Live data from Hacker News

I quit editing photos

jamesbaker.uk

61–70 of 160 posts

Re: I quit editing photos

#61
Film is cool up until you waste 60$ on film and development to get blank rolls.

I have a very cheap mirrorless camera that I've taken around the world.

I accidentally dropped it, it bounced and was fine.

As for editing, I generally use mobile Lightroom to tweak lighting and that's it.

Their is a camera conundrum. What good is a camera so expensive you're afraid to use it ?

Re: I quit editing photos

#62
post #54

I don't want to dunk on people who are discovering the charms of retro tech, but as someone who started with film and spent a fair amount of time in the darkroom, I was delighted to discover the hassle-free simplicity and dependability of digital photography, so it is a bit mind-boggling that people want to go back to the old way of doing things for their everyday snaps. It reminds me of people buying vinyl, using VH…

I am not a professional. But I had done some film photography in its last days. The photos that I took during the time, just casually, tops any photo that I take now a days with by DSLR. It is not in raw "quality". But what are we trying to capture when we take a picture? Is it raw pixels? or is it some emotion that we originally got when we were looking at something. For some reason, I think film captures and regene…

That emotion is nostalgia, whether real or perceived. It's not a bad thing, some of my favorite photos are on b&w film. Film has a texture and (inaccurate) colors/tones that aren't really reproduced in digital cameras but are all over the place in media we consume and personal/family photos, usually from an older time.

Re: I quit editing photos

#63

I don't want to dunk on people who are discovering the charms of retro tech, but as someone who started with film and spent a fair amount of time in the darkroom, I was delighted to discover the hassle-free simplicity and dependability of digital photography, so it is a bit mind-boggling that people want to go back to the old way of doing things for their everyday snaps. It reminds me of people buying vinyl, using VH…

It reminds me of people buying vinyl... signaling... It's absolutely partly this. But, for me today, as a sometimes hobbyist, it's also about the process... Digital is too good. The cameras are too good. The results are too good. There's no anticipation. The analog experience is, to be trite, so much more analog. A good vintage film camera (and probably new Leica too) feels so good in the hand. Like a nice watch, it'…

It's this, and also simple nostalgia. Getting out my vinyl records reminds me of my teenage and early adult years. Responsibilites were few, life was pretty simple, I could spend hours with them and the only consequence was delayed homework. I was into film photography during that same time, and the occasional urges to take it up again are filled with memories of those days. The reality of what film photography costs now kills that pretty quickly.

Re: I quit editing photos

#64

I don't want to dunk on people who are discovering the charms of retro tech, but as someone who started with film and spent a fair amount of time in the darkroom, I was delighted to discover the hassle-free simplicity and dependability of digital photography, so it is a bit mind-boggling that people want to go back to the old way of doing things for their everyday snaps. It reminds me of people buying vinyl, using VH…

There are plenty of people who sincerely enjoy the aspects that make older tech less convenient or practical. Maybe it's an appreciation for the engineering or "comprehensibility," often it's because older tech produces unique outputs that can't be adequately captured by newer technology. Reducing people's interest to "social signalling" comes off as dismissive.

Come on. This article isn't about the joys of doing things the hard way. To quote: "Then, at the start of 2022 I got my first analogue film camera: a Leica M6. (I know... I dived straight in the deep end.) This was my first introduction to how editing could be easier."

It isn't easier. Film is pain. Pain can be good, but this is selling a mirage.

Re: I quit editing photos

#66

I don't want to dunk on people who are discovering the charms of retro tech, but as someone who started with film and spent a fair amount of time in the darkroom, I was delighted to discover the hassle-free simplicity and dependability of digital photography, so it is a bit mind-boggling that people want to go back to the old way of doing things for their everyday snaps. It reminds me of people buying vinyl, using VH…

Vinyl (IMO) isn't about it being retro or having "better" sound quality (whatever that means, it's mostly subjective), but about having a collectable, physical item. I think CDs were a step backwards, not because the sound quality was off but because the boxes were smaller and fragile; I've never owned any music CDs.

Digital music is neat for listening to music, but it also feels like it lowers the value of it.

Re: I quit editing photos

#67
post #22

I got tired of in depth fiddly editing and wrote Filmulator to minimize the decision-making and streamline editing. I rarely spend more than 20-30 seconds per image. You get a clean, basic look, no weird colors or overly creative "looks", but with adjustability and great highlight handling that JPEG doesn't get you. https://filmulator.org The current builds there are quite old but we've got new ones coming.

Oh, great to see this on HN! I found Filmulator a few years ago and used it for most of my raw photography (which, admittedly, isn't a lot) and found it amazing. Exactly what I wanted. Streamlined, easy to get into, fun. And I really like the way my pictures come out at the end. Thank you for your work :)

Re: I quit editing photos

#68
post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This looks right up my alley. Does it properly support true monochrome raw DNG files? I.E., cameras that don't have a bayer filter and don't require a debayering pass. I'm shooting a Pentax K3 Mark III Monochrome, although Leica has a couple true monochrome cameras and there are services that will de-bayer cameras and modify the firmware to achieve similar ends.

Yes, it properly supports monochrome DNG and disables (and hides) tools that are not applicable such as demosaicing, CA correction, highlight recovery, white balance, etc. I didn't know such firmware hacking was available. I'd been waiting for the GR Monochrome for years but it's a bit expensive for me.

I don't know if the firmware mods are public but I saw one conversion service offer it when I was researching. If I can find the link I'll post it here this evening.

Re: I quit editing photos

#69
post #17

Whatever floats the boat. Even back to film/analog era, taking a photo is just the 1st step. Then apply some darkroom work (dodge/burn/use some filters to adjust the highlight/shadow etc etc). Image editing softwares like Photoshop simplify the process. I mostly shoot in black & white (both film and digital). Since once of my biggest inspirations is Ansel Adams, then no I don't adhere to "SOOC" (straight out of camer…

Printmaking is a huge part of the art form. I think a lot of people miss this fact in the "shoot and scan" age of film photography. Not everyone cares, or even needs to care, but those who do really should read the Ansel Adams trilogy.

"Shoot and scan" is convenient. Hard to argue with it. But hey, if you want convenience, why are still using film?

:D

But anyway, yes print making is both art and science on its own. Finding local labs to develop and scan films is pretty easy. But darkroom to print your photos the old school way? Happy to find a new one (I'm on Jakarta, btw).

Re: I quit editing photos

#70
post #32
post #17

Whatever floats the boat. Even back to film/analog era, taking a photo is just the 1st step. Then apply some darkroom work (dodge/burn/use some filters to adjust the highlight/shadow etc etc). Image editing softwares like Photoshop simplify the process. I mostly shoot in black & white (both film and digital). Since once of my biggest inspirations is Ansel Adams, then no I don't adhere to "SOOC" (straight out of camer…

You probably know this, but shooting in color and then converting to b/w afterwards gives you more artistic options than letting the camera do the b/w conversion.

Yes this is my workflow when shooting digitally. Always in RAW & color for greater flexibility during B/W conversion.
Post reply on HN