In the last few weeks I've been thinking a lot about Photography, particularly about what I'm doing and where I want to go. Since i moved into digital photography almost all my works end in a computer screen and/or a website, such as DA. Almost none of the pics ended up in a frame, on the wall, unlike what i used to do in analog photography. So, i selected some works and tried to enlarge them. I was quite disappointed. The definition was not good, and something about the image just cried "digital!". It's quite understandable; if i try to print a square which has 2500pixels in each side at 300 dpi (recommended for quality prints), then I can only print under 10 inches wide, without any interpolation. Over that size, and there is information "created", either by the graphics editor or by the printer driver.

I discussed this question with some friends and photographers. Nana Sousa Dias, a fine portuguese (film) photographer, helped me with some examples. He shown me a portrait he made ([link]), and then a scan of the negative, at 6400 dpi. Just look at the awesome detail: [link] . This was a 8x10 large format negative so, after scanning it at 6400 dpi, he got a file of 51.000 x 64.000 pixels, or 3.264 Mpixels!! How can digital beat this?

Also, it's not just about definition. The way the tones are kept, namely in the highlight and shadow areas, are a lot different. In digital, you get the highlights abruptly cut while in film the transition is a lot smoother.

So, after seeing his prints (amazing!), i decided that i shouldn't spend any more money on digital, as it doesn't give me enough quality for what i want to do. I have a medium format camera and i'm in the process of getting a large format one. I'm also building an improvised home lab. I already develop my own negatives, with good results. I'm now looking for an enlarger, to complete the lab. Maybe in a few years digital will "get there", but (as Nana says) not this week...

This is the main reason why i haven't published many works recently. For me, photographies should end in a wall, not in a website. Don't get me wrong, i've learned a lot from my experience here in DA and i feel that my photography has improved a lot. However, i feel it's time to go on...

This is not a goodbye, i intend to keep on checking comments and watches; however, i won't be here as much time as i used to...

Thanks for your attention and support!