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I've been called a dinosaur. It happened in a photography seminar a couple of years ago when the instructor asked for a show of hands from those still using film. Actually, I was one of two dinosaurs that he labelled. Not an encouraging ratio for a class of about 20 people.

It's no surprise that professionals (like our seminar leader) have largely abandoned film, given the breakneck speed at which improvements in digital camera resolution and color accuracy are taking place. Gone are the days of carrying packs of Polaroid film and camera backs for verification of exposure and lighting. Now, we simply check the digital camera's LCD screen and its histogram, and make instant adjustments.

One harbinger that struck home recently was when I took my 120 format film to my favourite camera store, a.k.a. my reliable old local film processing facility. They informed me that their machine was acting up and that they likely would not be replacing it if it failed. If I was to continue to make my big, beautiful transparencies, I was likely going to have to mail my film to another city for processing. Until, that is, their machines also croak.

You can't blame them. They make their money selling digital cameras to a new throng of consumers who previously couldn't have been bothered with getting films developed.

My disappointment doesn't stem from the fact that I dislike digital. In fact, I shoot largely with a digital SLR now, and started scanning my 35mm films long before digital cameras achieved their current popularity. I also license my images online. In other words, I'm firmly entrenched in the digital photography realm.

I think it's more a case of nostalgia. Only in recent years have I been able to afford quality medium format film gear, albeit used and decades old. They're built like tanks and have lenses made from high quality glass. Yes - they're heavy and awkward, but the image quality is phenomenal. After shooting grainy 35mm slides for decades, I was now ready to emulate work done by real magazine photographers. I even purchased a scanner that allows me to scan the larger format films.

So, do I now sell off my antiques and scanners, only to replace them with the best and newest digital SLR? Well, judging by the amount of used film gear being bought and sold online, I would say - not so fast! Yes, some companies have dropped out of the business of supplying films and processing chemicals (AGFA), but others like the UK's venerable ILFORD (black and white only) and film giant KODAK are picking up the slack. New film products are even hitting the market! And others, like Freestyle Photographic Supplies, are doing what they can to keep the art alive by supplying film, darkroom supplies and film cameras.

Where this is leading me is that I can continue to use my film gear for as long as I'm willing to develop my own film, if necessary. The simplest by far to process is black and white, so when push comes to shove, that's what I'll be shooting. With my scanners, I'll be able to convert the films directly to digital without worrying about printing with an enlarger.

Is film dead or dying? There is no doubt that the professional's workflow today is predominantly digital. But, there is enough film equipment still working and in the hands of both professionals and enthusiastic amateurs that I can confidently predict that film will be around for a long time.

Gordon Wood is an engineer, writer and stock photographer. His main activity is technical writing, which he conducts through his company, Task Partner (http://taskpartner.ca). He has served in various industries, including microelectronics, anti-submarine warfare equipment development, heavy equipment manufacturing, medical imaging systems, digital projection systems and contract electronic manufacturing. Gordon's photographic work can also be viewed at http://realworldphoto.com

Michael Belk: Profile Of An Award-Winning Christian Photographer

By his own account, Michael Belk has lived a blessed life. As a worldly fashion photographer, he has been one of the best. His work has appeared in Vogue, Elle, GQ and Vanity Fair. And his clients have been a constellation unto themselves: Nautica, J.Crew, Polo and Christian Dior - to namedrop a few. But that’s just a portion of what he has accomplished in his life time.

Combining his gift for photography with a natural sales sense, he’s created advertising campaigns for many well-known names in the clothing industry. For 30-plus years, he has been the man behind the camera, the creative director and the account executive - a one-stop shop for fashion advertising.

“It has been intense,” he says, “but it has been a whole lot of fun... not as much about work as it has been about playing at something I love - traveling the world and working with many of the great models and crews in our industry." Not bad for a self-taught photographer who never picked-up a camera until he was 20. Born in Orlando and growing up in Ocala, Michael had a different life envisioned for himself when photography snagged his soul. “Working in retail clothing in high school and college, I was interested in the clothing industry and had no clue about photography.”

But somewhere around his 20th birthday, he and his brother hired a photographer friend to photograph them as a gift for their mother. Michael had definite ideas and directed the “on location” photo shoot. “I was fascinated with the whole process. I bought a 35mm camera and began shooting pictures of just about everything.”

Every life has definitive milestones. One of Michael’s came with only one semester remaining in college, when he heard about an opening for a sales position with Gant Shirtmakers. Gant was the clothing phenomena of the ’60s and this would be a job for a seasoned veteran, not a 22-year-old novice. Yet, Michael arranged an interview and somehow convinced Gant to take a chance on him. A few weeks later, he was traveling as a sales executive. But, he notes, “I always had my camera on the front seat next to me.”

Three years later, while attending a Gant sales meeting, Michael was unimpressed with the advertising agency presentation. “I just didn’t feel that the agency understood who we were.” Back home in Florida, he photographed a friend wearing Gant samples and created images he felt portrayed the look Gant needed. Then, he took the images to New York and presented them to Gant’s management and design staff. They loved the look, moved their account to a new agency and created a new campaign titled, “The Gant Attitude.”

