So, these are some pretty important pictures here.
They are the last ones I will ever routinely take...on film that is.
You remember film, right? Those plasticy roles coated in a magical substance that gathered in the differing levels of light and dark and, after you dropped them off at a Ritz or Wolf or Target or Eckerd Drug, you got yourself some pretty, pretty pictures. Why won't I be shooting film anymore? Well, last year I bought myself a digital point-and-shoot and, as I've written about recently, I bought myself a digital SLR last month.
Anyway, I dropped these pictures off at Target earlier this week and picked them up later that day. For those of you from D.C., you'll recognize the subject: this year's blooms of the cherry blossoms. For those of you who aren't, well, these are D.C.'s famous cherry blossoms. The flowers have been gone for almost six weeks, and that's exactly how long the last three rolls of film I shot have lingered in my bag.
And, last but not least, I couldn't think of a better subject than the Washington Monument for my last, routine, picture on film.
I'm not going to totally retire my trusty Nikon F3, it's too good a camera to be let out to pasture. To stud maybe, but not to pasture. Also, I still have a shitload of film laying around. But from here on out, most of my pictures will be recorded by electrons and not emulsion.
To tell you the truth, that makes me a little sad. Like most guys, I attach a bit of emotional significance to some of the mechanical things in my life. F3 has seen me through thick and thin, good weather and bad. It's been with me in Ireland, NYC, the Colorado National Monument, four Cherry Blossom Festivals, countless assignments while I was a reporter and sunsets too numerous to mention.
I think, just for fun, I'll go through my files and pull out some of F3's greatest hits and throw them up here as kind of a memorial one of these days. The age of film may have passed, but I'd like to make sure the memories it created will last forever ... in an electronic format.
9 comments:
These are gorgeous. Hold on to that old camera, friend.
Lem - You can be sure I will. Just like I always have a map on hand even if I have GPS, maps don't break. Neither will my F3.
Sometimes I kind of miss the excitement of going to pick up developed pictures. You know what you took, but sometimes there are ones you completely forgot about, too.
Liebchen - Some of the best pictures I've ever taken were surprises only revealed after processing. One or two, both sunrises taken with my first camera, immediatly come to mind.
These pictures are beautiful Foggy... don't you let go of that camera! These made me nostalgic of certain camera I have, that I probably never really learned to use properly and has not been used in many years
You're an amazing photographer. Good to see not everything has gone digital.
Titiana - Don't worry, it'll go back into the bag it's lived in for many years. The new camera has a fancy new bag.
Meghan - Thank you. The sad part is, when I got the film developed, I had them cut me a cd so I wouldn't have to scan them myself.
I wouldn't let that camera go just yet... or as long as it's still clicking.
Breathtaking, my dear. That is truly our HOME.
This reminds me that I really need to head down to DC to take pictures. I only live in Philly - and haven't been to DC in 7 or 8 years (minus business trips).
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