I hit the wall yesterday after lunch and decided to make some French press coffee to get a little extra energy flowing. I can tell how strong it is by how much half and half I need to add. It was a bracing cup, let's put it that way. I enjoyed seeing the reflection of the trees in the surface of my favorite beverage as well as in the puddle on the table. I ended up having a reasonably productive afternoon. I had just watched a video presented by photographer Alec Soth who at one point mentioned that he enjoys shooting on both film and digital. He talked about how nostalgia can present a major challenge for photographers using film. And yet, many of us respond very strongly to the qualities of analogue processes for reasons other than just nostalgia. I think the color shifts, imperfections, and other properties of film can be used to artistic advantage without drawing undue attention to themselves. In some ways, the use of film simulations, filters and the like on digital images to make them appear analogue is a more egregious example of creeping nostalgia than using film for a given project.
Or is it? It could just be a matter of taste, like, you know, creme in your coffee.
