second largest Beard easel for £40 off ebay recently - that was unthinkable a few years back - in perfect condition too. Same with a Vivitar VHE 135mm - a total bargain price and probably the best enlarging lens I've owned (the range was a 'selected' 90's Componon-S in a different barrel).
DeleteYou know Omar - you have enough skills and enthusiasm to demonstrate proper printing on You Tube. You've got a total enthusiasm for it AND, you're a really good printer - it is worth a thought. There's a lot of people demonstrating on there who are marginally skilled to say the least - a lot of misinformation too. "All the gear and no idea" was the old expression. It's just a thought but I reckon you could do it.
As for drones, I am really tired of drone shots already - it abrogrates the skills of a committed photographer and whilst looking good, there's nothing that says that someone did something of their own to create that image.
I've had a few people asking me why I don't do Youtube videos. Well, I'm not interested in that kind of thing really. Unless Ilford decides to sponsor me with free film and paper it's not gonna happen :)
DeleteA Beard easel for 40 quid. What's the max print size? In any case, that's a great bargain indeed!
I think you could do it in an educational manner - would work well.
ReplyDeleteAs for the easel 12 x 16" - damn near perfect condition. My other beard is smaller, and much much earlier (it just has the border stop holders fixed onto the surface of the board, not recessed) so the paper stops never stay put - they were always lifting out which can be expensive and frustrating.
Those prints couldn't have been easy to make. Great work. And great pictures.
ReplyDeleteI used to use Instagram, but became annoyed by the small viewing size. And by all the coffee cups and lunches . . .
I like film, but it's getting too expensive for me. Maybe when I find work again. It would be nice if film made enough of a comeback to reduce the prices.
Hi Marcus! They weren't that difficult to make actually. So much so that I quickly made another print after selenium toning the first and not liking it.
ReplyDeleteRe film prices, I've started evaluating the cheaper Kentmere films. So far I've exposed some Kentmere 400 and like it very much. I have no hesitations to use it as a regular fast film. Next up to try will be Kentmere 100.
I don't think prices will come down though.
Thanks for writing, and good luck with the work situation!
Cheers