Advent – that time in December, when all the Christmas lights are out and we plan and wait for Christmas, is one of my favourite times of the year.
I’ve been wanting to dig out my Diana to see how she would do at dusk with all these lights, but she uses 120 film, which is expensive to get hold of and expensive to process, and a hassle too, and it’s so much more convenient to just use a Diana filter in an app on my mobile. It’s not the same by far, but scratches some of the same itch, fake light leaks and all.
And it’s so much more convenient to hand my film in for processing, rather than setting up my own darkroom and learn to use it.
It’s all so convenient, this technology. But where does it take us? In the future, will I stop bothering with even my phone, and instead ask some artificial intelligence system to make me photos from my neighbourhood in December in Diana style?
More and more it feels like the technology takes away from us the opportunity to make choices in the process of making images – and isn’t the choices we make what makes an image more than mere representation of reality?
On the other hand, technology is also an equaliser. Surely today far more people have the chance to create images through photography and display them to the world than at any time in history. This is a wonderful thing.
So I don’t know, but I wonder, and worry, and walk, chasing the light with my phone.
~ All the best from Jenny G.
I often have those same thoughts about photography. But as usual, after looking at your images, I want to visit your part of the world even more!
The lights on the trees are gorgeous. I’d love to know what app you use with the diana filter too, that’s such a cool effect.
I think about what you describe and are curious about, and I wonder the same. I like the evening skies and color and the magical lights and candles. And I am also curious which app you used!