Tangibility

Written and photographed by JT White

 

Something about a photographic print. Something about the feeling of a photograph that isn’t just equatable to zeros and ones. Something about a 35mm negative. Something about the scanned-in grain, dirt, and dust. Film is certainly annoying. It isn’t for the impatient. I’m impatient. Sometimes I hate it. Sometimes.

Other times, I find a negative. The process of going from the negative to a print really is something.

“More vignette…
Softer highlights…
Brighter faces…”

I remember thinking these things in the darkroom. I remember the process of making them work. It’s a tangible experience. Digital manipulation isn’t the same. Ironically, I feel like I haven’t got the patience for it.

This photo, for example (of a woman and reeds), was taken near my hometown in Newfoundland. A small town. I can’t figure out if the spot in the distance is a bird or dust. I’m not sure it matters. I remember the rolling waves and the smell of the sea. Somehow, for me, film lends itself to such tangibility. This negative was there with me. This scene was exposed onto that 35mm strip and will be there forever.

People often compliment me for being able to mimic film in digital. I’m happy I’m able to. I like the look of it. For me, though, it’s never the same. It isn’t the same because the image I end up with never really is more than a figment of an alternative reality. It doesn’t feel real. Even if I make a print from digital film. It isn’t the same.
Zeros and ones.

This is probably why I always end up back with a roll of film and an old camera. Whatever digital camera I buy ends up being replaced. It isn’t the same with film. I don’t feel the same way about it.

It really is more about the memory.

The tangibility.

The Author
Born on the small island of Newfoundland, off the east coast of Canada, JT grew up with a hockey stick instead of a camera. After moving to Korea in 2007, he began taking photos during his daily commute and hasn’t stopped since. His work has been published throughout the world, and he has hosted several Leica Akademies in both Canada and South Korea. He now calls Iksan, South Korea, home, where he lives with his wife, Seonju.