I know that digital photography rules… I haven’t shot film in ages. But I can’t help but feel a little sad about this one…
Kodak Announces End Of Black And White Paper Production
There is something to the process of being in a darkroom, developing your own prints. I haven’t done it in years, but still, it does impart a sense of wonder which I think adds to the experience. Of course digital is cheaper and the end result is often great, but I still have a soft spot for film.
Sadly, while digital is great for 35mm-style color images for photojournalists and the like, no digital inkjet black-and-white image holds a candle (nor will it ever, in my educated opinion) to a silver emulsion image.
Hopefully Ilford and Agfa the Eastern European companies can keep black-and-white paper alive… sadly, Kodak Polymax was my favorite b&w paper, and there’s no replacement for Kodak Azo, the only silver chloride paper remainining in commercial production.
As fine artists, we can always coat our own papers if we absolutely have to, but we’ll never have access to the level of quality r&d and production that Kodak has been happy to throw out the window over the past decade or so.