Just another sad day in many for the analog world of photography over the last years. Fujifilm Austria has now confirmed in an email that my most beloved film "Fuji Reala 120" has been discontinued - among other films and products - and that NO follow-up is planned. Seems like it is time to buy a fridge for my stock that should get me through until the end of 2014, but still: Soon the last one of this brilliant films will probably be exposed or expire somewhere in the world.
With the (since years of course) rising popularity of (in the first place) cheaper and for some purposes definitely more convenient digital photo"graphy" it became much more difficult and expensive to keep the handcraft of photography and
the dying art of the photographic darkroom alive because you are constantly confronted with changes, delivery problems, discontinuations ...
Still: Digital photo"graphy" is just not the same even though filters can do the job for you to make it nearly "look a like". In regards to media philosophical and -theoretical aspects, its brilliance of color transitions in print, and in regards to archival purposes for the future, they communicate a different thing though - the period that will probably be known as a "dark hole of digital data information loss". But why? Because either noone will be able to read the harddisks, or noone will have the time or be interested to digg through folders of digital trash in search for a holy digital grale. At least platforms like facebook will have a big archive of photos they can sell, haha; its as ironical as that.
Anyways, being constantly confronted with the question of which ingredient to the most delicious version of a cake you can cook will be discontinued next, I will try to keep working in the photographic darkroom up as long as I can. I know this will not change Fujis decision or the market that orients itself after what can be sold and makes the biggest profit, but still I feel better with these words written.
"Gut Licht!".
