WHY FILM
February 23 2022
There’s a very good chance that I won’t be able to answer this question in this post and I’m almost positive that I’ll talk about this question more later. But I figured while I’m refreshing the blog I might as well try to tackle it now. Why film? For any modern film photographer this question has surely crossed your mind and for me it’s something that I think about all the time.
With so many good digital alternatives why do I keep shooting film - is how I phrase the question. Is it the grain? The analog process? The uncertainty and surprise of a film photo? Why not get a Fuji X-pro or even a digital Leica and edit the photos to get the look that I want… I’ve thought a lot of selling off my film gear and switching to digital but it always boils down to why film and usually the answer is I can’t stop shooting it.
If you ask me why film today, I’d give you an answer that would change tomorrow. There are too many things that I love about film but none are the single reason that I love shooting it (hopefully that makes sense). For example, right now I love film because of the cameras, but a few months ago I loved film because of the grain and grittiness. Like I said it changes a lot and that is probably why I will talk about this question a lot in my blog.
Liking film because of the gear is a pretty unfulfilling answer. It’s like liking tennis because you like tennis rackets. There’s no problem liking gear, but the racket is just a tool and that is what a lot of people would say a camera is, just a tool. The love for photography should be about the photos that you and others have created, but I’ll admit that right now my love for photograph is slightly rooted in gear… sorry…
I’ve only shot with a handful of digital cameras and there’s a good change there is a digital body out there that provides a similar experience to analog cameras, but for the time being I’ve committed to film. I used to have an X100T but I sold that a while ago, so the only digital cameras I have left are a few Coolpix's that I will never give up.
Even when I had a proper digital camera I found that when I went to shoot I would ALWAYS reach for a film camera first. For my style I love having a slower mechanical camera with dials and clicks that you can actually feel. My favorite thing about analog cameras is the feeling right after you take a photo when you advance to the next frame and you know that you captured and saved a moment that you will get to discover later. This is something that I have never experienced on a digital camera and it is the reason that I continue to shoot film.
I’ll probably find a different appreciation for film and talk about that later, like I said there are many, but for now the mechanical clicks, dials and feel of film cameras is my answer for ‘Why Film’. If you’ve found my blog as a fellow film photographer, I’d be curios what’s your answer? Why do you choose to shoot film?