Excerpts from the Peanut Gallery

Film is not dead!

In the spring semester of my final year at Trin, I found out about, oh say a month before grad, that I was a credit short of graduating. I am not proud of this miscalculation, nor the tears I shed in front of a particular Dean of the department I had offended with it, but I share it because it is a funny anecdote that somewhat vaguely explains my entrance into my final course in undergrad- Art 230: Film Photography.

I will admit- I use a Canon DSLR now. And its been good to me, but there is still a nostalgic awe, love and respect for film. There is just something about the quality of colour and richness of tone and the fact that a little 35mm neg will always make a great print- even if its the size of your house. Its magic! I know how a SLR camera works, I've even watched taken the lens off at times just to watch the shutter open and close like a monkey with a piece of tinfoil. I "get it," but on the other hand, I don't. There is still a part of it- the light, the film chemicals, the tiny entrance of light, the backwards upside-down imprint of the world in front if me- that absolutely baffles me; delights me.

Its how I started, but moreover, it is how it all started. And up until I left Canada, I was still shooting both (luggage weight requirements and the desire to travel sans as many valuables as possible led me down the silly path of only bringing one camera body).

So the point of this little heartbroken note is that Polaroid has announced it will be discontinuing its line of instant film. I have yet to get into Polaroid photography (other than trying unsuccessfully at securing myself this hot number on ebay... oh such a sexy camera...I digress). I say yet, because i keep stumbling across sites like Film is not dead and Polaroid-only collective groups that tweak my interest and make eyes pop out like I'm looking through a Richard Avedon collection. Polaroid technology, when you really think about it, is one of our more magical inventions. An instant replica of the world around you. I am sure I could dig some sort of Christian object lesson- 9 years in the world of Christian education wasn't for nothing, that's for sure-but I won't for now.

I will just add, with a sigh, that there is a website called www.savepolaroid.com that I think is worth checking out. Polaroid came into digital late in the game and was never the pioneer with it that it was with film. So now its going to try to refocus. I don't feel like I have a legitimate right to be as upset as the photographers who've been working with it for years, but as a film-user at heart, there is a part of me that feels like we are loosing something beautiful and important.






I don't want to end this note with doom and gloom so: on the bright side, I did win a bid for a lomo action sampler and have it sitting awaiting my imminent return to my home and native land. I'll be able to make prints like Kevo's above and won't need any chump mac built-in digital webcam program to do it. But I'm not bitter ;)

Just a little more than two months to go it seems. I think I will give the old Olympus a nice session of lovin' as soon as I am back- along with my family and friends of course.




Sign the petition, do it. do it now, just so we can take pictures together. There is urgency! We're running out of time for both film and Nicaragua! Sign it! Join MEDA Trust! Unabashed self-promotion and tacky plug!
Just do something.

posted by Kiki @ 3:17 p.m.