[Leica] More about digital & film

[firkin at ncable.net.au (Alastair Firkin)]

Thanks Gib, your comments are very useful

On 01/10/2006, at 4:41, Gib Robinson wrote:

> I hang around here some times and the recent discussion about  
> digital vs
> film got me thinking for the umpteenth time about why digital works  
> so well
> for me.
>
> I take many more images now than I did with film. Tons more. And I  
> spend way
> more time photographing because it's so satisfying and inexpensive.  
> I'm
> certainly not as careful with each image as I used to be using  
> film, but I
> work my subjects way more thoroughly than I did before. I keep  
> exploring
> subjects and I keep shooting as I explore. And, of course, I take  
> many more
> "risks" with composition and photograph a much broader range of  
> subjects
> because there really isn't any risk. Yes, I throw away a much higher
> percentages of the images I take, but overall I get many more  
> "keepers".
>
> Not only can I experiment freely but I can provide images for  
> others at
> minimal cost. I often photograph for non-profits (mostly schools &
> educational or environmental projects) who could never afford film and
> processing costs, much less hire a pro. Recently I took about six  
> hundred
> images of groups of children from various schools learning to cook  
> under the
> guidance of a professional chef. The lighting was iffy and depth of  
> field
> was marginal but I could keep shooting until over the course of five
> sessions I got images that really captured the qualities of the  
> project. No
> way could I do that with film. I couldn't afford it and neither  
> could they.
> Now they have what they need for fund raising & their website, and  
> school
> presentations.
>
> Do I learn more using digital? Absolutely. Shooting more and  
> experimenting
> as I shoot is teaching me tons of stuff that was harder for me to  
> learn when
> I was being more careful with film.
>
> Do I miss the darkroom. No. I can print B&W on an Epson R220 using six
> blacks or an Epson R2400 if I want larger sizes. I get great tonal  
> range &
> clean prints with less work than I did in a dark room. Works for me.
>
> Of course I still use film for various things. If I need a 19mm  
> shot with an
> R camera I use film. When I travel light or want to shoot quietly,  
> I use an
> M6 which I will surely keep for wide angle photos even after I get  
> the $
> together for an M8. And now, because I'm photographing so much  
> more, I've
> bought a 4x5 and I shoot sheet film too.
>
> I've found no downside to shooting with digital. I'm ecstatic about
> photographing in a way I haven't been in years.
>
> Cheers & good light,
>
> -Gib
>
>
>
>
>
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