I like analogue photography. That's how I learned to take photographs, that's how I learned to appreciate the craft. I like the haptic. I like the mechanics of cameras. They are heavy and indestructible. Completely without electronics, without sensors. No frills.
They are actually simple in structure. A black box with optics on the front and the film somewhere in the back. A trigger. But I take them in my hand and feel their value, their history. My Linhof is almost 70 years old, my Mamiyas are slightly younger.
Analogue photos are imperfect. They have a grain that we would see as a blemish in digital photos. But that's how it should be. Analogue photos have charm, they please our eyes. Analogue photography demands my attention. My focus on the moment.
Analog photography slows things down. She has her own pace. It takes me a while to focus manually. Until I measured the right shutter speed and the right aperture. Until I put the film in. Triggering is just the final act of a creative process.
But analogue photography also leads us into a dialogue. Lets us talk about our ideas, our motives. Because of its slowness, it also requires the person in front of the camera to be attentive. An intensive preoccupation with yourself. How do I want to portray myself when the shutter clicks? Analogue photography means: a few photos. That's it. Concentration on the here and now.
But does analogue photography still have commercial justification today? Naturally! It can be used wherever class rather than quantity is required. No matter whether in an advertising campaign or as a business portrait. The analogue, let’s call it: “cinematic”, look is more in demand than ever. So why should you recreate this impression digitally when you can create it yourself in the original with attention to detail?
And yes, an analog portrait may be expensive. But if you can afford it or want to afford it, you can treat yourself to an incomparable journey, from the conception to the shooting to the result. This result is not just 0s and 1s in a computer. It can be held in your hands as negative and positive. It can be felt. And I like that. And hopefully you too.
