Update, March 19, 2009: A new set of test images can be found here.
Over the last several days I’ve posted a few essays on the relative qualities of film vs digital photography. What I haven’t done is post any actual comparisons of photos. I was planning to head out today to do just that, when I realized that I had on had photos taken a couple of years ago, that would do the trick perfectly. This photo is called “Weedy Sassafras.” It’s a favorite of mine, and it’s done OK critically. Last year, a 20 x 24 inch print of this image was juried into a regional fine arts exhibit, the West Michigan Area Show. It has also been a consistent seller in local gallery exhibitions and art fairs. I took this shot in October, 2004. It was an overcast day, a light rain had just stopped. This is the edge of an Oak Savannah in the Allegan Forest, a spot that in the spring hosts a dense population of the endangered Karner Blue butterfly. Although I had been shooting both medium format and with a digital SLR for about 1 year, this was my first fall color outing using either of these cameras. And so, just for the fun of it, I shot the exact same shots with both. I’d just pop one off the tripod, and pop the other on.