Back to the Basics with Analog Photography. After years and years of unsatisfied experimenting with digital cameras, tweaking of pixels, fighting through menus, I finally drew the conclusion that I much more prefer analog photography. It has probably something to do with age, I know. The whole digital process is somehow distracting me from what photography is all about: observing and picking the right moment.
So, bye-bye pixel gathering and hello again to film. For this I started selling my digital gear and bought back some old classic cameras. Luckily they are (were) relatively cheap, because contemporary photographers only want the latest, hottest and most pixel-counting digital toys money can buy. It didn't take me long to put a complete kit together.
The next step was acquiring some simple film development equipment and soon I was developing my black and white film in the kitchen sink. It was decades since I've done that and the first results were... ehm... not very motivating. Mixing of chemicals, managing temperatures, filling the tank, turning this tank, timing, switching chemicals, timing again, checking the temperatures… arrrgggg... it felt uneasy and chaotic. I was working the usual procedures to do the job, but boy, I was struggling! Something was missing. Only after adding a good ol’ Single Malt (stock dilution) to the process, the workflow became much smoother.
To be honest, what helped me most was downloading the Massive Dev app from digitaltruth.com. This app is amazing and really helps to organize your stuff. The database is extensive and so far I'm happy with the results. Now I only need to build experience again. And that's the fun part.
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