On my trip home from Jackson Hole, Wyoming some months ago, I asked someone in airport security to hand-check my bag, which was full of fresh rolls of film (a week’s worth of photographing clients). In case you didn’t know, I’m old school when it comes to photography. While I occasionally shoot digital, I usually prefer using one of my go-to film cameras: Contax, Hasselblad, or Canon. In fact, I have a whole other blog dedicated to my love of film.
Unfortunately, this means I often travel with unprocessed film, which is anything but convenient. Rather than send my bag through an X-ray machine that could potentially ruin my film (TSA says its fine, but why risk it?), I always ask security to physically look through my bag. On this particular occasion, I was lucky to find a patient attendant. She carefully unloaded my huge bag on a table and started examining each roll.
“So you still use film, huh? Haven’t seen this in a while. It’s so great to see someone still does this,” she said to me as she worked. “Isn’t film the best?”
“Yes,” I said cautiously, wondering if she really meant it or was mocking me. She smiled. Hmm, I bet she thinks of me as a “dinosaur,” as my kids do.
No matter what others may say or think, film to me is more than an ancient method of capturing images. So many of my photography idols, including Steichen, Avedon, and Stieglitz (catch samples of his work in this week’s See It Their Way by gallery owner Howard Greenberg) used this medium to create some of the best photographs of the last century.
As I’m sure they would attest (if they were still alive today), little compares to the experience of being immersed in a darkroom, handling negatives and using classic techniques to draw out the greatest elements of an image. It’s the best way to capture the depth of tones and grain that appear in my photos (my trademark). They’re like brushstrokes in a painting. I believe this is where the soul and emotion of the picture truly lies.
Simply put, shooting with film is a form of art. And, hopefully, not a lost one. It’s my connection to past greats as well as to my clients for whom I print their memories on a special archival paper made with a gelatin emulsion containing light sensitive silver salts, which preserve photos. It’s a similar process used by the finest museums and galleries. My goal is to create something that will endure the test of time. I cannot imagine doing this any other way.
xox,
M
P.S. In other news, I’m proud to be part of this exciting fundraising event for Women In Need, a New York-based nonprofit organization that’s dedicated to providing shelter for families and helping women get back on their feet. Please swing by CharityBuzz sometime before November 30th to bid on one of the decorative papier-mâché houses created by celebrities and designers (I made one!) to help raise money and awareness for this special cause. Thank you!
[Photography by Rainer Knäpper]
Published on November 15, 2009
While there are many sites today dedicated to the pursuit of fashion and style, here at MRK Style we approach these subjects through a collector’s lens. Through exploring how people relate to Art, Family, Fashion, Food, Film and Travel—essentially life’s various, everyday obsessions—we reflect on how we all live with the things we love. 
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