I’m known as anti-digital. This is simply not true, but the misunderstanding is probably my fault.
I think digital is great, except for one or two things. My main beef with digital is: It is killing traditional film-based processes. This is to be expected, but if you love film and silver-gelatin printing, you need to try and slow down the obliteration of these wonderful materials for making hand-made photographs. Do you want it to be as hard to obtain film and paper as it now is to get materials for older alternative process (such as gum bichromate, et al)?
How do you do slow down the demise of film and paper? Simple: Buy film, buy silver-gelatin printing paper, buy chemicals. Does your local camera store have a small, forlorn darkroom department? Buy stuff and ask them to expand their traditional offerings. That’s a key, grass-roots way to slow the demise of these wonderful materials.
I’ve become aware that plenty of younger photographers, even ones who love B&W, have little or no experience with traditional B&W printing. OK, again, this is to be expected. However, it is wrong. These materials are still, thank goodness, widely available. If you’ve never made a traditional B&W print, do so! Rent or borrow a darkroom. Or get some trays and chems and print an inkjet digital contact negative.
A well-made print on the lustrous surface of silver-gelatin paper is magic. (If you don’t know what I’m talking about, then there’s even more reason for you to get this experience.) Will making such prints change your life as a photographer?
No way to know until you try it.
-Eric Rudolph
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