…in a time when resources are dwindling…manufacturers are going out of business and availability is shrinking.
Expensive? Yes.
Amazing colour? Indeed.
Grain? Plenty.
Worth it? Absolutely!
I guess I always compromised with film. In an age of digital photography, where every further click doesn’t really cost more money, one doesn’t really want to continuously spend on film. The results aren’t instant and the worry remains: did I get it right? Exposure, focus, framing? What a waste it would be to have made a mistake and wasted a frame…or even an entire roll? It all seems too much risk and additionally it takes ages to see the results. Days, weeks of waiting until the negatives come back from the lab…and then the negatives are scratched and cut in a way that they don’t fit the standard A4 sized archiving sheets. It’s all drama.
When chasing the best colour rendition with character…there is no replacement. Digital is nearly too perfect. But then that is my opinion…and I am just one person.
Digital cameras have become so magnificent that it is nearly impossible to end up with a bad image file. It doesn’t matter wether Canon, Nikon, Sony, Pentax or any other. I deliberately mention ‚image file‘ and not photograph, as the latter is a subjective result of creativity. But colours, pixels and especially the high pixels per inch (ppi) rate has become impressive. But in my humble opinion it has all become too dependant on software and IT hardware in order to achieve the desired results. And above all, images will be hidden on a hard drive…I would not see what I had achieved with my photography.
I have become a fan of film. It all started with 35mm and now includes medium format (6x6,6x7). I love the grain. I love the imperfections and particularly the fact that i have to work hard to get it right. I don’t believe there is a soul or feeling to film images…but the sense of achievement is significant when it all comes together.
So I splashed out to get a few rolls of Kodak Ektar 100. I nearly fell off my chair when I found out what i was supposed to pay for them. But hey, what else am i gonna‘ do during the lockdown? Naturally I was really nervous whilst processing the negatives at home. I had only started C41 developing in my kitchen a few months ago but so far did quite well…but only with cheap and nasty Kodak Gold 200. With Ektar 100 I was taking an entirely different risk.
Here are the results.
I will be taking this risk again…and again…and again. It’s worth it!
