Film Vs Digital

I know we are in the age of everything digital, but what happened to film? I studied photography in high school and college, and learned the art of film. I learned how to choose the right speed of film, manually shoot it, develop it, and make enlargements. In my opinion, that was the best part of photography. It was creating a piece of art from start to finish.

But the times, they are changing. Now you shoot the image, upload it to a computer, and print it out. It doesn't seem as personal as it used to be. Don't get me wrong, I do love how easy shooting digital can be. But I do miss all the time I spent in the darkroom trying to get a print just right. Or being able to choose more than just glossy or matte finish.

I think it's sad that some schools don't even have darkrooms anymore. They have gone completely digital. I remember how to burn and dodge without using Photoshop. Gone are the times when we'd be in the darkroom for hours. We no longer have to tone our images ourselves. Now we just have to click a button on Photoshop, and it will take care of it for us.

I embrace the future of photography and welcome the digital era. But I will remember and miss the days of the darkroom.