Having his “style” validated, Michael began photographing his entire sample line, using his friends as models. In a makeshift darkroom, he created a book of 8 x 10 photographs to use as a visual aid when presenting the line to retail clients. “The response to this presentation was so strong, I began exploring the idea of creating these ’look books’ for other companies for their salesmen.” His business plan showed so much promise that he resigned from Gant and headed for New York in August 1976.

It was nip and tuck for the first year until he landed an account whose order exceeded the average order by seven times. As his business and his reputation grew, Michael was asked if he could create printed brochures in addition to the “look books.” Eventually, this led to creating advertising campaigns. “I would start a company out on ’look books’ and end up being their ad agency.”

In 1989, he moved his company to Atlanta for the unexpected next milestone. “We were about a $2 million company, doing great work for several small accounts.” Russell Athletic, an industry giant, purchased one of those accounts. The executives at Russell liked the work Michael produced for others and asked him to “pitch” the advertising for one of their larger divisions. He won the account, and Michael Belk & Company’s business jumped 400 percent. “We were cooking! Print campaigns, television commercials and, along with a string of other accounts, I didn’t feel at home if not on an airplane or in a hotel.”

At 42, his life had great excitement, huge success, but very little substance. “Outwardly, my life was full. Inside, I was running on empty.” Physically and emotionally, he ran out of steam. “You can red-line your engine only so many times and mine had flamed out.” Michael found himself in a very dark place. “I kept thinking that I could get myself out of this abyss, but it just wasn’t happening.” Lying awake one night, completely unsure of his fate, Michael had a visitor.

“You think back over these things and wonder if they really happened, but I distinctly remember the absolute presence of God in my room. He asked me if I wanted to keep doing things my way or maybe try them His way. I knew that I couldn’t get out of this on my own, and realized that it was time to try His way.” From that moment, Michael says, his life began to change. “It was still a difficult time. God had no intention of fixing it all at once.” Over the next months (and years), incredible people came into his life, Michael says, all bringing information that would reshape his life into “the one God had intended for me all along.”

In 1993, he decided to take a break. He closed his business, remaining a consultant on two accounts, began building his English-style country home on 80 acres in North Georgia and started working on an idea for a book. “I had this idea for creating a book that could be used as a marketing tool for a large company.” He began writing and calling for appointments with industry giants. Finally, Reebok, Kodak and Champion Sportswear agreed to see him. “Reebok liked the concept, Kodak was indifferent and, to my overwhelming surprise, Champion agreed to back the idea.” Champion, as part of Sara Lee, would be an Olympic sponsor that year and saw great potential in Michael’s book, which would be exclusive to them. The book, “Beyond the Sport, The Victory Within,” told inspirational stories of America’s Winter Olympians, featuring greats such as Peggy Fleming, Scott Hamilton and Eric Heiden. Michael not only created the photographs, he wrote it as well. Twenty-five thousand copies were sold.

Yet, if he thought the publication of the book had overwhelmed him, it was nothing compared to being reunited with his college-sweetheart that same year. “It had to be divine intervention,” he said. “She was 400 miles away and I had not seen her in over 21 years.” When they met in Pensacola, Florida in April, it was love at second sight. They knew at once what their future held and they were married five months later. “Since Cheryl and I married, both of us have grown exponentially in our relationship with the Lord. He is the center of our lives and the One who has blessed us so. "

Michael and Cheryl spent a year building their North Georgia home. But, after four years of living in a remote area, they sold the farm and returned to their beloved North Florida. Her two children, who Michael considers as his own, are grown and married, and Michael loves being the grandfather of four little boys.

These days, although Michael’s life has taken a much more contemplative turn, his schedule is just as hectic as usual, having spent the past one and a half years creating Journeys With the Messiah. “Although Journeys is in its infancy, I plan for it to occupy much of the coming years. There are so many directions it can go.” He looks back on his life as an incredible journey - one full of lessons learned.

About the Author

Henry Longman is an expert on Christian art prints and other Christian framed arts. He has written numerous articles surrounding the subject photography throughout the years. Michael Belk is one of the foremost Christian photographers--traveling to serene locations throughout the world for his work.

how to ship darkroom chemicals?

im trying to ship my darkroom chemicals to different state.they all are from kodak.post office(usps,fedex) tells me i need special stickers which i can get from kodak website.i turned it upsaid down,can not find!does anybody knows if there is other way?or help me find stickers?
thank you

Well they aren't stickers, but you can print them out on an Avery label and make them into a sticker. The information they are requesting can be found on this page and be printed out by clicking the printer icon in the upper right hand corner. http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq-path=7355&pq-locale=en_US

Furthermore, they may request or require a MSDS for your product so you may as well go here http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq-path=2879/4648&pq-locale=en_US and print the MSDS for each product you are shipping.

I hope this helps you out.

RSF photographer creates unique series of seascapes using time exposures after sunset on area beaches
When Bill Rastetter isn't running a biotech firm developing a drug to combat multiple sclerosis, you will often find him in his home darkroom developing and printing black and white photographs or on a beach in Solana Beach or La Jolla after sunset behind the lens of his custom-made 4x5 camera quietly capturing on color transparencies, with time exposures, abstract mood-rich seascapes in colors ...

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