Photography Stuff

Digital vs. Film

Film and digital sensors respond to light differently.  These differences can be significant, but IMO pale compare to the differences between what was exposed and can be processed in a program such as PhotoShop.  In any case, what is captured isn’t precisely what we see, with either format.  Part of the fun is seeing what we captured, I enjoy the element of surprise.  This is not to take away from planning a shot, or understanding one’s equipment and process.  But, it leads me to conclude that both media are legitimate and useful.

Much of my shooting is done quickly.  Sometimes from a moving car.  Sometimes while walking.  Both media work well in these settings.  But I find that there are differences between how I operate with either.  The following digests this further (ad nauseam?).

Film takes time.  A roll is finite and costs money so its best to consider how its used, and to take care when framing up each shot.  The roll must be completed before moving to the darkroom.  If after only three pictures, one sets the camera down, the results aren’t seen until after another shooting extinguishes the roll.  From here it moves to the darkroom which is a unique place where the clocks move at double speed, as one strains to complete a series of detailed tasks smoothly and efficiently.  Meanwhile, the darkroom retains a tight grip on many mysteries of its own.

For example, my preference is always to load film into the developing tank with the lights on.  It is much harder for me to roll the film smoothly on its reel in a truly dark room.  With the lights on, one uses a lightproof bag with a couple of arm openings.  Opening the film cassette, loading the reel, and closing the tank, are performed in a miniature light-proof environment.  In the dark or a bag, one can’t see the film.  But oddly, working in a dark room, I’m forced to shut my eyes to get work done.  That strikes me as silly, what difference should it make if my eyes are open or shut when I’m in the dark.  In contrast, a changing bag in a lit room demands eyes open, even though the bag obscures any useful sights.  Why this is so totally eludes me.

Having film in the tank, it goes through a series of chemical baths, certain of which require the tank to be agitated in series of timed movements. These agitations must be sufficient to keep chemicals evenly mixed they gradually expire.  But it mustn’t be so vigorous that locally accelerates processing either.  Naturally, one must control the temperature of the various chemicals, and the timing of each bath, within a narrow range.  Then the film is removed and dried (which takes more time), but not before steps to ensure that the rinse water smoothly sheets off the film so that there are no water spots.  Its fussy work, but as long as there is no time pressure, it can be oddly soothing.

And we’re only halfway to seeing our completed image, as there are now a number of parallel but different steps necessary to move from negative to a finished print image.

One can take as much time, with digital photography, as one wants.  And some digital photographers create images that involve a lot of work.  But the basic process can be,  and often is,  very much abbreviated leading to rapid image reviews.  Many people have effectively unlimited storage on their camera (for example, I once took over 1300 images with out beginning to fill my card).  But that doesn’t matter if the card never fills, because images can be pulled off the card for processing at any point in time.  The digital photography never waits to complete the roll.  And, because of the storage capacity, and the effective zero cost to shot one more, its easier to shot fast and sloppy, trusting that some percentage of images will turn out well.

The typical finished digital file is called a JPEG.  Most digital cameras can create the JPEG within the camera and display the result on a screen built into the camera.  Digital photography is a bit like Polaroid instant photography in this way.  Some digital cameras take this process a step farther, and allow the photography to make what would be darkroom adjustments for a film photographer, and set them up in the camera prior to pushing the shutter.  In this case, some digital cameras even display this adjusted image in the viewfinder, as the picture is framed and shot.  By all of these means, digital photography offers a wholesale collapse of the time between concept and image.

I could go on about film/digital differences for some time, although you’d probably not want to wade through it all.  What I will say is that I’m not equipped with a darkroom today (a situation which I hope will change), so my focus is on digital.  And I finally have a digital camera which offers an equal (actually greater) degree of control than my old film camera.

Because of this  I’m busy learning about a new tool and process.  The pictures here document my progress.  And you’re welcome to share feedback if you so chose.  Its always interesting to hear other opinions of what works and what does not.