Bill & Hillary At The Fair

When I have the chance I’ve been sorting through the myriad of shots I took while I was at the state fair in Syracuse. Besides all of the digital images stored on my hard drive and CDs, there are still few rolls of film to be processed.

Why do I still use a film camera? Simple. At this time a digital SLR body is out of my financial reach. No, I’m not locked into film, unlike some traditionalists. With my small digital point-and-shoot I’ve seen the advantages of the new format. But when I want high quality shots, I reach for my 35mm SLR, take a lot of shots, and then wait until my budget permits get a roll developed and then have the negatives scanned onto a CD. And if needed, I can have prints made at a one-hour lab or just do them at home with my computer’s printer.

I still have rolls shot last summer stored in my refrigerator. As I go through yards of film, I dutifully make notes, listing the subjects on each roll, and then prioritize which rolls should be developed first.

Obviously, with digital you can download your images ASAP and review them on your computer, skipping the processing required with film.

Anyway, one roll I prioritized was the shots I took of the Clintons when they were visiting the state fair. I had initially used my digital P&S but the memory card filled up. Instead of fumbling around, switching to a free memory card, it was easier to reach for the SLR and continue my imaging. I was lucky enough to get shots of both Bill and Hillary as they made their way through a busy channel of admirers, gapers, autograph hounds, and, yes, shutterbugs like me.