After several hours sitting at my computer this morning editing photographs I took in Fairhaven yesterday—had a delightful breakfast at Skylark with Barb—it struck me how photography has changed. I’ve thought about technological advances before, but it really hit me again this morning.
As a young girl, I remember my Dad behind closed bathroom door, developing negatives and printing his black and white photographs in the glow of the red light. The chemistry, the timer clicking off the minutes, the special paper, the process … it was like magic seeing the image appear from the blank photography paper! Once the light came back on, it was fun seeing all the photographs clipped to a clothesline in the bathroom to dry. Then Dad would run the dry prints through a heated press to straighten them.
It wasn’t until I was an adult and was involved in my own darkroom magic, that I greatly appreciated the skill and expertise required to not ruin negatives or overexpose or underexpose prints, as I have done on many occasions. I have a lot of respect for those who have and still do create their darkroom magic.
How appreciative I am today for digital photography!
I can take and keep or delete as many photographs as I please and know immediately if I have a good shot or need to shoot more while still on location. I can see the image immediately without having a roll of film processed before I can determine whether or not I have anything worth keeping. And, I love being able to process my images on my computer!
Processes continually change. I enjoyed the darkroom process, but I am having so much fun playing with today's new processes.
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