Digital Hating Hipster.

I received a comment on my blog recently that stated simply, and in its entirety, “You’re a digital hating hipster.” Well, I wasn’t even hip when I was the right age for it, but, more to the point, I don’t hate digital. I choose not to use it. As I’ve stated in previous posts, art is as much about the medium as it is about the product. What we do is informed by how we do it. I choose film because of the lack of instant gratification, and the meticulous process of large format photography; what I refer to as “the slow zen of quality.” I have spent so much of my life hurrying about, trying to get everything done from work to home to fitness, and back again. I do so much in my line of work that revolves around computers and high-tech gadgetry. When I get to take pictures, or work in the darkroom, I get that rarest of opportunities, which is to take a breath, and let the world pass around me for just a little while. I get to live briefly in the world as it was when Ansel Adams climbed the Sierras, and developed his film under the stars. It doesn’t take hating digital to want that. It takes loving film.

The exchange went back and forth for a while, and eventually I must have convinced him of the fact that I’m much too old to be a hipster. I had long hair since the 70’s (except for my time in the military), and grew a beard around 2003. I grew up in flannel shirt central: Pennsylvania when Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, and Reagan were Presidents, and even wore them unbuttoned with a tee shirt underneath (I don’t think I would do that today).

The truth is: I like film. I like the darkroom. I like the thrill of victory when a negative looks absolutely awesome, and I even like the agony of defeat when one doesn’t. It’s all part of the chase.

Here are some examples of why I like film:

Breitenbush Hot Springs Powerhouse, March 2007

During a brief stay at Breitenbush Hot Springs, I took the opportunity to wander around with my Hasselblad. The weather was gray, but summer was on its way. I was testing out some Maco ORT 25. It seems to have the ability to deliver some punch to dull lighting. It is now being produced under the Efke label.

One of the things I like about film is the look of orthochromatic film.

Camera: Hasselblad 500 CM,
Lens: 80mm Carl Zeiss,
Film: Maco (Efke) ORT 25 developed in Clayton F76+

Mossy Morning on the Zigzag

An Autumn morning on the Zigzag river in Oregon by gary Quay

Before the demise of R (reversal) paper, I had this image printed for a local gallery. I was told by the owner that he felt like he could reach into the water. It’s the water that makes this picture work.

Camera: Hasselblad 500 CM
Lens: 80mm Carl Zeiss
Film: Fuji Velvia

Technical Data:

Featured Image: Off Walker Farm Road, Mosier, Oregon, September 2011
Camera: Sinar Alpina 4×5
Lens: 150mm Fujinon with a green filter.
Film: Ilford FP4+ Developed in 510-Pyro.

Post update 12/24/24: This was one of my favorite posts. It was a fun exchange. Here are some more images I have made since then.:

The Columbia from Mayer State Park, Oregon

We wanted to escape the omnipresent cloud cover in the Portland area, so we made a pilgrimage to the eastern Columbia Gorge, where the forecast predicted sun breaks. We were not disappointed. The Columbia River was calm, and the sun peaked through the clouds to the south.

Camera: Hasselblad 500CM
Lens: 120mm Zeiss Sonnar
Film: Ilford XP2 developed by Citizens Photo in Portland

The Padre and the Coyote

I visited Borrego Springs California with family between the holidays,, and we took a tour of some metal sculptures that I have never heard of, but apparently mildly famous. I had a film camera along, and took this picture near twilight.

The statue is called “The Padre” and the nountain behind it is Coyote Mountain. It’s part of the Santa Rosa Mountains of Southern California.

I like this kind of landscape because of how alien it is when compared to where I grew up in Central Pennsylvania, and to where I live now.

Camera: Fuji GSW90III
Lens: 65mm Fujinon
Film: Kodak TMax 400 Developed in PMK Pyro