[Leica] Ted, I Really Want my Pictures to Last

[tedgrant at shaw.ca (Ted Grant)]

bill harting said:
Subject: [Leica] Ted, I Really Want my Pictures to Last

> In my own defense, I do think that some of the pictures I have taken are
> keepers, and I do make a conscientious effort to make all my prints and
> negatives as stable as possible. I've always used fiber, fixed twice,
washed
> carefully and stored either in purpose-made albums or archival boxes.

Bravo Bill,
It's this kind of thing that I'm sure keeps many or our history taking
moments alive and well for future photographers. Your way is a lot of work,
but it sure beats the heck out of throwing them in a shoe box. :-)

> Furthermore I treasure the prints and negatives that my grandfather made
in
> the '20s and 30's in a tiny cubbyhole under the stairs in which he had to
> kneel to use his contact printer. Most of these prints were in dime-store
> albums, and the negatives in envelopes. Some I have reprinted.<<<

Now that's great to have had a grandfather who was into photography and you
still have his negatives that you've been printing. And as a grandfather
myself at the moment I still have to print my own neagatives from 55 years
ago. ;-) None of the grandkids are into photgraphy big yet, although I hold
out hope a couple of them will get into it shortly.

> I have long been the Official Photographer of my family's and friends'
> events, but now the digital revolution has begun to yield faster and for
> most uses better results for their users. This has freed me to use my old
> fashioned gear to do what I want to do, and to be the unofficial recorder
of
> whatever. So I will continue to do that, and to leave to my heirs and
> successors messages from the past, mostly on paper (I have made a small
> digital beginning, but keep stubbing on the toe of the learning curve.)<<<

On this digital thing, I well understand what you mean about the learning
curve as the beginning was hell, actually worse than learning film shooting
and processing. However, it's coming along like anything else, the more you
use it the easier it gets.

Less confusing? I'm not so sure at the moment as I still have moments of,
"now what the heck button do I push?" ;-)  But I suppose after a "50 year
using digital" I'll feel as comfortable with it as I do with a Leica in hand
and film. :-)
ted