Today's Warm and Fuzzy Thought

I really resent being pushed into digital photography. I have yet to purchase a digital camera, though I will most likely do so in the future. Before I go further let me say that I truly believe that there is a place in the world for digital photography. Additionally, anyone who knows me knows that I am not someone who is afraid of technology. I just don’t think that digital photography is right for me and my art. I have been struggling with exactly why I don’t feel comfortable with digital photography and here is what I have come up with so far:

- I like working in a darkroom. I love negatives. The entire process of creating something on a black sheet of paper is amazing to me.

- I like not knowing if my photographs have turned out until I process the film, it makes me concentrate on framing and making sure I have the right exposure.

- I am afraid that digital photography will make me lazy. When I can see the instant results of a photo, I will re-take and re-take until I have what I deem to be a perfect photograph. This fear leads to the fear that I will become entirely to compulsive and loose the pleasant accidents that tend to happen in photography.

- I recognize digital photography as its own independent form of art, separate from film photography. Not better, not worse but separate.

- I resent halfwit morons who bought a $1,000 digital camera and think that makes them a stellar photographer. I really resent it when these people then tell me that film is antiquated and useless.

- I will probably buy a digital camera and it will most likely nearly replace my use of a 35mm point and shoot or fun camera.

- I want to move into medium and/or large format photography.

I also know that the struggle that I am currently going through over digital photography is not the first artist struggle that I or any other artists has ever gone through, nor will it be the last. I am sure that I will eventually find some sort of workable answer to this question, until then, I’ll stick to film.