In the beginning, film users complaining about digital was understandable, it was a new system, with a lot of flaws, including image quality. Then it got annoying as digital started to match the sharpness and printing capabilities of film. Yet the resistance still grew as people complained that digital was too complex, involving new choices like white balance and resolution settings, not realizing that they had made those choices with film as well, anyone remember tungsten balance slide film or FLD and warming filters?
Well the talk continues and now the argument has focused on two major topics. First, that digital just doesn’t have the same feel as film visually, and second, that digital photography somehow has less artistic integrity.
Usually people that argue the first point are lacking one fundamental understanding about digital photography, the fact that it is actually a two part process, capturing and post processing. In this light, it is actually closest to old fashioned shoot-and-develop in the darkroom type photography! With a roll of traditional black and white film, the image wasn’t finished when you shot the picture, it was processed in chemistry, many times by hand and then printed once again by hand in a darkroom, which brings us to point two, artistic integrity.
Many “fine art” film photographers are moaning about the flexibility of digital photography meaning that it isn’t “true photography”. Hmm, doesn’t this argument sound a bit familiar? News flash, traditional darkroom techniques are JUST as manipulative as digital darkroom techniques! Where do you think that most digital post processing takes it’s inspiration? A quick look at any toolbar in almost any photo editing program reveals an exposure adjustment, a selective burning or dodging tool and a set of filters, adjustments you could make in any darkroom circa 1950’s.
Now, that being said, I love film! Film is special to me and I most likely won’t stop shooting it until you can’t find it any more period (won’t happen for a long time) however, you also won’t find me whining about digital photography while I’m doing it!