More Thoughts about film…

I would also like to explain more about film photography. I took most of images on color transparency film because it was the standard for the best reproduction. If you ever hoped to have your work published, transparencies were the required form. Being the first original from the camera, it contained the best color, contrast, and detail. The film manufacturers had many different slide films and they were trying to improve all the time. Kodak’s Kodachrome was and is the gold standard you will see many of my film images this was my preferred choice. It’s a shame that it is no longer made. I could write an entire blog post about Kodak and Fuji.

Images from film all have a different look than digital. First, they have grain, that is the structure of the silver halides and color couplers floating or suspended in the emulsion. Images will be softer, especially the highlights, they will have a subtle gradation that digital just can’t match. Remember, film is something physical that you can hold in your fingers and hold up to the light and see. I still love looking at them. They are also fragile and can be scratched or stained and if not cared for will fade. Getting a quality print that is close to the original is part of the craft of photography and is a challenging process and something I strive to get right.