Some things, like this hyacinth plant, are present one day and gone very soon. The blossoms appear like clockwork the first week of March. By the the time April arrives they are spent, and wait 11 months to make another appearance. At least they return the next year. Some things lose their relevance, like last week’s People Magazine or a floppy disk. Some things lose their usefulness after a while, despite all the time and effort that went into creating them. I think compact disks (CDs) lasted longer than many bits of ephemera. For years I purchased CDs at book and record stores. I’m not even sure if those still exist. They must, but I wouldn’t see myself venturing to a mall to do something I can do very easily from my phone. It’s really rare that I actually purchase music these days. I normally pull up a playlist on a service like YouTube or Spotify or Apple Music. And I have to wonder how many decades these will last.
The perennial plants and flowers, like the hyacinth and other rhizomes, or plants that produce flowers at certain times, like the India Hawthorn, which begin to produce flowers later this month, remind me that everything has its time, but some things are cyclical. Unfortunately the CD may not make a comeback. Neither would the floppy disk or rotary dial phones. But, surprisingly, film photography is making a comeback, if you believe in science. I picked up my Minolta X370 and started taking pictures. Buying film wasn’t difficult, but finding a reliable processing lab proved to be a challenge, especially during a pandemic. After shooting a couple rolls of 35mm film I decided to get into medium format (120). My wife bought me a Holga 120N, then I purchased a Yashica-D camera on Ebay. And recently I started shooting with a Mamiya 645. I’m enjoying it, but at a cost of $2 per photo I have to consider what I’m taking a picture of and whether it’s worth the expense. Also, I only have so many exposures (12, 15, or 36 per roll), I have to be a little choosy.
But even if film isn’t making a comeback I feel passionate about the art and the science behind it, and I can’t imagine it will ever be completely obsolete. There are film photographers of all age groups and in every country around the world. “Old” film cameras are going for higher prices than I’ve seen in a while, and some film is getting pretty expensive, too, when you can get it. As hobbies go, it’s not cheap. And yet it isn’t slowing the demand for film and cameras. It can be a little frustrating to see how inflation affects even one’s hobby. It probably also applies to art supplies and golf clubs. I don’t shop for those things, so I have no idea what the prices are or where they’ve been recently. If you paint with oil or watercolor on canvas or paper or anything else that works you probably feel passionate about it. It isn’t about capturing a realistic image necessarily. A photograph can do that. But painting is more an outpouring of the artist’s very soul. At least it is a way to express yourself like with writing, dancing, or anything else considered artistic. You would expect that painting became less popular when photography was invented; yet, artists like Gustav Klimt, who was born after the invention of photography, his passion was to paint masterpieces, like The Kiss (1907-08).
Klimt could have explored photography; cameras were becoming more sophisticated by the beginning of the 20th century. But his expressions of erotic fantasy in painting are a gift to the world, not just art lovers. The allure and popularity of his style have not faded over the last 104 years since his death. Somehow these paintings have lasted. My snapshots, on the other hand, are ephemera. Well, perhaps not, if I take care to capture scenes that evoke feelings or inspire or cause a stir. I don’t intend to be controversial, but I also do not wish never to have been known. I do not seek fame, but I don’t mind the little attention I have collected from a few appreciative fellow photogs.
I keep shooting film because I enjoy it so much. It looks like this medium is here to stay, like paint and canvas. We should all have a passion regardless of whether it will make us famous or bring prosperity. I don’t think that’s what drove most of the great artists. For me, there is joy in finding a subject and the right light for the picture, then I search for an interesting angle, and if I can tell a story, all the better. I carefully line up the shot, checking the light with my meter, then make all the settings and focus. Then, CLICK! Then I wait.
Taking digital photos has stopped bringing me the kind of satisfaction I get from film photography. I love exploring the different film types (I’m shooting with tungsten-balanced film now). And I like to shoot at night. Lights and blurry images, shadows, it’s actually fun, and it excites me when I open the shutter and expose the film. I like to imagine what exactly I might have captured. And I won’t know right away, which is part of the fun. I hope film remains widely available so more people have the opportunity to experience this. For now I have some photos to take while the light lasts. Good night.
Bebop Marmaduke 
