Film will never die
by Igo My Way
Today it’s all digital. We’ve got internet, online newspapers, online magazines and we’ve got digital cameras. Now, to take a picture all we need to do is just to push the button on the camera. That’s all. The job is done. And if the picture isn’t good, you can take another one. And one more. Hundreds, thousands of pictures. We are only limited by the amount of space on the flashcard. We don’t appreciate photography any more the way we used to. We don’t appreciate the precious moment we try to capture.
You know, when I shoot in film, I actually care about every single shot I take. Roll of film is expensive as well as developing it. And I’ve got only 36 pictures to take. Those restrictions, in a way, make me value every single moment I want to be captured. I see that moment, I feel it. There are no retakes. It’s a live show.
The thing that I love about film is that it is real. Light goes directly on film and creates pure magic. You can see it, you can touch it. And what about digital pictures? Well, it’s all 0 and 1. Something that doesn’t even exist. I don’t want that. I want something real. I don’t judge digital cameras. In fact, I use one every day. I enjoy it, I appreciate it. But there’s just something attractive about film photography. You load the roll of film into the camera, set the right exposure and F-stop, then develop the film… I love it. Sometimes you don’t know how the picture is gonna turn out. There’s a sense of unpredictability which is awesome. Every time I wait for my roll of film to be developed, I am excited, thrilled. It’s like waiting for the Xmas presents. It’s a celebration, that’s what it is.
Film cameras have become retro. Just ten years ago I wouldn’t even dream to have a digital camera. Everybody used film cameras. And now… now it’s hard to buy a roll of B&W film. Film photography is slowly dying… Once we’ve got to the top, we forgot how we got to the top. We forgot what was before. We forgot everything and everyone that helped us along the way. And sooner or later photography will give us one middle finger. Film photography is dying… And it’s up to us no to let it die. #Film will never die .
A few days ago I got my 1963 film camera back. It’s called Zenit. It used to belong to my dad. He gave it to me as a gift. The best gift you can ever get. I haven’t hold Zenit in my hands for 2 years… Once I got it back, I immediately bought a roll of film and started capturing the moments, I started catching the light.
Igo My Way 
Well said, and some really nice pics. I still shoot film every three or four weeks just to keep sharp. Every shot makes you think, and I try to bring that concentration to my digital pictures.
Thank you for supporting the film 🙂
Very nice! This reminds me that I still have film to be used up in a camera I haven’t used in a long time.. (:
Thanks! I think you should load up that camera with film and start shooting 🙂
Great pictures! I have an old Minolta lying around that I haven’t gotten around to fixing. You’ve inspired me to fix it and start taking some pictures. Happy shooting! 🙂
Thank you! You should definitely fix your Minolta and start shooting 🙂 I am so glad I inspired you to use film camera again. This is what I wanted from the very beginning – to do good, to inspire, to bring joy and freedom of expression.
Lovely post, I started reading thinking about how I deliberately exploit those exact qualities of digital cameras; I take A LOT of pictures and I like the freedom if offers. By the end of the article I was inspired to dust off my Olympus OM10 and buy a roll of film. I think you might just have decided my weekend schedule! : )
Thanks for visiting us, I loved reading this post and will enjoy looking through a few more.
Thank you so much! I am so happy that I inspired you. It is really a pleasure to hear these words from you. The best complement ever. Hope you will enjoy shooting in film! #Film will never die
Thank you very much for your post. I agree, film will never die!
Thanks. Im glad we have the same view on film 🙂
Hi,
Great post and fantastic pictures. I also still have my “old” film camera. I still maintain that the best photo’s where taken with that camera, I will definitely have to get it out and use it again.
Yeah, get out that camera and bring it to life. Enjoy 🙂 and thank you.
I love this post on film photography! I switched to a DSLR within the past month and before that I shot with my old SLR. I kinda miss the excitement that goes with not knowing whether or not the shots have turned out and the thrill of opening up the envelope to see which pictures turned out the best. Film is very expensive so I think my new digital camera will save me lots of money in the long run, but I def am going to continue to shoot film every now and then. Thanks for your post 😀
Thank you for sharing your thoughts 🙂 It makes me really happy that you still shoot film every now and then 🙂
I cried when Kodachrome processing stopped. It appears we’ll all be crying when Kodak goes under. Film IS real – I know every time I look at slides on the light table.
Good post. Spread the film joy.
Thanks! Happy to hear that there are people still loving film.
Nice post. I had an old Praktica as a child. I remember it used to scratch the film. Still loved it though. I wonder if my parents still have it somewhere.
Hope your parents still have the camera so you can use it 🙂 Film is wonderful. Thanks 🙂
[…] You can read a post I did a few months ago about the importance of film photography in my life here. And see some pictures that I took on my film camera […]