Jackals. Film is holding you back. Not all of you, but more than you imagine. I know because you’ve told me. Haters need to watch and listen. I tell you why, and how you can overcome. This baby is all over the place, but that’s how I like to be. I’ve been at the center of a whirlwind for the past fifteen years, much of which is my own fault. My wife just asked who I was texting. I responded, “I’m not texting.” “I’m handling the details for two workshops, helping a customer with a CS issue, organizing an upcoming event, working with another photographer on an upcoming live event, sending advice to my niece in Europe, writing to someone in the Balkans about an upcoming trip, and booking two airline tickets.” And that was just from a moment between moments while sitting on a chair in my living room using only my phone. This isn’t bragging. This kinda sucks, actually, but it’s normal for me. And it’s a Saturday, when most people are at the park smoking crack.
The reason I say this is that I get bombarded by correspondence.
Again, I ask for it. I most often welcome it because it reveals patterns in behavior, questions, and direction. You to me. You ask, and I will provide a valid response. Sometimes this response is light and fluffy, and other times it comes like stepping on a Lego in the middle of the night. One thing I consistently hear is, “You say things that no one else is saying.” I believe this to be true. Why? Because I don’t need or want anything from you, other than being pals, sharing moments, and information. Don’t need your likes or subs. The last short film I uploaded made $0.11. The last long film I uploaded made $15.00. Wow. What a payoff. I don’t make my living with this, nor will I ever, which means I can be honest with you. Nor do I have to pander to posting things that prey on your weaknesses, which is what 98% of online photo channels do. Many folks helped me when I was coming up. Now it’s my turn.
Comments 27
Do you consider Joe Greer one of the film bros?
Author
Don’t know him, but if he’s telling people film is better, or more important, then I would put him in that class.
” Doctor, I think I’m a pair of curtains!”…..Pull yourself together!…..Next: ” Doctor, I can’t decide whether to shoot film or digital.” ….take Dan Milnor three times a day, finish the course and stay off Youtube. “what happens if I go on YouTube, Doc”? ……..You’ll grown a fine beard, wear a Beanie hat, show the cat how to make coffee and make love to a Leica.
Shirley, you cant be serious .
Author
Guess I picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue.
Author
Yes, there is a certain film caricature that permeates the online film world. I’m not that cool.
Bravo dude.
Author
Gracias.
I really enjoy all your films, and this one more than most.
In a sense, I’m happy to see young people pick up film. We agree it doesn’t make their photography better. There is a relative degree of difficulty in shooting film, stepping back from the instant gratification, the screens, etc. Many young people haven’t worked with their hands, haven’t worked manually, and for them this engages a new set of senses. Film may be a detour, be it’s one that may offer a new perspective, which is something some young people are hungry for. I’d encourage this, even if for reasons outside photography itself.
Author
You are spot on. Generations of people born on screens, away from the land, with soft, soft hands. And yes, use it all. Use everything, but know enough to know how and when to use it.
Breathe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jp12oDiT-oA
Author
My wife’s favorite band.
I shoot both because I basically grew up on film, then switched like everyone else in the early 2000s.
However, (and I blame Smogranch!) I switched entirely to film between 2012-2017 or so, and now, looking back, kind of regret it. I wish I’d shot both, especially at the Kumbh Mela and in Cambodia.
But both are different, and both are good.
Author
That’s right. Use it all, pick and choose what’s right. So many are being misled by folks who just don’t know.
Dear Dan,
I want to thank you so much for your work. I am a hobbyist documenting my family. You are an inspiration to me and I will follow your advise, because I totally agree with you.
Some thoughts and I am very curious about your opinion: What is the most limited resource nowadays? I think its text and literature proved to be only human written. And in some way I think this is also true for photography. AI is everywhere.
When I was a child and my parents started using digital, it led to big gap in family photography. Because only the printed pictures survived time. The only pics from my grandparents are the positives slides. All digital stuff is gone. Lost in time, encryption, accessibility.
Now, AI comes up. By pushing the “optimize” button on your smartphone, Ai will sometimes extend the picture with content that was not present and people don’t event notice.
My approach to overcome these limitations of digital is the following: I shoot B/W film, make contact prints, and prints. I shoot digital and make well designed but cheap printed family books in a higher number to distribute them to the family members with the purpose that some of them will survive time. The books are very important to my kids. They love looking at them and they build up their identity with their pictures and the stories connected to them. But I think I will add a comment that the content of the pictures are not manipulated. I hope the future will take me by the word when big brother is watching them 😉
Greetings from Switzerland, Michael
Author
I hear you, but there is no guarantee film survives. Sure, I still have my mom’d Kodachrome trays, but all her negatives are gone. And why not use digital responsibly? Archiving over decades is the White Elephant in the room for digital, you are spot on about that, but each year the options get better. Still nothing perfect, but better.
