Revisiting Film

I got an email from a friend this week whom I admire as an incredibly talented photographer/artist. He said something that really resonated with me. I quote "I wouldn't appreciate it [digital] nearly as much if I hadn't stuggled with the trial & error of film. I'm glad I have that foundation though because it applies to everything. I know you can relate. Also, Photoshop wouldn't have made as much sense to me had I not toiled over those stinky fluids under red light in a darkroom." This is so true! Photoshop is just a virtual darkroom. Those of you who use it regularly know this. But it really does make sense to me only in the context of the thousands of hours I spent in a "real" darkroom. Here is a photo that I scanned from my early photography days. I took this of my best friend when she was a senior in high school (1993). (I shot this with TMAX 400 and hand printed it using Ilford Pearl finish paper and a number 4 contrast filter-info only my photography buddies will relate to). I used photoshop only to remove some scratches and add my watermark. Other than that, it is exactly as shot. I miss--and don't miss-those old darkroom days.