Analogical

 (Originally published 26.8.2012)

Sifting through an old suitcase filled with negatives, I found some real gems from way back. Most of these are in celluloid and some have since deteriorated. I found a few prints that are priceless despite their 3R size. This made me realize that in all the years since I first picked up a camera in the mid-70’s, I never really got around to making prints except for a few “monos” which went on exhibit in the summer of ’95.

I consider myself fortunate to have handled a good variety of assignments; from fashion to advertising to editorials but the work I love most was capturing memories! Like most photographers and artists, the craft becomes personal and second nature. There is little separating the person and the instrument. And in between, lies the soul!

In the suitcase were Manila envelopes filled with thousands of frames shot in most available formats—35mm, print, transparency and mono; 120 cells in C-41, E-6 and D-76 plus Polaroids from exposure tests made during commercial shoots. Most of the negatives in 35mm were in sleeves with matching contact prints. I never really went beyond this but I remember having given away 3R’s and 4R’s and 5x7in prints and a few blow-ups to really special people. The 120 rolls are neatly stored in sleeves with a few contact sheets which for me ARE the final prints! 

All these serve to remind me of a time when photography was actually fun and demanded a high degree of care especially in the handling of film before, during and after the final processing

I could only wish I had the proper storage and filing facility for my precious work. Though most of it was practice and a few more snapshots, in this digital age, these prints and negatives are worth more to the soul now than they were to my pocket back in the day!

Some might argue film is better than digital. Personally, I do not believe that crap. Film is merely a medium. It is the time and effort, the heart and soul a photographer –at the time of exposure—puts into the image at the time the shot is taken that matters most. This is the essence of photography and not the shit one adds or subtracts in an image using a computer regardless of the medium used. 

Post-processing is nothing new. It has been around since photography was invented. In the old days, there was the brush and dye, then there were the machines that did color correction and contrast adjustments and finally, the airbrush. This is not to demean those who “PP” their work. I just never believed in altering the final image.

This is why I look up to photojournalists—the Capas, Nachtweys and the Stanmeyers more than I would Newtons and Mapplethorpes.

For me, the magic of photography lies in that invisible bond between the photographer and camera—that split-second before the shutter is tripped and the image burned on film. It is the thought process and judgment that goes into the making or taking of the shot.

This is what film and cameraphones have in common—limitations. Film cameras and smartphones force the photographer to use discretion in taking the shot.  Walking or moving around the subject, thinking the shot through in one’s head or pre-visualizing are some of the many trademarks of a true photographer.

I amassed quite a collection of photos over the years in both film and digital formats. With the exception of photofinishing—adjusting for color balance and exposure, none of my images needed to go through serious alterations or post-processing.

That’s what I’ve learned shooting film for so long: trust you skills, trust your judgment and trust your equipment!

Today, I carry a couple of digital cameras. My analog equipment have since been sold or given away as I no longer see the point in the extra expense of buying stock, finding a good lab and ultimately, a market for my work. I can no longer afford the luxury of shooting film though there are so many things I miss about it: the smell of a freshly-opened film can, the effort one takes to thread the spool into the take up sprockets, the feel of manually cocking the film advance lever or that Copal shutter and the distinct feel of the shutter curtains opening, the act of rewinding the spool or taking up a 120 roll so you can close the waxpaper wrap and lick the paper adhesive closure or the act of pulling out a freshly exposed sheet of FP-100C!

It took me a while to give up film for economic reasons. I was torn apart when I let go of the F-501 I made so many memories with but that’s another story. As a tribute to a bygone era, I treat my digital equipment like they were loaded with celluloid.