A Simple Plan

These pages reveal a simple business plan, that merges with my own interest in black and white photography. A photograph that's good enough for me will also satisfy clients, so most of the equipment does double duty.

I enjoy working in a darkroom. A large format darkroom is also an asset to clients. It's something of a necessity for photographers who shoot medium or large format on a budget; sending the work to a lab is costly. A darkroom is also a benefit to my clients.

The same could be said for digital imaging, which is right up my alley (see "Paper Chase"). Artists and clients should be aware that film and digital are distinctly different mediums, each with strengths and weaknesses. My own bias is for film; I feel a strong connection to the traditions of photography.

It isn't my plan to open a camera store. Everything has a purpose. I trade equipment that gets little use, to buy something more useful. General photography requires more varied equipment, and I don't wish to be a specialist, who only does weddings, products, et cetera.

Photographic Equipment

There are specific goals at work in selecting equipment. If you care to visit the pages below, it helps to understand what I'm trying do. Some basic axioms follow.

• Digital imaging is very useful, but I have no plans to "go digital" exclusively. My effort is to get the best of both worlds.
• The death of film is greatly exaggerated. For high image quality and fine art prints, film is by far the best game in town.
• I want to offer clients a full range of quality and services, because it can happen for small additional costs. I use medium and large format cameras for my own interests in photography, so modest improvements were enough. A variety of work is enjoyable, but specialties are frequently a grind.
• Because digital imaging is useful, I have the means to convert film images to digital images (scanners). 35mm, 6x6cm, 6x7cm, 4"x5" and 5"x7" formats can all be converted to digital.
• My darkroom is based on the same philosophy. All film formats can also be enlarged, for conventional photographic prints. Labs in Boston are costly, and having a darkroom means substantially lower costs.
• Equipment is very much a matter individual tastes and preferences. My choices hang together very well. Anyone is free to have a peek in the equipment locker. I don't use rentals (which drive up costs) or beaters (unreliable).
• Last, I put my background in computer science to good use in the world of digital imaging. This axiom is universal. The more you know, the more you can do, at lower cost.