Author
And yes to the books!
Books sound like the easiest way to deal with the massive amount of digital files. It will make it easier to delete all the second best photos, knowing that I’ve saved the best in book form, and the bulk of the remaining photos can be deleted.
Author
Me, I never delete anything. Storage is so inexpensive now, and I always find myself going back to stories and either finding new gems or finding an image that will work for a book. It might not be a beautiful image, but I helps tell the story.
I recently bought a big SSD and a much faster computer. The task was to go through the digital files and look at what I’d accumulated. I had had kept everything, thinking I might go back and see if I’d missed any winners. I quickly realized that I had many versions of the same photo from the same day, within minutes of each other as I tried different settings. One was edited, and there were a bunch of almosts. But then there were a bunch of completely out of focus, massively under or over exposed. And when I say a bunch, I mean many, especially during the early learning years. Those are easy to delete and I’ll never miss them; that was 2 TB or so. (Still learning, but mostly get a competent photo pretty quickly.) The very best go in a book, of course. As a side note the hard drive storage might be inexpensive, but then you need a system, a good system to be able to find a file you’re looking for, and maintain a back up system. As for SSD, the one I bought early this year is now triple the price.
Author
Yes, you need to catalog your work, with film or digital. This is a lifelong pursuit, and there is no way around it. Especially if you have to access your work from the road. I don’t throw anything away. I’ve not found an image, no matter how bad, that I can’t find a use for in a book.
My grandma, currently at the age of 86, never switched to digital, always shots film – and we browse her photo albums most times we visit, and she prints and hangs on the walls. She shows her work more than most photographers 😀
Growing up I shot film, then my dad through his work got to loan digital cameras, the most fun one the Apple QuickTake 100, and damn the quality was crap haha, but I was hooked on digital – instant access and on to the web. Now it’s going backwards to film, scanning still sucks sometimes though! But I feel proud, like I’ve achieved something with my hands when those images are printed in small batch magazines, 5×5, 7×7 books or framed. Especially when I gift it to friends and family or they request prints, that’s just pure joy.
Great reality check talks as per usual.
Author
Hey, whatever works. As long as the process isn’t hurting your education. Go for it.
As always, late to the show. Sorry.
I do think this is one of your best videos. Hats off.
I agree with what you said, but I’d like to throw in a few cents.
Instruments do matter. Especially musical ones. I know, I used to play, and my parents were musicians.
I used a shoebox and a tin can to take photographs. Great fun and experience. And the prints… were just different. Do I use a shoebox today? No.
You’re right – – the final work is what matters. At least, that’s how I understand what you mean by “product.” But the process matters too. Unless you do it professionally, maybe, when all you experience is stress, alcohol and a neurotic boss.
I personally enjoy every single second -from loading a roll of film into my Rolleicord, or an SD card into my 12 y.o. Fuji, through holding them in my hands, pressing the shutter, developing, editing, sequencing, and fighting my way towards the final result – a print or a book.
I don’t do it professionally, and I’m so happy I don’t have to. Because then I’d probably become product-oriented only and miss the whole fun.
At the end of the day, life is so fucking short. Why not enjoy whatever we decide to make? The process, the final result, the whole lot. Why not just try to get better by an inch every week?
From my experience, some people become engrossed in the process only because they simply want to escape their daily boring lives. Some because they’re afraid to see the final result as IG is full of “amazing” images. Some don’t want to expose their own bullshit – as you said.
And lastly, Dan… you have no idea how many people argue about which pencil is better, which paper is superior, thinking that a better pencil will draw for them. 🙂
You rock, man.
Author
You miss the point. I started by saying I love film. Two, it’s about where you are on the educational arc. Those who are near the bottom, many of who have been sold a bill of goods about film, are being held back by the process. I know this as fact due to the number of people who reach out, and the number of projects I’ve reviewed. THOSE people should use digital to learn the basics, then use film strategically. It has nothing to do with loving the process. It’s about learning. The hipsters prey on them by feeding them junk about film superiority. It’s nonsense.
Thank you for your response Dan.
I did understand that your point was about learning, hipsters and couch-photographers -100% agree on that. And I never said you didn’t love film 🙂 I know you do.
I guess my point was – not everyone who is near the bottom of the educational arc is there actually to learn. It’s just my observation from my teaching experience that I thought might also be relatable to photography. Anyway – have a great day. Looking forward to your next post / video!
Author
That’s an interesting point, but so foreign to me, and I don’t see it and hear it in those reaching out to me. It feels like everyone is trying to learn. But maybe there is a subset of those who aren’t. I can see students not wanting to learn, but most people who take up hobbies seem like they want to progress, but again, an interesting angle.