Film's Allure - The Love of Analog vers 2.0
Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, Calif., Tri-X Film
When I began taking photographs there were no digital cameras, only film, and I fell in love. With the cameras and with film, particularly black and white film.
Cameras and film still captivate me, as does black and white.
Although color images seem to be ubiquitous, for many images I prefer a black and white interpretation. This preference might come from my first introduction to photography years ago being black and white film and working in the darkroom.
Black and white images often rely more on their strength than color images. Often color photos rely on the color as opposed to the strength of the image itself. It might be there is a flashy paint job on the car or a colorful sunset behind it, so you might be impressed simply because of the intense colors and not by the strength of the photograph.
And a small splash of color in a scene might be enough to detract from the actual subject the photographer wants to emphasize.
A photo in black and white is an abstraction of sorts. Black and white images are an interpretation of the scene by the photographer instead of simply recording it in color.
There is also a emotional reaction to black and white images that is often absent in color.
Color photos are more common, more of a simple recording of a scene, and everyone does it, ten million times a minute, it seems.
I preferred Kodachrome when I was shooting color, but Tri-X was my go-to black and white film but I also used Ilford HP-5 and Kodak Infrared black and white film.
Thoughtful and well-balanced black and white photos, though, are much more rare and require a certain degree of skill and aesthetic understanding that most casual photographers lack.
Photographing a subject in black and white is like going back to the scene’s roots, getting to its basic structure, its “genetic” composition or underpinning, and I enjoy doing that, particularly when the final result is successful.
Cameras and film still captivate me, as does black and white.
Although color images seem to be ubiquitous, for many images I prefer a black and white interpretation. This preference might come from my first introduction to photography years ago being black and white film and working in the darkroom.
Black and white images often rely more on their strength than color images. Often color photos rely on the color as opposed to the strength of the image itself. It might be there is a flashy paint job on the car or a colorful sunset behind it, so you might be impressed simply because of the intense colors and not by the strength of the photograph.
And a small splash of color in a scene might be enough to detract from the actual subject the photographer wants to emphasize.
A photo in black and white is an abstraction of sorts. Black and white images are an interpretation of the scene by the photographer instead of simply recording it in color.
There is also a emotional reaction to black and white images that is often absent in color.
Color photos are more common, more of a simple recording of a scene, and everyone does it, ten million times a minute, it seems.
I preferred Kodachrome when I was shooting color, but Tri-X was my go-to black and white film but I also used Ilford HP-5 and Kodak Infrared black and white film.
Thoughtful and well-balanced black and white photos, though, are much more rare and require a certain degree of skill and aesthetic understanding that most casual photographers lack.
Photographing a subject in black and white is like going back to the scene’s roots, getting to its basic structure, its “genetic” composition or underpinning, and I enjoy doing that, particularly when the final result is successful.
The owner of a pig farm in Northern California taken during the filming of a John Antonelli film about chickens. Kodak Tri-X film.
Jumprope in New Orleans housing project. Kodak Tri-X film.
Cadillac Ranch near Amarillo, TX, Ilford HP5. Leica M4 with 21mm Super Angulon lens
Chinatown San Francisco, Calif., shopper in deli. Ilford HP5. Leica M4 with 35mm Summicron lens
Cadillac assembly line, Detroit, Mich.
Snow covered Cadillac, Detroit, Mich.
University of Michigan School of Public Health, inoculating eggs
Skull sales, Abiquiu, New Mexico, Kodak Infrared film, Leica M3 with 21mm Super Angulon lens (above) and old cars in Missouri filed (eblow)
Church in Hernandez, NM, made famous by Ansel Adams
Amish church with buggies parked outside, Kalona, Iowa. Ilford HP5
Securing logs to log truck near Carlton, Oregon
Young boy brushes his mother's hair on front porch, Carlton, Oregon. Kodak Tri-X
Vietnam peace march, San Francisco, Calif.
Farmworkers and curving covered rows of crops, Southern California. Kodak Tri-X. Nikon F with 24mm lens
Meat inspectors, Detroit, Michigan
A lone commuter on a SEMTA (South East Michigan Transportation Authority) morning train. Kodak Tri-X film
Chinese woman greets friends, San Francisco Chinatown, San Francisco, Calif., Ilford HP5
Two women fishing on the Clinton River, near Mt. Clemens, which is a short distance north of Detroit, Michigan. Kodak Tri-X
Coal-fired power plant, Utah
Amish man drives wagon loaded with watermelons, Pennsylvania
Funeral procession, San Francisco Chinatown
Tourists on an Alcatraz Prison tour photographing cellblock, San Francisco, Calif.
Woman checking her appearance in the mirror of a bar's cigarette machine, St. Patrick's Day, San Francisco, Calif. Kodak Tri-X, Leica M4 with 35mm Summicron lens
Casual phone booth use, Market Street, San Francisco, Calif.
Man and dog play in snow, Las Animas, Colo., Olympus Pen F with Kodak Tri-X
San Diego Chinatown social club, San Diego, Calif.
San Diego Chinatown social club, San Diego, Calif.
Man advertising the "The Absolute Truth" at a trolley turnaround, Market Street, San Francisco, Calif.
Butler and maid chatting, New Orleans, La, Kodak Tri-X, Leica M4 with 35mm Summicron lens
To contact Bob Eckert for assignments, consultations or workshops, please email [email protected]
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