Two Ways to Eat a Slice of Pie

Digital photography is holding a slice of pumpkin pie plucked by hand from the pan and scarfing it down over the sink in seconds. It’s delicious but it’s gone quite quickly.

It’s a phone photo that’s sent out for a glance and a swipe. That’s what it’s made for, not for long-studied looks. A quick bite and done.

Film photography is an after-dinner stop to a quiet dark restaurant with a loved one to share dessert–a slice of pumpkin pie served warm on a plate, savoring it together, bite by bite, slowly.

It’s a film photograph, carefully composed, printed, framed, and gifted as art to someone for repeated looks as it lives with them in their space. A slow savoring.

Both can be satisfying. Both reach a photographic outcome but they have very different ways of getting there, and the amount of time they’re experienced couldn’t be more disparate.