Editor’s Note
When I think about black-and-white
photography, I wonder if the next gen-
eration will be as excited about the topic
as I've been and continue to be.
Personally, I believe working in
black and white helped me develop
my artistic vision as I was shooting,
developing and enlarging my own
images since I was 11 or 12 years old. I
then continued to do so through high
school and college. Such a hands-on
approach gave me insight into the
great masters of the past as well as
photographers working in the present
day. I also learned valuable lessons on
how to set the proper exposure for spe-
cific effects and how to frame my com-
position in-camera so I could enlarge it
to produce a more compelling image.
I even experimented with solarizing,
dodging and burning to manipulate
the print. (And you’ll think of this
when you read the stories on both
Michael Kenna’s and Russell Hart’s
work in this issue!)
However, in this age of digital pho-
tography, I wondered if there was any
interest left in black-and-white photog-
raphy as well as photos shot on film. Do
millennials or those in Generation Z
care as much as this Gen Xer?
Then, this past summer, a press
release from Fujifilm answered my
question, at least to a degree. The news
story, entitled “Fujifilm Announces
the Return of Black And White Film
with the Introduction of Neopan 100
ACROS II,” indicated that the revival
film stock would be available in 35mm
and 120 formats (first in Japan, withother markets to follow, based upon
demand). The press release also noted
that the company was responding, in
particular, to younger photographers:
“Thanks to consumer feedback, par-
ticularly from millennials and Gen Zs,
who have become the new film enthusi-
asts, the market is changing once again.
To meet the needs of this new market,
Fujifilm is reviving ‘ACROS II.’”
So, yes, as Bruce Springsteen once
sang, “Everything dies, baby, that's a
fact, but maybe everything that dies
someday comes back.” Perhaps even
black-and-white film!
Enjoy!— Terry Sullivan
Editor
[email protected]With film companies reviving negative film stock, will it
mean we’ll be seeing more photographers with sheets of
negatives, contact sheets and loupes?8 | Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com