Irrational reasons

Every now and then I get the question: why shoot analogue? It’s such a hassle, and than you scan your negatives anyway and end up with digital files. Why not skip a few steps and go straight to digital? Well, there are more than one reasons for that. Sure, digital has some advantages – a memory card can contain hundreds of hi-res images, digital compact camera’s are more compact than most analogue ones, you can see your picture right away, etc. I still shoot digital pictures as well. But my love for analogue photography is like most love: you can think of reasons, but in the end it’s still slightly irrational.

But let’s try and be a bit more specific. One of the fun things about analogue photography is the unknown. Rule number 6, right? There is nothing like the anticipation of having to wait for your roll to fill up, finding crazy pictures to finish that baby off. Next is waiting for your film to develop. I do my own processing, but it still takes time of course. Next is waiting for the film to dry. You can look at the negatives, but no details yet. You’ll just have to wait until the film is dry and not sticky anymore before you can scan it and finally see what you got. All this waiting might sound tedious, but it’s half the fun of photography for me.

Another great thing about analoge photography is the endless possibility for experimenting. Try building your own digital camera! Pretty hard. But with an empty can, a cardboard box and some tape, you can whip up all kinds of fun pinhole camera’s in a jiffy. Or get a cheap plastic camera, rip out some bits, and create an awesome custom camera that takes the craziest pictures.

Speaking of cameras. I love old stuff. And what better hobby to give you an excuse for buying lovely old stuff than photography? For just a few bucks you can get a functioning camera older than your grandfather, and still use it. How cool is that! Plus, those things are pretty. Sculptural designs in metal and bakelite, quirky little box camera’s or tank-like SLR’s, there are just so many beauties out there, waiting to be picked up and brough back to life.

So these are a few reasons why I love analoge photography.

geschrieben von stratski am 2014-07-08