I suppose my approach to photography is fairly simple, and that I learned the basics of photography while working at a newspaper nearly 40 years ago does show in the photographs I make. That can be both good and bad, I reckon.

I hope I don’t make any enemies with what I am about to say, but here it is:

I see piles of images every day and forums full of images- some very impressive ones- that have been Photoshopped and Lightroomed to death. There are some very talented people out there who have become very good at computer editing. But let’s call that what it is: Computer Editing. That, to me, is not Photography. Granted, photographers have always adjusted exposure, contrast, color balance, and other things in the darkroom- and I do make exposure and contrast adjustments with my own scans of b&w negatives. But there is a difference in those kinds of adjustments and turning the image into Something Else Entirely. Is that wrong? No, not if that is what a person is after. But is it Photography? Not to me. I don’t care to be Andy Warhol, and besides, there has already been one of him-- and he was weird.

So I’m not an artiste, I’m a guy with a camera or two who has a huge soft spot for film- rollfilm, especially. I learned on a TLR and still use one from time to time, but in the last few years have taken a huge step backwards in technology and most often carry one or more folders. Talk about something that will make you Slow Down And Think About What You Are Doing… they will.

Now, I know I’m in the minority on a lot of this, and have to admit I could have bought some very nice digital gear with what I have spent on film and chemicals over the years. And I’ll admit further that digital does free one up from the limitations of film—and of course everyone who shoots digital is not a Lightroom addict (and thank God for that). If digital is what you love, fair enough.

But for me… I’ll accept the limitations that are part of the turf with film and available light. Sometimes it turns out OK.

(I also have been a lifelong musician, playing mostly traditional Irish music in recent decades, and enjoy participating in the Southern tradition of shaped note singing from The Sacred Harp. My CD now out is an instrumental rendering of that style of shaped note music- if you are interested, please message me and I'll send you the Amazon link for "Till The Warfare is Over". Posting it here would be considered tacky, I think.)

One last thing- A pox on Fujifilm for discontinuing Acros. A big ol' nasty Pox.