The decision

2 months ago

I was a high school student when I developed my first black and white photograph and I still remember it so vividly. The pale safelight, the smell of the chemicals, the tongs, the bowls and when the first image appeared before my eyes, the magic!

I am not sure if young people can resonate with my enthusiasm as I was taking my first steps in the wold of the darkroom. After all, there are already quite a few generations that grow up knowing that once you press the button, you can see your picture on a screen.

But it wasn't always like that, not at all!

There are some things though, that I don't miss at all. Counting the remaining poses on your last roll of film, taking notes about when and where you took your pictures, especially on long trips or even the inevitable mistakes that could ruin what you thought it was a great picture until you develop it :(

On the other hand I do miss the thrill, the excitement that every single roll of film was giving me until I actually develop it and see that everything turned out well and I had a few more pictures well taken!

And of course it was the decision. The decision that had to be made in advance and could define the success or the failure of a shooting.

What film should I use?

Negative or slide? High sensitivity or low? Kodak, Agfa or Fuji and which one of each brand? So many choices, so many different results and you could pick just one!

And maybe the most important one, colour film or black and white?

All those parameters and many more, are existing now simultaneously in a raw file. It is up to you to change whatever you like, in the comfort of your office, after you have seen the first results of your shooting. What a luxury! If you haven't experience the analog era, is hard to appreciate the huge easiness of the digital equipment.

When I first figured out what a raw file can do, when I realised that each shot is not one but a whole bunch of alternative pictures taken on the same moment, through the same lens, well it was time to pay my respects to the new technology.

And even if my monochrome photographs are not as authentic as if I had actually taken them with a b&w film, they are still good enough for me :)

I took those in my resent trip to Athens. Here you can find all the info you might want about the location and many more (different) colour pictures!