Recently, I made the switch over to shooting film and that is where I plan to stay. I know what you are thinking, its 2017, everything is digital, why make the switch ?
Well, let me tell you …
Reason 1 : I had been shooting digitally for over four years and though I have many photos that I am very proud of, I have way too many photos. Digital photography allows photographers to take countless photos in order to get the perfect shot. Film photography, on the other hand, does not allow for this and that is one of the things that drew me in. It forces you to slow down and plan your photos (you only get 35 per roll). It makes you think twice about everything, the subject, the light, etc. Whereas with digital photography, you can create over 100 images in a matter of minutes.
Reason 2: Not having a manual setting on my film camera has forced me to re-learn what I know about photography basics and to build off this basic knowledge to get an in-depth understanding of photography.
Reason 3: Sort of piggy backing off Reason 1: We live in a world of instant gratification that can be great, but it also creates this fast paced lifestyle that can be harmful to creativity. Film photography provides a way to slow down this instant gratification and it has produced extraordinary results.
Reason 4: Did you know that around 6 billion photographs are uploaded to just Facebook every month. We are constantly saturated with tons of images on social media and other areas of our lives that it can be hard to find meaning in photos. For me, film photography provided a process for creating meaningful photos.
Reason 5: I put a lot more work into my film photographs than I ever did with digital and this has given me more confidence in my photography. I now feel comfortable calling my finished black and white film pictures my art.
Reason 6: Developing photos is a very personal process, everyone has their own ways. For me, it has become a form of meditation.
Though I feel that both sides of the Film vs. Digital photography discussion have valid points, it is a personal preference of mine to stick with film photography. Don't get me wrong, I am not going to be getting rid of my digital camera any time soon, I am just shifting my focus for now.
- Proto
Note on my current focus: I am currently working on a film photography project called Crowded Isolation. Be on the lookout for more details!
