Lake Locarno, Switzerland, August 2006 

Instant gratification is difficult to resist. The ease of a passing along photos from a digital camera … the print-ready document typed on a laptop… these are conveniences we take for granted.

Today as I was purchasing 120mm film for my Holga, I wondered for a moment why I should bother to do so. It’s possible to fake Holga-type effects with Photoshop in a fairly convincing way. Then I realized that for me choosing a ‘tool’ for creative projects is not about the  end result or the quality — it’s about the process. Grasping the big plastic Holga, or my the awkward box camera, puts me in a different frame of mind, fires different associations or creates a certain mood. It makes me feel different than my digital camera does, so I take different kinds of photos. Sometimes, it’s a simple photograph which I might think was boring if it were framed with my digital camera. But with only 10 or 12 frames per 120mm film, I choose my shots carefully– and sometimes that means choosing simply, or just differently.

It’s the same with writing with a pen in a small notebook– little notes, conversations overheard, or fragments of poems as they come to you. it’s a different experience than sitting down at the computer.

I don’t think I’ll ever go all-analogue again, but now and then, I still choose to take the slow train.