The astonishing REALISM of slow speed ISO films

[Bstable]

For sure. One that that has been somewhat lost in the digital age is composition. Now it's more the lucky shot and photoshop. Take a thousand shots and maybe you'll get a good one! If not who cares we'll fix it in post.

My sister has been taking a class wanting to learn, and I've been trying to get her to keep a notebook on every shot she takes while learning and trying to get her to go fully manual for the learning period. She gets annoyed with me as every time I see her click the shutter I ask her what the setup of the camera was!

Amen to that...Yes, composition went out the door when people had 1000+ shots at their disposal. I remember how expensive the film and processing was, so when you had 24 shots...you made them count. It was even more expensive when you had to buy flashbulbs...remember those.

Nothing wrong with digital though. It has made things cheaper and easier. I do have a problem though when someone tries to show me 60 pictures of their new grandson sleeping in a bed. I mean my gosh, they all look the same except for a little movement of the camera.

Great pics Karl...I love the WWII stuff as well.

 

[LittleNaples]

IMO, the value of an image is much less than it used to be. Back in the day it was common to spend large sums to get just a few perfect images. Images today are essentially disposable. Supply and demand I guess. ..... OTOH, digital has raised the bar on average quality. The typical snapshot from the '50s to '70s was pretty bad. Technology has solved exposure and focus problems rather well.

Back in the day photographers were an elite breed of professionals who knew how to compose, light and process an analog film image. The number of photographic artists was a handful....Adams, Weston, Avedon etc. Amateurs were confined to the drugstore snapshot. Today there are literally hundreds of great professional photographers out there and with today's digital age just about anyone with a cell phone and an app is a photographer. The enormous number of disposable images that the media bombards us with every day has diluted the mix. Progress? Yes and No.

 

[I.R.Brainiac]

just like that Bachelor of Science I got for Radio Communications, lol.

The military trained me to fix VCRs and CRT televisions.

 

[MacNoob]

"Digital cameras have enabled more poor photographers to take more bad pictures more cheaply than ever before".... (Someone quoted)

 

[Karl vd Berg]

Great post.......also take into account that these photos were made on large format cameras. Most likely 4x5 Speed Graphics.

Yes! Other than making sure that every 4x5 inch shot was not wasted, operating those cameras was challenge too.
Huge wood tripods, available and/or mixed lighting together, composition, focusing (tilt & shift), manual metering, selective subjects, etc. Man, what a very slow process!

Everything had to be done meticulously.

Below a modern Linhof 4x5 and its single shot film...

 

[trhee]

At the other end of the spectrum, it's also allowed more people to take up the hobby and become a better photographer by allowing them to see instant results that they can learn from.

In the days of film, I had to carry around a journal and write down all the "meta data" for each frame I took so that I could learn from it. These days, it's one less thing to worry about. Every new technology has it's pros and cons.

Just a different perspective, the old glass half empty or half full.

"Digital cameras have enabled more poor photographers to take more bad pictures more cheaply than ever before".... (Someone quoted)

 

[tube-a-lou]

Fantastic photos thanks for sharing, now where my film camera's here they are!

 

[trhee]

These photos for me are not about film vs digital but rather about the skills of the photographer and their mastery of the craft.

It goes without saying that these photos are absolutely brilliant. :thmbsp:

 

[Karl vd Berg]

Minnesota photographer Jim Brandenburg once challenged himself to take just one film shot per day for 90 days. Just one shot.

Jim used normal, modern TTL and fast 35mm gear, but the oath was to take just one picture even if he could see another nice situation...

Different things, but challenges...

 

[Karl vd Berg]

Another old shot with K-25:

 

[tube-a-lou]

These keep getting better and better!

Tube

 

[tube-a-lou]

"Digital cameras have enabled more poor photographers to take more bad pictures more cheaply than ever before".... (Someone quoted)

It's true great quote!

Tube

 

[carcrazy]

Beautiful photos, thanks! I bought myself a Pentax K5 II and some lenses last year. I love seeing great photos as they are inspirational. I am going to have to take the camera out this Christmas vacation for some winter shots. I hope it works in the cold ( - 20).

 

[LittleNaples]

Forgot to mention another thing about these photos....the mind boggling effort of the USA to build planes, tanks, ships, weapons etc. in an incredibly short amount of time for the war effort. Remember every nut, bolt and rivet in those planes had to be built to specs and assembled without the aid of computers. A monumental engineering achievement.

 

[mhainz]

yep that's crazy good stuff.
And the large format definitely helps. I have a friend who still shoots occasionally with an 8x10 field camera and the sharpness and definition is just insane. Considering you don't need to enlarge prints; a simple contact print is almost A4 size the detail almost hurts your eyes.

 

[Karl vd Berg]

Forgot to mention another thing about these photos....the mind boggling effort of the USA to build planes, tanks, ships, weapons etc. in an incredibly short amount of time for the war effort. Remember every nut, bolt and rivet in those planes had to be built to specs and assembled without the aid of computers. A monumental engineering achievement.

True. And a special recognition to the women's labor in that time. :yes:

 

[jhtstone]

Wow, very nice! Thank-you.

I especially like the women during the mechanical work. Not enough nice pictures showing that side of the effort.

 

[mikeybc]

Another old shot with K-25:

Wow, Fantastic shot

 

[cratz2]

Another old shot with K-25:

That's a spectacular shot! :yes:

 

[Bogframe]

Kodachromes also faded far less than Ektachrome did. I just came across a 1939 35mm Kodachrome slide of my dad and uncle( my dad is the Boy Scout). This is what it looked like scanned at 6400 (reduced for Photobucket) with no exposure correction.



This is my grandmother. I think this was on the same roll.