Charlotte Makes Photos

In addition to spending the day yesterday closer to home, I chose to bring out the digital camera (Nikon D300s) for the morning’s lil’ local loop.

The biggest reason was because I needed to mix a new batch of C-41 chemistry, and since it’s a bit of a faff, I knew I wouldn’t want to do that and develop a roll of film. A minor reason was that I looked at this rarely-used camera in the closet, felt a little bad about it being rarely-used, and decided to let its sensor see a little light.

Even though I know that it’s not the case, whenever I use a digital camera, they don’t feel like real photos. Like what I’ve made doesn’t exist. What’s more is that I think how I feel of using this medium is communicated in the results I get. I don’t know if I’ve made a pleasing digital photo since returning to film!

I know that it’s not about the inherent properties of either medium, but rather how I feel about it when using it. There are numerous reasons I prefer using film, but they’re not content for formal assessment.

They’re feels.

Vibes.

In fact, when I look back at some of the phone photos I made around ten years ago (when I was quite enthusiastic about phone photography), there are many that I really like.

Aside from disliking silly arguments over taste, it’s also why I don’t ever get into discussions about the whole ‘film v. digital’ thing that some of the internet seems to love.

I would not want to try convince any that film is the “best” way to make photos any more than I would argue paintings would be better using oil paint than watercolours or that novels written on a typewriter are better than those on Word.

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The photos above were just from a little walk Kathleen and I took to Vanier in the fall of 2020. People had begun adapting to the Covid reality a little more, but the unsettled and uncomfortable feel of certain areas was not gone.

We ended up skittering a little more quickly through the neighbourhood than I was picturing when we got dressed for the walk.

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