what is this "film" you speak of?

Today I did something not many people do. I got film developed. The photo gal at Walgreens tells me that in probably two years, no one will be offering film development. Look around the next time you're at Target and try to even find film - it's almost impossible. But that's how the world works - we find a newer and better way to do something and we adopt it. But because it's newer is it always better?

There's something fantastic about taking pictures with film. Maybe it's the mindset of the photographer that you don't get endless tries for the perfect shot. In film, there is no review window. You must make every one of those twenty-four pictures count. And then there's the wait for the development. No instantaneous gratification, unless you count the one-hour wait. When picking up that envelope, you have no idea if there are twenty-four duds, or one really great photo, which makes it worth it. Of course, I can't be completely retro - I still get the photos put on CD!

Sure, there are things Britton will never experience - life without a computer or cell phone, sitting by the radio ready to push "record" on her tape player when her favorite song comes on, making mixed tapes, or buying tape singles (remember those?). She won't own a Fisher-Price record player or the blue and yellow Fisher-Price camera. And she may not even favor books, unless they are animated and have recorded voices. But I hope she does. I hope she listens to a great record on vinyl, reads a book printed on paper and bound, and writes letters instead of emails. Sure, by the time she is a teenager there will be products beyond imagination that make iPods and Blackberries seem outdated. But I hope she knows the joy of taking pictures, with film, and waiting to see what develops. I just hope they still make film.