Photography

I still have my first drop-in cartridge Kodak camera, and it still works despite being used for years as a "play camera" for my son when he was just a little boy. And, I do have a few film cameras here, and some film stored in the refrigerator and on the shelves. What I'm sorry to admit is that the film in my fridge is well past its expiration date—but I can't seem to part with it, at least not just yet. I honestly don't know why, I haven't used film in my camera since 2005, but then again, I haven't been in a darkroom since 1995 and can't part with those darkroom supplies either. Go figure those emotional attachment to things! I'm a digital convert. Momma don't take my PhotoShop awayyyyyy....

Although I don't walk in the darkroom anymore, photoediting software, when used to reproduce the tasks that would have been performed in the darkroom, offers a great alternative to inhaling all the lovely processing chemicals. I've been using PhotoShop since version 2.0, and have a strong grasp of what I'll call the "traditional tool set" as well as their filters. My favorite part of the application is the capability for layering. Unlike stacking negatives or slides in the darkroom, the layering abilities are not just additive or mulitplicative properties, and the number of layers is really only limited to the processing capabilities of my computer. Still, the capabilities of my now 5-year old laptop can definitely stall with full-size images and more than 5 layers.

My digital cameras include a cell phone (ha! merely an emergency device), an older Canon G5 (still love its capabilities and the fact that it's a robust, hearty, and weighty camera), and the last of the Minolta (Konica-Minolta) line, the D7. I've been a long-time Minolta camera user, starting back in 1983. It's not that I'm a die-hard Minolta fan...but more of an economical position...related to the lenses I've purchased and upgraded to along the way that are compatible. I'm not sure that I can continue my loyalties since Sony has inherited the Minolta technologies, but as long as their reviews come through in the positive form and their lens mounts remain compatible with the Minolta mount...I guess I'm willing to take my chances!

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