(Nikon F70 + 85mm f/1.8 + Fuji 200 Walgreens $1 sale + Pakon scanner) The picture below illustrates that cheap film is capable of creating pleasing colors, even with a cheap (but brilliant) second-hand scanner. All I did was clone out a bit of dust in photoshop as the negative was dirty. But seriously, everyone needs a Pakon Scanner. Do a google search and plenty about the Pakon should come up for you.
It’s interesting that photography requires a mix of the left and right hemispheres of the brain – the creative right side and the more logical, mathematical left. Most of the time I think the more artistic, less logical people are better photographers, going on feel rather than what may be considered correct. However all of the time though I’m restricted in working this way – for example I think that skin tones need to look like skin as much as possible, and when it looks orange there’s almost no way the photo can look good. I suppose that every photographer is different and gets away with different shortcomings in different ways. No photographer is perfect. If there was such a think as a perfect photographer then I’d want to give up because I could never compete. That’s the biggest downside to doing anything professionally – it’s a competition for clients, whether we realize it (and give the thought attention), or not. In the end our mix of right and left brain function just needs to resonate with who wants to hire us. There is no ‘best’, only something that appears the best match.
