“Why do you use film?” is something I get asked a lot. At first, I didn’t really have a good answer. It was just more fun.
Film photography has increasingly become a passion of mine in recent years. My photography career began in film and transitioned to digital in the late ’90s. Today I find myself more and more motivated to shoot with a vintage film camera than using a digital camera.
My answer to the question “Why use film,” is that film photography has an authenticity that digital photography and Photoshop will never replace. We are constantly bombarded with a manipulated reality in today’s digital world. All the images and videos we see are altered. Sophisticated online algorithms are crafted to constantly influence what we see, watch, and read. Using a film camera is a refreshing change that feels more real and honest to me.
Analog
It is a physical, tactile process. Many of the vintage cameras I use are entirely mechanical and don’t even have batteries in the camera. If there is a battery, it’s usually only to power the light meter. There is no computer involved in developing film and making a darkroom print. It’s a seemingly magical process that only uses light and chemistry. The only electricity used is a lightbulb in the enlarger. A darkroom print is truly a handmade photograph using technology that is 150 years old. Yet a well-made darkroom print is in every way just as beautiful as a digital print, and I would argue a darkroom print is far more alluring.
Of course, I’m not opposed to technology or digital photography. It certainly has its place, and I find digital photography is far more practical for much of my photography work like photographing my Ice Age Trail Hike. Also, the film photographs you see on this page were scanned using a computer and digital technology. But the process of analog photography is a welcomed departure from the digital world for me.
The film comeback
I’m not the only one returning to film photography. Film sales have been skyrocketing in recent years. Vintage cameras are becoming sought after, harder to find, and more expensive. There are film shortages. The film manufacturers, who were nearly forced out of business ten years ago, are having a hard time keeping up with demand. Ironically, It’s young people who grew up on the internet with cameras on their phones that are driving the demand for film. So maybe I’m not the only one who is yearning for this simplicity and honesty that film offers.
Slowing down
I also find film photography a way to slow down and be more deliberate with my photography. When shooting with digital I feel compelled to photograph absolutely everything that catches my eye. Being film costs money and takes time to develop I am much more selective with what I photograph. I take the time to be more thoughtful about the photographic process and not waste time and energy on what is probably a mediocre photo.
It reminds me of a conversation I had years ago that has always stuck with me. I was describing what I did as a photojournalist to someone who didn’t know anything about photography. I boasted about the hundreds and sometimes thousands of photos I took for a story that would end up being only one or two photographs in the paper. The person asked me “why don’t you just take the good photos instead of all the other bad photos?” I had to laugh because they sort of had a point. Sometimes we can get so bogged down in trying to photograph everything that we lose sight of aiming for great photos. Shooting with film forces you to concentrate on quality over quantity.
If you would like to learn to shoot with and develop film, and make darkroom prints you can sign up for a film photograph class at PhotoMidwest in Madison.
