Abandoned Kodak Plant, Toronto

[MPerson]

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Further to my post about the old Kodak film documentary. This popped up on another forum.

 

It is the old Kodak plant in Toronto, Canada which I believe is now gone.

 

Kodak Plant, Toronto

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The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[JBA]

Compelling for a film shooter.

[Leitzmac]

I found those images incredibly emotive. It's like a giant art installation representing the relentless, ruthless advance of digital and the diminishing demand for film. I am no 'digital hater', but it's frustrating that shooting film is becoming so much more expensive and increasingly inconvenient to shoot due to the whims of the masses. Let this serve as a visual reference of the tangible results of capitulating to the automatons. I was intrigued to read the news clipping mentioning the date of closure being 2005 and then the blurb beneath. Harrowing and tragic, like a microcosm of the 'developed world', reliance upon and yearning for computer technology to the detriment of manual skill. We humans (particularly photographers) are becoming outmoded and replaced by computers operated by nerds creating CGI, turning 'photography' into a somewhat unpleasant plastic-looking idea cooked up by those same computer freaks.

 

I'll get off the soapbox now!

[FastFashnReloaded]

I found those images incredibly emotive. It's like a giant art installation representing the relentless, ruthless advance of digital and the diminishing demand for film. I am no 'digital hater', but it's frustrating that shooting film is becoming so much more expensive and increasingly inconvenient to shoot due to the whims of the masses. Let this serve as a visual reference of the tangible results of capitulating to the automatons. I was intrigued to read the news clipping mentioning the date of closure being 2005 and then the blurb beneath. Harrowing and tragic, like a microcosm of the 'developed world', reliance upon and yearning for computer technology to the detriment of manual skill. We humans (particularly photographers) are becoming outmoded and replaced by computers operated by nerds creating CGI, turning 'photography' into a somewhat unpleasant plastic-looking idea cooked up by those same computer freaks.

 

I'll get off the soapbox now!

 

I'd still be shooting film if it weren't for what I perceive is the lack of knowledge apparent in people who develop film these days. I mean, you get a full frame sensor for a few bucks, how do you beat that? :-)

 

But, truth be told, Photoshop and instant gratification and ever-improving image quality makes film, well, kind of limiting. I can shoot a party, sporting event, wedding, and have a good idea of what the keepers are an hour after the event is done. No chemicals, no red lamps, no muss... If only Leica were making a full frame sensor M... Sigh.

[KM-25]

I'd still be shooting film if it weren't for what I perceive is the lack of knowledge apparent in people who develop film these days. I mean, you get a full frame sensor for a few bucks, how do you beat that? :-)

 

But, truth be told, Photoshop and instant gratification and ever-improving image quality makes film, well, kind of limiting. I can shoot a party, sporting event, wedding, and have a good idea of what the keepers are an hour after the event is done. No chemicals, no red lamps, no muss... If only Leica were making a full frame sensor M... Sigh.

 

Well the answer to that is easy: After using digital professionally for 15 years, I still prefer film. I use a journalistic ethic in shooting advertising, stock, editorial and fine art, so I use photoshop in limited fashion.

[Leitzmac]

I'd still be shooting film if it weren't for what I perceive is the lack of knowledge apparent in people who develop film these days. I mean, you get a full frame sensor for a few bucks, how do you beat that? :-)

 

Could it be that the perceived lack of processing knowledge you're referring to might have something to do with the proliferation of digital cameras?

 

 

But, truth be told, Photoshop and instant gratification and ever-improving image quality makes film, well, kind of limiting. I can shoot a party, sporting event, wedding, and have a good idea of what the keepers are an hour after the event is done. No chemicals, no red lamps, no muss... If only Leica were making a full frame sensor M... Sigh.

 

To me, digital has a long way to go in terms of image quality, dynamic range is still a problem - transitions from vivid highlights are often anything but smooth where they would have been seemlessly graduated on film. I agree things are getting better and the high end digital backs are pretty good, but for the kind of money you would spend on a top of the range digital back you could fill your Hasselblad with 120 almost ad infinitum! What your mentioning is just another facet of modern society: instant gratification and as for no chemicals etc., well that's alright because, instead, we just end up with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, terrible sight and who knows what other side effects as a result of being bombarded by radiation streaming forth from our computer screens! I can understand that its comforting to know you've got the pictures in the bag so to speak, I've experienced that with digital, but photographers got by just fine when they had to wait for films to be processed - furthermore some pictures were actually improved by mishaps in the darkroom like Capa's D-Day landings. Call me an idiot or a hopeless romantic, but isn't it just a little bit of a shame that we always know what we've got now?