Ellis Island, 1985, Canon F-1 and Kodachrome 64 (photo by B. Feeney)When the Park Service closed the Statue of Liberty for repairs in 1984, I was lucky enough to be given a few weeks to wander Ellis Island and photograph whatever I wanted. It was one of the best times of my life. I recently purchased Tri -X, Ilford and Fujichrome, in the hope that I might be able to relive some of those Kodachrome days.
Don't get me wrong. I love digital. The idea of firing off five shots in one second with minimal grain and no worries about focusing, shutter speeds and f/stops...that's a beautiful thing. But I miss film and contact sheets and I think, most importantly, not knowing until the film comes back from lab. I even found a lab in NYC that still does Cibachrome, but the owner tells me not for long.
That's all I needed to hear.
TinTin,
ReplyDeleteYou have always been great in dark room... ME
I miss the complete control of the dark room process. Can't replicate that digitally. (Okay, so I haven't been able to, in any case.)
ReplyDeleteI'm new to the photograph world, but being able to wonder Ellis Island and just snap photos, that must have been AMAZING!
ReplyDeleteI was just trying to describe to my daughter (soon to be 10) the anticipation of waiting for film to be developed...of not knowing how a certain photo would come out-even a really important one (like a wedding day kiss) -until you got it back a week or so later...that concept is so foreign to her...I felt sad for her...instant gratification isn't all it's cracked up to be, but will she ever know that?
ReplyDeleteid love to see some of those
ReplyDeleteThis photograph is AWESOME.
ReplyDeleteAlso, when you shoot on film, with the grain and the way it responds to colour, your photos look like you took them in the past!
ReplyDeleteI took both digital and film camera on a recent trip, and from the film prints, you’d swear we were holidaying in 1983.
TRVS: Do you want her to find out now, or would it be better to wait a while?
ReplyDeleteAnon- Click on Ellis Island and scroll down. You'll see some of the pics there.
ReplyDeleteRowe- You say awesome one more time here and I'll throw you to the wolves.
Don't worry.
ReplyDeleteI recently bought a Nikon FE and have returned to doing some basement B&W. Why? I feel like reconnecting with something that has little no place in the world anymore. The poster above mentioning the process and excitement is right on. Half of the fun is when things actually turn out right. I am interested in 'becoming amateur' and that means messing up and starting over again. For everything else there is work and routine and professionalism. Thanks for showing this picture and making me feel less alone.
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