30 Random Thoughts While Scanning 30 Years of Negatives

• ·           I'll never finish - scanning is so slow. 

•         I should have done this sooner.  I could have shared more of my life with my children.

• ·            Did I know how to focus?  I missed focus on many shots that autofocus has made easy.  On the other hand, I'm impressed with focus on some action shots that I nailed.

• ·            I made a lot of the same mistakes on the same roll.  I didn't know that my exposure was wrong until my film was processed.

• ·          Why didn't I take more photos?  I wish I had more of so many things. 

•              I miss so many people.
         

•            Everyone was so young
         

•            Dust Dust Dust  Dust was everywhere.
          

•            Dust has changed color.  It's black now when dust is on the sensor.  It was white then on my prints.
         

•           How could the photo labs scratch so many negatives?
        

•             I can't pick the peak of action from several shots with film.  I only had one chance to get it.
         

•            I didn't worry about using out of date film - I should have.
           

•       Why did I take so many photos of cats?
         

•           The Lab covered many mistakes.  I was under the impression that overexposing negative film resulted in finer grain.  It may have but the dynamic range isn't as good.
         

•             I like the way film handled fine details.  With digital, the detail is there or not. Film leaves a hint of detail.  An example is a scene where distant tree branches meet the sky.  It looks more natural with  film
           

•       Most people wore funny clothes and drove classic cars.
        

•            I use out of focus areas in my composition now.  We didn't have bokah back then.
         

•           I should have spent more on lens.  
         

•           Some creative things I did are no longer creative when everyone can do them in Photoshop.
         

•            I thought I was a good photographer then.  Most of my scenic and nature photos aren't worth the time it takes to scan.
        

•            It is hard to preview images.  I need a 10x loupe and a light table and need to look at each one.  Now I see everything on my huge screen and see tiny flaws immediately.
          

•            People look very happy with their ex-wives and husbands.
         

•          I have photos of people I had completely forgotten.
         

•         I have photos that I don't remember taking.
         

•           I have photos that I didn't want to remember taking.  I had to quit scanning for a while after I saw a photo appear on my screen of my wife and daughters funeral.
         

•            Some negatives are impossible to color balance.  I don't know if the negative faded or the film processing was bad.
        

•           My medium format shots are nice, but I can do better with 35mm today.
           

•       I wish I had taken more shots of the everyday things.
         

•           Some of the real old people I photographed were younger than I am.
         

•           I wonder if I'm wasting my time.  Some of my negatives are 40 years old.  I'm not sure that any of my digital images will be around in 40 years.  It only takes one delete and they are gone.