(Definitely not one of MY photos!)Thanks to Peter in Australia for inspiring me to write a bit tonight. As I was replying to his comment (which I've copied below) about my previous post, I suddenly realized that my "reply" had turned into a full-fledged post itself. So I thought, ah, why not? I'm due for one anyway. So here goes....
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Peter wrote:
I can't do without my computer and scanner. A new digital camera is also coming my way.
They all help with blogging and sharing moments in time to anyone.
I just have to work out what I am going to do with the dozens of undeveloped 35 mm film rolls, God only knows how old they are, that are sitting in my cupboard draws.
Lost moments in time!
Anyway, thanks for listening. Must run!
Time for me to mow the lawn, clean the pool and fill in the holes that the dog has dug.
Regards
Peter McCartney
Sydney Australia.
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Exactly Peter! There you go. You've just reaffirmed the idea I was trying to express in my post, that there are pros and cons to both digital and film photography. Yes, photos are usually pretty easy to find when they're stashed in a drawer. But apparently sometimes rolls of film aren't. :)
As I said before, I love the stunning clarity of digital photos, and the amazing things you can do with them. But I don't like empty photo albums just sitting there collecting dust, waiting to be filled with photos I never seem to get around to printing. So that's the "dilemma" of my title.
And to answer your question about what to do with all those old rolls of film: ditch 'em right into the trash I say! I don't mean to sound bossy...just a warning from my own painful experience.
I still remember the time back in 1977, when I told my mom that I, my sister, and a few of our friends were going to take the bus and the L into downtown Chicago, where we were going to meet Led Zeppelin, so could I please have some film for my camera. She rummaged through the kitchen junk drawer and absentmindedly handed me a roll, probably thinking all the while, "Yeah sure she's going to meet Led Zeppelin."
Well, you might be able to guess what happened next. We DID actually meet them--all four!--outside the Ambassador East Hotel, where they were staying during the Midwest leg of their tour. They chatted with us for awhile, signed our album covers, and smiled obligingly for our cameras. And then when the film got developed, I saw that my otherwise great, close-up shots of Jimmy, Robert, and the two Johns were way-too-dark and way-too-purple/bluish. So much so that everytime I showed someone the photos, I felt the need to apologize profusely for their awful quality as I watched them squint to identify the four lads.
I remember my mom looking a bit worried when I got home and told her we'd actually met the band, and that I'd taken photos. "I hope they turn out; that film was pretty old." Boy, she wasn't kidding! Turned out it was years past its expiration date!
So I repeat, throw away that old film now! I know that can be a hard thing to do. With the price of film being what it used to be, it's almost like throwing money away. But I still wince when I think of the price I paid for my mother's thriftiness (or maybe it was just a lack of time for jobs like clearing out junk drawers, as she was raising 7 kids back then.) I could've sold those photos on eBay for perhaps thousands of dollars by now.
Not that I ever would really dream of it, mind you. Even shrouded in their "deep purple haze," those shots of a very cool-looking Jimmy Page in shades, with a rock-star scarf thrown jauntily over one shoulder, and John Paul Jones sitting calmly in the back seat of a limo on Chicago's Gold Coast, are still priceless to this former Led Zeppelin freak.
P.S. Your itinerary of domestic duties sounds like a typical weekend around MY house too. You lucky Aussies...here you are just beginning your spring, and it's already warm enough to use your pool! And here we are just about to put ours under wraps again for the next 7-8 months, until next summer rolls around.
****************************************
Peter wrote:
I can't do without my computer and scanner. A new digital camera is also coming my way.
They all help with blogging and sharing moments in time to anyone.
I just have to work out what I am going to do with the dozens of undeveloped 35 mm film rolls, God only knows how old they are, that are sitting in my cupboard draws.
Lost moments in time!
Anyway, thanks for listening. Must run!
Time for me to mow the lawn, clean the pool and fill in the holes that the dog has dug.
Regards
Peter McCartney
Sydney Australia.
******************************************
Exactly Peter! There you go. You've just reaffirmed the idea I was trying to express in my post, that there are pros and cons to both digital and film photography. Yes, photos are usually pretty easy to find when they're stashed in a drawer. But apparently sometimes rolls of film aren't. :)
As I said before, I love the stunning clarity of digital photos, and the amazing things you can do with them. But I don't like empty photo albums just sitting there collecting dust, waiting to be filled with photos I never seem to get around to printing. So that's the "dilemma" of my title.
And to answer your question about what to do with all those old rolls of film: ditch 'em right into the trash I say! I don't mean to sound bossy...just a warning from my own painful experience.
I still remember the time back in 1977, when I told my mom that I, my sister, and a few of our friends were going to take the bus and the L into downtown Chicago, where we were going to meet Led Zeppelin, so could I please have some film for my camera. She rummaged through the kitchen junk drawer and absentmindedly handed me a roll, probably thinking all the while, "Yeah sure she's going to meet Led Zeppelin."
Well, you might be able to guess what happened next. We DID actually meet them--all four!--outside the Ambassador East Hotel, where they were staying during the Midwest leg of their tour. They chatted with us for awhile, signed our album covers, and smiled obligingly for our cameras. And then when the film got developed, I saw that my otherwise great, close-up shots of Jimmy, Robert, and the two Johns were way-too-dark and way-too-purple/bluish. So much so that everytime I showed someone the photos, I felt the need to apologize profusely for their awful quality as I watched them squint to identify the four lads.
I remember my mom looking a bit worried when I got home and told her we'd actually met the band, and that I'd taken photos. "I hope they turn out; that film was pretty old." Boy, she wasn't kidding! Turned out it was years past its expiration date!
So I repeat, throw away that old film now! I know that can be a hard thing to do. With the price of film being what it used to be, it's almost like throwing money away. But I still wince when I think of the price I paid for my mother's thriftiness (or maybe it was just a lack of time for jobs like clearing out junk drawers, as she was raising 7 kids back then.) I could've sold those photos on eBay for perhaps thousands of dollars by now.
Not that I ever would really dream of it, mind you. Even shrouded in their "deep purple haze," those shots of a very cool-looking Jimmy Page in shades, with a rock-star scarf thrown jauntily over one shoulder, and John Paul Jones sitting calmly in the back seat of a limo on Chicago's Gold Coast, are still priceless to this former Led Zeppelin freak.
P.S. Your itinerary of domestic duties sounds like a typical weekend around MY house too. You lucky Aussies...here you are just beginning your spring, and it's already warm enough to use your pool! And here we are just about to put ours under wraps again for the next 7-8 months, until next summer rolls around.
