Perhaps in my early dotage I am turning curmudgeonly, but I am really tired of digital everything. In particular, I’m tired of digital photography especially when it is not even printed (and printed well).
There is so much connected to prints and we’re forgetting too much of it. The joy of finding an old snapshot. The smell of a darkroom. The depth of a really great print on amazing paper. Two people leaning their heads in to share the view. Looking at a contact sheet or negs with a loupe.
Without prints we’d never have this.
Or this.
Or the discovery of Vivian Maier.
Digital is ephemeral, intangible. But a print, even though it will fade or get water spotted or otherwise damaged, persists. Even when we don’t know the real story, a print tells us a story… usually our own.
I agree,I too am tired of everything digital. But I won’t go back to film, just doesn’t make sense. It’s results or your message that matters and really who cares how you get there?
But I do agree about prints there is still something magical about seeing,touching and holding prints.
Where I disagree is the “smell of the darkroom” almost killed me:) Spent many years in that stinky,dirty and toxic darkroom. Many late nights, early mornings and missing beautiful sunny days processing film and making prints,don’t miss that at all!
But I am so glad I had the experience:)
There is something about hard prints to show someone. I still have a hard print portfolio that I show people. I even let the corners get old and smudges build up. I like for people to see that many others have looked at the work. The book with all its nicks and scratches and stains with prints that are used… it gives the work soul, something an tablet can never do.
I still print off contact sheets and work them very rigorously. I did a blog post about working with contact sheets for a project. Not to be self promoting but rather to share – http://donmirra.com/10-feet-of-snow-in-san-diego/
Not to mention companies like Blurb or Milk-books / Moleskin where you can design and build out a book of your work and share the labors in a stunning collection. I love to show people a small 7×7 paperback of photographs, its just plan amazing to see there reaction as they turn the page.
Thanks again for standing up and saying something Leslie.
Don Mirra
http://www.donmirra.com | 858.610.2615