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How many prints in the digital era?

weltweit

Well-Known Member
Do you print these days?

Do you display your images outside of your pc?

Do you even have a photo quality printer?

I know back in my limited film days I at least had a 6 X 4 print of all I had shot.

Does it even matter?
 
The Last Exposure
Chemicals and paper have made the world of photography a mixture of art and science for years - has digital photography taken away that alchemical magic?


 
I have my best photos printed by a lab. I mostly still use film.
This year, a room became free at the school I work at, and we have turned it into a dark room. Tracking down equipment was interesting; Meopta Axomat 5 enlarger, GBP20; easels, two for GBP8. Only a handful of students are using it right now, but I think it will be more popular next year.
 
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I go to a community darkroom in Homerton when I want to make prints, but tbh I do that less and less frequently these days. Darkroom printing is satisfying and produces lovely results but it's time-consuming and, really, most of the time I don't have any idea why I'm printing, apart from the sheer joy of it, and that diminishes. I've done prints for my family once or twice but they really only want digital images anyway which they can print if they feel like - I've done some big prints for a photo exhibition once - that's about it.

I have one of those "free photo books" apps on my phone (NB they are not free, they charge you over the odds for postage, but it's still relatively cheap and the books are decent). I use that every now and then.

Apart from that I use instant film. It's not cheap but the whole process happens there and then. I have so much Polaroid Originals film stacked up in my fridge it's silly.
 
I don't have a photo printer, and since my local photo printers were taken over it seems they don't calibrate their machines anymore.

But I do like to have a print. I recently got out a folder of 10 X 15s from when I was entering prints into a camera club. Seems like an age ago.

Ironic that two years after I bought a high Res camera which can do very large prints and I haven't made any!
 
I did make a photo book with blurb which was satisfying. Only done it once though so far that is.
 
Someone gave me a digital photo frame on which you can display a number of photos, but you had to plug it in. Never used it, no idea where it is now.
 
I print mine on an inkjet printer on proper photo paper, and they're as good as any of the photos I've had developed and printed at a shop.
 
The Last Exposure
Chemicals and paper have made the world of photography a mixture of art and science for years - has digital photography taken away that alchemical magic?


That was a nice listen, reminded me of a friend who still uses a dark room and a large format camera.
 
I've never developed my own, but as a keen amateur photographer I do feel that something has been taken away by digital - the anticipation of waiting to see how your pictures turned out.

When I went to Egypt in the early '90s, I took 12 rolls of film and waiting to get them back and then looking through them all was the last bit of the holiday, bringing many happy memories back, the satisfaction of having a photo turn out really great the way you wanted it, or seeing when you'd got it wrong... I have lost interest in photography a bit since it all went digital.
 
I've never developed my own, but as a keen amateur photographer I do feel that something has been taken away by digital - the anticipation of waiting to see how your pictures turned out.
I think the opposite is true. Shooting in RAW negates that wait. You can now upload your photos directly to your PC and make them how you want to make them, not how the bored shop assistant with 2 hours training wants to make them.

Digital photography is the best thing that's ever happened to photography, IMO.
 
I've never developed my own, but as a keen amateur photographer I do feel that something has been taken away by digital - the anticipation of waiting to see how your pictures turned out.

When I went to Egypt in the early '90s, I took 12 rolls of film and waiting to get them back and then looking through them all was the last bit of the holiday, bringing many happy memories back, the satisfaction of having a photo turn out really great the way you wanted it, or seeing when you'd got it wrong... I have lost interest in photography a bit since it all went digital.
I can sympathise with this. I take film cameras on holiday now, partly because they are tough and don't need charging, but also because I don't want to be distracted by looking at pictures of things I am right in front of while I am literally right in front of them. Even if I could avoid chimping while I was out, I know I would be downloading them onto my phone (or laptop if I had it) when I was at a loose end. And then I'd never look at them again.

I scan the film I shoot, so when I get back I not only have to wait to have it developed but also pay close attention to it when scanning, and yeah it does bring back memories, particularly given that you have to consider what you want to express during the process, as well as try to work out when and where the hell you took this picture. Even more so for darkroom printing.

I have to admit that it is a pain in the bum scanning a dozen rolls of film though.

I like to shoot instant film on holiday too - you have the picture right there but it's also very evocative looking at them later, like a combination of photograph and physical souvenir. I've seen quite a lot of tourists with Instax cameras.
 
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