Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/10/26
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]On Thu, 26 October 2000, John Gong wrote: > > Photography is becoming a mutual interest for my 10 year old son and I. He's > using my Nikon gear while I hoard the Leicas :-). At the moment, we're > still exploring picture taking technique, but I am starting to think of what > I want to do next with improving the final result. > > As a child, I was lucky enough to walk over to a public darkroom at the > Police Athletic League in Chinatown. I had a wonderful coach in a volunteer > professional photographer. Nowadays, darkroom facilities are an endangered > species, especially out in suburbia land. > > We have the space for a wet darkroom now. I've been thinking of acquiring a > V.35 and building a complete setup. On the other hand, we also have at our > disposal no shortage of Macs and PCs with Photoshop or Photodeluxe and a > good photo printer. I'm a total novice at this software programs, and > haven't invested the time to get the results I truly want yet. As a result, > I am more comfortable being a coach in a wet darkroom than a modern digital > one. > > What would you do ? > > > John Gong John, I'd go digital. Here's why: ) You'll be learning along with your son, instead of coaching him. His confidence will be greater if he can teach an old dog some new tricks. ) Chemical darkrooms today are where slide rules were in the early 1970's. Would you teach him to use a slide rule, or a calculator? ) Do you want to expose him to all those toxic chemicals? ) I hate to say it but digital cameras will replace our analog equipment sooner than we expect. The transition will be easier for him (and for you) if you're already familiar with part of the workflow. Doug Herr Birdman of Sacramento http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/telyt - -------------------------------------------------- Stay in touch with Northwestern and the world. Click http://www.nualumni.com to get your FREE Northwestern StartPage. Customize your own collection of the latest news, sports, stock quotes, and more. Check it out today!