[Leica] Photogs in...

[saganicc at MSKCC.ORG (Saganich, Christopher/Medical Physics)]

I recently moved about a gig of scanned images from old zip discs to my 
current computer hard drive.  I have no doubt those zip discs will last as 
long as the 8tracks, old cassettes and records stored in the basement.  What 
I'm curious about is where they will end up 100 years from now.

A close friend did her Masters using a box of negatives and snapshots she 
recovered from a neighbor who was cleaning out an old house they just 
bought.  In this box was a story of a person's life in photographs; 
birthdays, weddings, relatives, etc.  Images taken mostly by that person I 
suspect and her husband.  They both had a great eye for composition and 
their photographs will live on well into the next generation and beyond, 
such as paintings tend to do.  It is only the material existence of 
photographs which can elevate the common and mundane to supernal importance 
in the wake of the great flux in politics and technology.  The lack thereof 
almost ensures oblivion.  Negatives have more of a chance of escaping 
oblivion then digital files.  When my wife tries to figure out how to 
archive digital images her only realistic recourse is to make a print of 
every shot she made.  Otherwise their meaning and potential remains locked 
up.   And as time goes by the potential decays; faster for digital files 
then for negatives and prints.  Only a print can retain material importance 
for any significant amount of time.

Is it Friday yet?



Chris Saganich

-----Original Message-----
From: lug-bounces+saganicc=mskcc.org@leica-users.org 
[mailto:lug-bounces+saganicc=mskcc.org@leica-users.org] On Behalf Of Daniel 
Ridings
Sent: Wednesday, December 15, 2004 2:00 PM
To: Leica Users Group
Subject: Re: [Leica] Photogs in...

> I realize that you hate the idea of the film age coming to an end, and 
> will go
> down kicking, screaming, and defending Solms and film to the end. But at 
> least
> base your arguments on some sort of asthetic principle, rather than on the
> misconception that everything shot in digital is ephemeral and will 
> disappear
> in three days. I just ain't any longer so.
>
> B. D.

In part this is true. Maybe I hate the idea of the film age coming to an
end ... I'm not real sure. I haven't devoted that much energy to it.

I do have an expensive DSLR ... gathering dust much like others' film
cameras gather dust when digital comes into the picture. I often wondered
why and I really should use it more, but I don't. I guess I have it there
to keep up, but not get carried away.

But there are other reasons to use film. I myself left the US in 1976,
that's 28 years ago. I've carried every single negative I ever took around
with me. I have hundreds of rolls. It's kind of nice to go back to them.

My PhD, however, written digitally (LaTeX) is gone ... poof. (It is
published though ... and the need for a revised second edition is slim,
very, very, slim :) ).

I won't go down kicking and defending anyone. Solms didn't even exist when
my Leicas were made and purchased.

I will keep using film though. Because I like it. No other reason. I just
like it.

I _will_ try to use digital more. I _think_ the reason I don't use the
DSLR is that it is too bulky to carry around. I walk around with a Leica
all the time. Just like a purse. All the time. The DSLR isn't good for
that. My daughter's (used to be mine) little Canon Powershot is a blast
though. It could easily compete with my Leicas if I could manage to keep
it a secret that I had one. I inherited her old one and zip ... my wife
took it off my hands.

Best,
Daniel

PS: My paw this week was digital
http://www.dlridings.com/paw2004/50.html


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