Though some think of those of us who are committed to film photography as anachronistic, film offers experiences that digital still can’t offer or can’t without much manipulation.
That’s not just snobbery, that’s the way it is. It’s a different medium.
While we’re all happy that film is still available, we have been losing emulsions and film sizes. That seems to be inevitable with the thirst for the quick fix that a digital camera offers.
With that said, that’s been the way it has been in photography since the beginning. Some processes replace others. We’ve had several different ways of making film and paper emulsions over the years. Some dedicated people keep the older processes alive after the general population moves on.
That’s where The Light Farm comes in. It’s tag line is: A Cooperative of Photographers – Artists, Scientists, Historians – Dedicated to the Renaissance of Handcrafted Silver Gelatin Emulsions
Just picking through some of the topics that are covered on the site are:
Paper and Coating
Digital Negatives
Kitchen Lab Emulsions
Contact Printing Paper
Printing Out Paper
Toning and Color Control
Silvergum Printing
Glass Negatives
Dry Plate Photography
Artisan Film Negatives
Odds & Ends
Literature List
Unpatented Pending
Historical Films
Galleries
For many people, currently available digital or film technology are satisfying enough.
Many others follow the quest to have total control, to have a distinct feel, to recreate the past, to preserve history, or to keep analog processes alive in a dwindling marketplace.
Lest you think this is totally impractical and that digital processes are totally eschewed, or at least incompatible with analog content, here’s an article that gives a nod to how computers and older processes can work well together. Silvergum Printing
Please excuse me, I have some more reading to do.
