Anonymous asked: I was wondering, what are your thoughts on analog and digital photography and photography with apps (i.e. Instagram). Which do you prefer, why and what do you think about the rise of apps that makes photography easier/better/more functional easily for others? Thank you so much in advance! :)
Analog vs digital photography….I like them both for different reasons. I love the process of analog photography because [to me] more thought and work goes into a single photograph. I feel like my shots are more intentional. Maybe that’s just me, but I take more time to compose a shot and make sure my exposure is correct before actually pressing the trigger. Film isn’t cheap. At the same time, developing and printing 35mm and medium format film is an incredible experience, almost spiritual. There’s something to be said about soaking your hands in chemicals and dodging and burning photos by hand. Nothing can quite replace the smell and feel of working in a darkroom. When I shoot analog photography, I feel more invested in my images, I spend so much time with them and feel like I almost make a personal connection with the image and process.
That’s not to say I don’t like digital photography. I like the ability to catch special moments on the fly and the ease of taking several photograph without worrying how much film I’m wasting. Quality-wise, it’s different. I’m not going to say analog photography is better than digital photography or vice versa, they are different. They are both extremely enjoyable, but for different reasons.
It’s the same with filmmaking. On top of the aesthetics (grain, latitude, etc), I would prefer shooting S16mm or 35mm because of the process. I feel like you have to trust the people you work with in a whole different way when you work with film. Why? Because more is seemingly at stake ($$$$).
As for photography apps, I only really use Instagram, so I can’t speak for Hipstamatic or others of the like. I used Instagram before and got really bored with it a while ago because I thought it was another dumb app that had stupid filters in it. But I recently started using Instagram more and more because I love the ease of sharing day-to-day photos with friends and family. I get a pictorial glimpse into how my friends are doing, what projects they are working on, what they had for dinner, what they cooked, or how big their kids are getting. I think it’s a great photo sharing platform.
Since I only really use Instagram, I don’t have a preference of it over other photography apps.
The rise of photography apps and the affordability of cameras makes photography more accessible to everyone. Whether you are shooting for “art” or just trying to take photographs for fun of your everyday, I think it’s great (in theory). There’s never been a time where the world was more recorded [photographed] than today. It’s become a great resource (as well as more shit to search through). I always wished I had more photographs of my sister when she was alive, now I’ll never run out of an abundance of photographs of my brother. Haha.
With that being said…I also think it’s OBNOXIOUS when I go to a concert and all I see is a see of iPhones and phones taking photos/recording video. Take one or two photos, that’s fine, but for god’s sake…I came to the concert to actually watch a live person perform, not to watch them through your LCD viewfinder or phone.
[End Rant]
