I’ve decided I am not a photography traditionalist, for the mere reason that I have decided that they all seem to be digital snobs. “Euw digital, get that away, digital evil” - actual reaction I got the other day when I pulled out my camera to snap a few shots. My response “It’s easy and cheap”. But it’s not just that. I bet I take better photos than anything she’s taken on a film camera. It’s not what you’re using, it’s how you’re using it. I actually wanted a polaroid camera recently, I never got it, and simply because, I could find the camera nice and cheap, but the film for those things cost more than the cameras, and while I love the look of a polaroid photo and the fact that it’s instantaneous, I cannot justify spending that much on a whim.
Photography to me is not about the technology I’m using, it’s about the art and beauty that technology can capture for me. I’m a painter at heart and photography just cropped up because it was a way to freeze a scene I wanted to paint later, unlike cameras, some paint and a canvas and a brush aren’t always able to be on hand. Then I realised that some of the things I could capture with a camera I was just not good enough to paint, so I started taking photos of things that were composed in such a way, or had a certain light, or looked completely different from different angles. And it surprises me how much beauty I can find in the city (fyi I am not a city girl, I am entirely country bumkin and the country is where my heart lies). In random places like the centuries old cemetery and the university and even works offices.
I don’t mind if someone has a preference. I would take photos on film as well if I had the time. But please don’t try to stuff your preference down my throat without proof that it has served you better than mine has served me. Perhaps you would call me an art traditionalist because I believe that photography must be art, but I think any photographer would like their photos to be viewed as such, doesn’t matter if they are a hobbyist or a professional. A photo was taken for a reason. I just like that reason to be good. And I don’t care if I’m taking the shot on an old digital camera that didn’t cost a couple of grand or disposable camera with only one setting - what you see is what you get and what I see is awesome
