Originally Posted by
Doug64
I was fortunate to have access to my dads cameras and darkroom when I was a kid. I was also fortunate to help him, and watch him print. Unfortunately, even though he was a patient teacher, I was never as good as him. On the good side, I was the only 11-year old running around town with a Leica IIIf or a Rollieflex. He really wanted me to learn.
I found these dinosaur bones the other day when I was cleaning up the garage. They were left over from a distant past when I loaded my film canisters from bulk rolls.
Good news, film is still alive and well, and any decent photography school still teach it. The point behind learning film is that it teaches you the art of preparation so you develop real talent. With digital you get to take as many pictures as you want to get it right at no extra cost. With film, you pay every time your click the shutter. You had better well know what you're doing or have real deep pockets.
After imagining the mystique behind film for years, I finally got to experience developing and printing for myself. Making post adjustments as you print takes practice. Although its not like you can't do post work electronically, but what you can't do when you develop chemically is undo. You only get one chance so you have to get it right the first time. That's the additional appreciation of the art that you don't get from digital photography.