The Return of Film Photography
Written by Michelle Lewis, photo by Michelle Lewis
To me, the feeling of a film camera is irreplaceable. I have always been drawn to the idea of taking photos on a roll of film. The click of a shutter and the whir of the film inside are sounds so familiar that they have even been placed in our smartphones. Film photography has an authenticity to it that can not be achieved by digital or other forms of photography.
In recent years, film photography has seen a steady revival. Today, it is incredibly easy for beginners to start taking photographs with film cameras. Stores like Walmart and Walgreens have begun to carry film for cameras again. Working film cameras can be found in many flea markets or thrift stores, or sometimes even in local camera shops. Despite coming close, film photography refuses to die.
“The film market peaked in 2003,” says Manny Almedia, president of Fujifilm’s imaging division, for Time magazine. In the following years with the growth of digital cameras, film sales began to decline.
Digital photography first entered the photography scene in the 1970s but it was not widely adopted at first. There were troubles with this new form of technology and, due to the attraction to film, it took decades for people to become interested. Eventually, the market shifted in favor of digital photos in the late 2000s. In the 2010s, companies began shutting down production of film cameras and photographic film altogether. For a handful of years, many believed film photography would fully die out.
In reality, the opposite happened. Film cameras became objects of nostalgia. Companies began to release apps or platforms that could create digital photos that looked like they were taken on film. But, as Jonathon Keats for Wired says, “Digital simulations don’t satisfy us.”
According to Time Magazine, “film pushes photographers to rethink how they shoot.”
Film photography takes time. It takes time to plan a photograph. It takes time to capture a photo on film. It takes time to advance the film to the next slide and it takes time to get film developed. Photographers, both professional and ammatuer, can become fully immersed in their craft when working with film. To many, this immersion is something romantic and beautiful. People are drawn to the beauty of the film process and how it can help them grow as artists.
Personally, some of my favorite memories have been captured on film. I have a tupperware container full of polaroids back at home in my parents house. At my desk today I have stacks of photos that were taken on trips with friends on film. Photos from when I was young exist mainly in albums or on film negatives. These photos feel more real than any photo I’ve ever taken with my phone.
Ultimately, film allows users to make mistakes. Living in the moment of the photograph is one of the most appealing elements of film photography. When a mistake is made on a roll of film it can’t be instantly edited or deleted. This allows photographers to instead reflect and learn from their mistakes for future photographs.