I have a profound respect for film. I always will. Film cameras are like Grandpa. He may be old and dusty, but he can still whoop your butt. There is a respect, appreciation and a fear that should fill your heart every time Grandpa is in your presence. Film is the same way. So many photographers have the big debate over film vs. digital, RAW vs. JPEG, you say toe-may-toe I say toe-mah-toe. When it comes down to it, the camera is simply a paintbrush. Sure my modern ‘paintbrush’ has mega pixels and an LCD screen, but if I was ever in the wild of Yosemite Valley caught in a shootout with old-man Ansel Adams, you could be sure who would get the butt-whooping; yours truly!
I love art. And I see photography as art; but I also love people who can create art through other mediums. I happened to see this piece at an art show in Oklahoma City (of all places) and just had to buy it. It is called ‘Into The Digital Age’. I talked to the artist, Jered Smith, about his inspiration behind the piece and he shared that his inspiration was drawn from his girlfriend. She is a photographer; a film photographer. She loves film and wants to continue to shoot film, but it seems to be quickly fading into the digital age. This piece was created on the inside of a vintage book cover.
I used to shoot film. That’s where I started. I did the whole black-and-white processing in the darkroom during my college days and really became obsessed with the entire photography process. Perhaps that’s why I work so much on all of my images even though they are digital. I actually work on them especially because they are digital. I want my work to have the look and feel and color that film is so generous to put out while having the immediate gratification that digital has to offer. So when you are looking for a wedding photographer, remember that the camera is simply a tool and behind every great photograph is not a film or digital camera, but rather an artist.
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