I'm old school film and darkroom trained..... (Page 3): There will always be a place for alternative and historic photographic processes in the art world. In fact digital has been a...

Darkroom317 Loc: Mishawaka, IN

anotherview wrote:

The diehard afficandos of film photography still inhabit some centers of learning. Meanwhile, former film photographers praise digital photography for its control and capability. Film photography has the status of obsolescent, and it will become a matter of history. The learning centers will soon enough catch up the advent of digital photography.

There will always be a place for alternative and historic photographic processes in the art world. In fact digital has been a boon for alt process as people can now make large negatives on inkjet printers whereas before they would have needed cameras 8x10 and larger. Silver gelatin printing will likely survive for quite some time as well because of the quality of prints from large format in camera negatives.

While digital has transformed the production and commercial side, in the art community it matters far less what material and process one uses. Stone lithography and letter press remain major art forms even though its commercial use fell out a while ago. Letter press is actually making a come back in some commercial applications.

anotherview Loc: California

Yes, alternate processes remain and have value. Digital photography has become mainstream.

Darkroom317 wrote:

There will always be a place for alternative and h... (show quote)

jules1476 Loc: Fort Worth, TX

Like in many other areas you can learn darkroom at Tarrant County College here in Fort Worth. I took it a few years ago and loved it...bought equipment for at home...and now just sold it due to moving back in Santa Fe in a few weeks. I'm not sure where I'll end up living and it was a lot to move. I've often wondered how lucrative a business would be with a darkroom set up that people could rent out by the hour to develop themselves. I imagine one like at TCC - one room for the negative processing and a darkroom with multiple enlargers set up. I know I would be a customer - still being able to develop but not having to have all the equipment at my house. I think it would be a blast. Maybe I should really think about this...

Stardust Loc: Central Illinois

To be the Devil's Advocate, because you have and will get overwhelmed with support from diehards, maybe a more progressive class would be to teach how to bury the past in photography and move into the 21st century of digital. Please don't take this negatively - at 71 yrs old I love nostalgia too (just posted a bunch of them in the Nude section) - but it is also what holds back progress. IMHO in 2018, film and film processing belongs in museums.

JohnSwanda Loc: San Francisco

Stardust wrote:

To be the Devil's Advocate, because you have and will get overwhelmed with support from diehards, maybe a more progressive class would be to teach how to bury the past in photography and move into the 21st century of digital. Please don't take this negatively - at 71 yrs old I love nostalgia too (just posted a bunch of them in the Nude section) - but it is also what holds back progress. IMHO in 2018, film and film processing belongs in museums.

You're right - film photography belongs in museums - art museums. Fine art photographers were experimenting with alternative processes like Cyanotype and Gum bichromate well before digital came along. They were processes from the early days of photography that still have some appeal to artists. I love digital photography, but I work mostly in color, which I didn't feel I had enough control over with film. But there is a quality to great darkroom B&W prints that cannot be matched by digital.

Stardust Loc: Central Illinois

JohnSwanda wrote:

But there is a quality to great darkroom B&W prints that cannot be matched by digital.

Can't disagree with this last line of yours. I have tossed/sold/gave away lot of photography-related items over 50 years but still have a large box of B&W I printed, exactly because of your statement.

But I am also reminded of the words of a preacher at an aunt's funeral in regards to holding on to the past. "It is nice to visit the past but don't get stuck there. Your life resides in the future." Same goes for photography.

anotherview Loc: California

Film photography will have a prominent place in the history of photography. It will remain a niche technique like other techniques before its time.

Youngsters growing up with photo-editing apps for the pictures on their cellular telephones most likely will continue using digital means of photography should they graduate to a dedicated camera. I cannot see these youngsters reverting to film photography.

For now, the future of photography lies with digital means of doing photography. Film has taken the status of obsolescent.

Stardust wrote:

To be the Devil's Advocate, because you have and will get overwhelmed with support from diehards, maybe a more progressive class would be to teach how to bury the past in photography and move into the 21st century of digital. Please don't take this negatively - at 71 yrs old I love nostalgia too (just posted a bunch of them in the Nude section) - but it is also what holds back progress. IMHO in 2018, film and film processing belongs in museums.

baba

I think that any time you can bring back an art form such as B/W film processing and printing you will be not only doing a service to the community BUT also to yourself. I know that after 35 plus years of shooting commercially and personally I do miss the opportunity to go out and practice the Zone system. So yes, go do it you will feel better for it and you will be doing something good for yourself and someone else.
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anotherview Loc: California

From what I gather, a photographer using digital means of photography can still practice the Zone System.

In addition, by the continuing advances in digitized photo-editing, I understand that digital photography has surpassed film photography since several years now.

Film photography still remains as a profound influence on photography as an artform and a craft by way of its techniques folded into digital photography.

baba wrote:

I think that any time you can bring back an art form such as B/W film processing and printing you will be not only doing a service to the community BUT also to yourself. I know that after 35 plus years of shooting commercially and personally I do miss the opportunity to go out and practice the Zone system. So yes, go do it you will feel better for it and you will be doing something good for yourself and someone else.
.

Darkroom317 Loc: Mishawaka, IN

anotherview wrote:

From what I gather, a photographer using digital means of photography can still practice the Zone System.

In addition, by the continuing advances in digitized photo-editing, I understand that digital photography has surpassed film photography since several years now.

Film photography still remains as a profound influence on photography as an artform and a craft by way of its techniques folded into digital photography.

Yes. The Zone System can be used with digital cameras.
https://www.alanrossphotography.com/can-the-zone-system-go-digital-2/

shelty Loc: Medford, OR

Darkroom317 wrote:

Yes. The Zone System can be used with digital cameras.
https://www.alanrossphotography.com/can-the-zone-system-go-digital-2/

The best way of doing the zone system is to shoot several shots at different exposures of as subject and put them together.

JohnSwanda Loc: San Francisco

shelty wrote:

The best way of doing the zone system is to shoot several shots at different exposures of as subject and put them together.

That's HDR, not the zone system.

shelty Loc: Medford, OR

JohnSwanda wrote:

That's HDR, not the zone system.

The whole zone system will be represented in there if you do it right. I don't know why you are so bothered with it to start with. It was important way back in the film days. But most digital cameras cover it. I have been a stop over and a stop under and still had good whites and blacks.

JohnSwanda Loc: San Francisco

shelty wrote:

The whole zone system will be represented in there if you do it right. I don't know why you are so bothered with it to start with. It was important way back in the film days. But most digital cameras cover it. I have been a stop over and a stop under and still had good whites and blacks.

I just believe in using the proper terminology. The way the zone system is applied to digital isn't quite the same as it was with film, which involved using under or over development along with the right exposure to control contrast. But it never involved anything like HDR where different exposures are merged.

Steamboat

JohnSwanda wrote:

I just believe in using the proper terminology. The way the zone system is applied to digital isn't quite the same as it was with film, which involved using under or over development along with the right exposure to control contrast. But it never involved anything like HDR where different exposures are merged.

Agreed ....but on topic.
Its digital,as different as Daguerreotypes, Ambrotypes, and Tintypes were from each other.

I know this is not a popular opinion but I don't see the Silver Print process continuing its popularity past another 15 20 years.

I wonder how long people will still use the process for more than a lark? ........ 30 years....50?
It will be the same as pulling the equipment and chemistry to practice the above "alternative" processes ?

Whats a generation 30 years? I'm 65, my children may play with it but certainly theirs wont.
In a couple generations The Silver print process will be practiced by a handful of serious artists at best
.......well that's my guess;-)