Why Film is Forever
People are usually pretty surprised when they learn I’m a film photographer. While I get a fair amount of questions about it, the most important one to me is always, “why?”. So, I decided to compile and share some of the most important reasons why I shoot film below.
Quality Film delivers extremely high quality images. The colors and tones you can achieve with film are much richer than what you’re able to get on a digital camera. Aside from the gorgeous broad dynamic range it provides, there’s also a special aesthetic or a certain character that it has. Each film stock has its own unique personality (color, grain, texture, etc.), so as a dog photographer I spend time considering what film stock will work best for each session given the mood, light, subject, and more.
Mindfulness Mindfulness and patience are key for me as a dog photographer. Film cameras require the practice of both of those virtues, so it makes a lot of sense to me to use them as my primary tools. If you’re unfamiliar with film, here are a few of the many reasons why it requires a photographer to be very present in their work: unable to view your result right away (on the back of a film camera there’s no LCD screen to check your image), does not have as fast shutter speeds as a digital camera, many film cameras do not even have any automatic features, some film cameras require the photographer to physically advance the film in between every frame, etc. Another thing is that while I sometimes wish film and processing wasn’t as expensive as it is these days, there’s actually a major benefit to this cost: it asks the photographer to be deeply intentional and have purpose with each portrait they take as each shot has an actual cost. For my clients, this not only means photographs that capture truly precious moments, but also a calm and slow vibe for their session.
Preservation Digital rot and file corruption are all too common, but with the physical negatives that come with shooting film we are assured your memories are safe and well preserved.
Growth I mentioned briefly earlier how many film cameras don’t have automatic functions, but why does that matter? Using a manual camera not only makes you slow down to consider all of your settings, but also pushes you to continue honing your skills as a photographer: composing, framing, seeing light, etc.
Tactile Nature One of my favorite things about film is how tactile everything is. With so much of the process being physical, it brings about a genuinely engaged feeling and asks for a high level of involvement. I think handling the film itself also continues to make me aware of just how magical this craft is and how fascinating the science of photography is.
Connection to the Past Shooting film connects me to the early origins of photography and the photographers that inspire me. There’s something in me that feels so honored to be able to still use the same equipment as some of the artists I most admire; I feel this most profoundly when I look at self portraits they took with mirrors. I’ll put a couple below to show you some of my favorite examples of these self portraits.
Heart “Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you’ve caught on film is captured forever… it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything.” -Aaron Siskind
