Why I got into film photography

May 14

Not too long ago I started shooting photos on film. Since then I've been receiving mixed comments from people around me. Some think it's cool and others think that I must be crazy, because film photography is more expensive than digital. I am aware of the latter, but still I choose to continue exploring this new obsession.

So why did I get into film photography? I have three reasons why. There are probably more, but I don't want to bore you with too many details. So let's start with the first one.

More attention to details

I feel like because I've been doing photography for quite a while now things have become a little bit mechanical and routine. As a result, I sometimes shoot without thinking too much about the settings or the things that are in the shot. If I look through my viewfinder and I feel the shot, I just snap the photo. If I don't like what I see I just leave it or take the shot and delete it when I go through the photos later. But with film it's different. I only have 12, 24 or 36 frames per roll, so I have to try to get every shot right without wasting film. This forces me to slow it down and be more patient when setting up my shot. Which in turn will help me to be a better photographer when shooting both digital and on film.

Praktica BCS Electronic // Prakticar 50mm F/2.4 // Film unkown

I have certain skills and knowledge of photography that people didn’t have back then. So, I think it's interesting to use those skills and knowledge with the gear that photographers used back in the day. I also want to experience the limitations that they had to deal with and find creative ways to get around them. Besides that, I like the film look. Most of the time I add grain to my photos, but with film I can get that “in camera”. And finally, I just love the sound of winding the film and the camera shutter.

Mixing ol’ school with the new

If you look at photos from professional photographers from the 60's and the 70's you can see how differently people used to shoot back then. Maybe it's because they had film and we have digital. Or perhaps it's because we have social media now and they didn’t. Just think about it… how many people take photos to not post on Instagram? I think that when you take photos with social media in mind you are going to shoot different than when you're tryna get your photo published (in a magazine). There are unwritten rules about how photos for Instagram should look. Maybe you're thinking right now: “What the hell is he on about? That’s clearly bullcrap". Answer me this, have you ever taken a photo of a bomb-ass outfit and thought: “hmm, this would look good in a photo album”? And don't give me that I-keep-it-in-my-phone-to-look-at-it-later-on crap! We all know that that is far from the truth. But I digress.

The excitement

When I shoot with my Canon EOS M50 I can see the photo immediately after I shoot it. Since it's a mirrorless camera I can even see how the shot will turn out before I even pull the trigger. When shooting on film there are a couple of steps that the film needs to go through before you can see the photo. You have to take the roll out without exposing it to light, develop it, scan or print it and then you get to see if the photo you took was a hit or miss. The process is slower and there is more room for error, but I find it more exciting! It's like Christmas morning every time I go in to pick up my developed film.