Adam Maas wrote: > Interestingly enough, I know a number of people who started shooting > digital who are now shooting film as well. It's an experience for them, > and I've noticed that their shooting typically improves noticably > (probably due to them taking extra care with the limited number of film > exposures per roll).
This is exactly what I've done. I started off with a Fuji Finepix 2800 a while back, and then later a Nikon Coolpix 5400. But I never really composed well, or took *good* pictures. Moderate pictures. So I set myself a goal. I decided that I'd learn to take better pictures. And I figured that I could accomplish that by training myself. So what I did was I bought a K1000 off E-Bay, and a 50mm/f1.7 from a local used gear dealer. I also picked up a copy of "Photography" by London and Upton. Together, I used those tools to learn, to improve my skill, and to really come to understand all the elements of taking a picture. Of time, aperture, and film sensitivity. So the result from that is that I've gained a much stronger technical basis to work from. This lead also to me choosing to explore my own development of B&W film. I haven't yet done my own prints -- I instead purchased a film scanner (the K/M Dual Scan 4) and pursued a digital work-flow. I found this to be quite appealing, and efficient for me. What this has lead to has been a strong sense of Art in making photographs with physical media. It's a hoot to take a strip of plastic with chemicals on it, put it in to the magic box, pull it out, dunk it into a potion, and get back a visible representation of the world. :) Magic! :^) But I also like digital; it's easy, and it's convenient. And shake reduction is nice. It's also cool to be able to take someone's picture on the street and show them how they're perceived. I think I'll continue to use both until film isn't available anymore. I'm a little lucky in that regard; since I live in Seattle, there are a options for professional gear -- Glazers for film and tools, and Ivey Imaging for the development of slide film. I can drop off the slide film in the morning and pick it up on my way home. So, that's my experience. Gabriel -- Gabriel Cain Artist / Photographer / Consultant P.O.Box 15605 http://gabrielcain.com Seattle, WA 98115 -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
