what are the reasons we shoot film today?

[andybarton]

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No idea. As long as it's worth their while keeping and maintaining their machines, I suppose.

 

Every square foot in a supermarket has to make money. When it becomes more profitable to sell more beans, or garden furniture from the photo lab space, it will close.

 

It is interesting that the Trafford Park store moved the photo lab downstairs fairly recently, but they still retained all their C41 kit. If it wasn't making money, they would have binned it then.

[Louisgeorge]

Because of the beauty of grain, and because I still have a functioning darkroom, and because I've always shot film.

Louis

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[dritz]

An additional reason is that the projection of slide film is so enjoyable to me. I hope the medium remains accessible for a long time and one way to ensure this is to use it.

 

Alexander

 

I totally agree with this. The experience of projection (if you have a good image chain) overwhelms any presentation on screen or print. The development of skills in exposure and framing is much advanced in working with slide film. There is no editing a slide or correcting exposure or burning or dodging. The mirror of your skill is quite accurate when projected. Digital is forgiving, and that's great for a professional but not good for an aspirant.

 

That said, I use digital 90% of the time. Yet I am planning to shoot film exclusively on a trip to Tuscany this fall.

 

Regards,

Dean

[rome]

I just like shooting film gives me more satisfaction than digital ,seems more creative and a challenge to get it right,and not to rely on the computer:)

[Leica Fanatic]

For my two penneth worth I've written an article on my blog that gives the reasons I still shoot film and some swanky pictures as well.

 

https://www.streetphotographyblog.co.uk/street-photography-edinburgh-fringe-festival-part-two-leica-m6/

[honcho]

.....Digital is forgiving, and that's great for a professional but not good for an aspirant.......

 

That's a rather odd perception of what professional photographers do. Probably for aspirants too, if I knew what they are.

[Leica Fanatic]

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Probably for aspirants too, if I knew what they are.

 

 

It's what you put under your armpits to prevent sweating, dummy !

[chris_livsey]

Larger ASDAs have photo departments.

This is an hour service too and they are careful with your negs (at least this branch is).

 

It's almost restored my faith in C41... and I may buy a load of Portra to take with me to France and Istanbul in October.

 

The quality does depend very much on the lab. Personally I have rarely had scans I was happy with and my scanning skills with C41 are probably worse than those. Regretably once scanned and sleeved enough "stuff" is attached to compromise further higher quality scanning.

Recent work with 120 has shown that the quality and care from a pro lab is more than worth the greater cost. I still prefer to process B/W personally for the control and variety of developers and techniquesI can use.

As to why film, simply it is more challenging and rewarding, for me, and is a direct link to previous workers I admire.

 

Andy, I have found both Portra and Fuji Pro 400 H to be excellent, shot at 200iso, but please don't take them to Asda:)

[imported_dioskurides]

Many years ago my grandfather passed away and left an M2 for me.

I never stopped using it. Now together with scanning the exposed films

It is a slower way to work and I experienced this to be "my way" being a hobbyist, not a professional photographer. But I want to produce a bit "more than a pic".

Thanks for "listening"

[leicaphilia]

Simple.

 

1. Mechanical film cameras are much more rewarding to use, easier to acquire inexpensively, and don't become obsolete. Use an M9, and then Use an M4. The M4 will feel like a finely crafted mechanical instrument that does exactly what it should do and nothing more. The M9 will feel like a computer that is simulcron of a camera. it's rhe difference between driving a Porsche 911 and playing a video game on your Xbox that simulates the experience of driving a 911.

2. Film photos (at least B&W) look better than digital, and always will.

3. Film smells better: the film itself, ascetic acid, fixer. Film smells like photography should smell.

4. The archival permanence of film is proven; the archival permanence of digitsl media is open to question.

Edited August 28, 2014 by leicaphilia

[Bill Clark]

Film is what I used to begin my photography journey. Now that I'm retired I'm going back in time to where I started. And for the first time in my life I actually have an analog darkroom! No more using a card table for the enlarger and, depending on size, having the fixer tray on the floor. Yippee!

[erl]

Further to anything I have posted previously in this thread, my awareness of why I shoot film is heightened by the realization that with film I have a greater input to the creation of the image. Before I even raise the camera to my eye, I have decided on the film type, Colour or B&W, filter as my preference may dictate, and the image is 'formed' before I press the shutter. It is all a deliberate chain of events, pre-destined in my mind.

 

Afterwards, I take control in the darkroom for processing, all a decisive choice made by me. I have truly created images by conscious decisive action. Nothing I do can be reversed with an 'undo' button. It is all or nothing! To get it right by positive choices and belief in one's own ability beats digital 'roulette' where one can 'fix' it after the event just has more buzz for me.

 

I just shot 12 colour pics and 12 B&W pics on my Hasselblad today. A very full and satisfying day. Tomorrow will be equally good when I process both rolls of film. The joy that awaits.

[NJH]

That is some very good points Erl and something I was thinking about earlier when scanning a few frames of Neopan 400, Acros & Velvia. Its hard to think of 3 more different films actually and I have also learned to appreciate Portra after scanning it myself. I realised recently that whilst one can try and force a film to look a certain way in the digital world in reality they have a character which means they look their best processed a certain way which respects the films character. Portra is a great example, the lab scans I had look way to contrasty and saturated compared to my own scanning results to taste of Portra. Left to give subtle pastel colours it looks really lovely, a look I may use in the future shooting for a lovely high key pastel effect when that is the desired result.

[robert blu]

I'm a pure amateur and I think there is an analogy with car driving: if because of my job or any other serious reason I have to travel by car it's obvious that a modern car, silent, with air-conditioning, automatic shift and all comforts is the correct choice. But if I desire to enjoy the pleasure of driving an old roadster with manual shift or other sport car from the '80 can be more satisfying even if less comfortable. Back to photography: if I "need" the photo digital is the way to go. But when I desire to enjoy the process film is more rewarding, including the waiting time before you now what is exactly on the film. Just my idea, of course.

Last year I wrote a few more notes here on my blog.

robert

[fsprow]

I think in marketing images the client makes the call. I find for "people pictures", particularly in B&W, my film images are the most popular. For "places" the digital images seem to be most in favor.

[traveler_101]

So many good reasons that resonate for me have been posted, but for me it is very simple: film images that I make are very different from digital ones (which I also do).

 

Even though it's a "hybrid" image, i.e. a scanned image from a negative, there is a very different feel and look--a temporality that recalls the moment . . . because you can see/feel that the image is captured light against a surface, rather than the abstract, reconstructed image you get with digital. And then film images, at least my images, include imperfections in the development process, e.g. scratches etc. Ok,the sense of the time is not present in all images, but some are truly amazing,

 

There are digital cameras that can immitate film--the Leica Monochrom--and this is the worse type of digital image, in my opinion: it's a bit like the maltese falcon in the 1941 film - fake, phoney . Digital does other creative things very very well.

 

Edit: I am talking about b&w film.

Edited October 11, 2014 by traveler_101

[Pedro]

(...)

 

P.S.: Btw, I dislike the term "shoot", since what we do is letting light in to expose a sensitve surface. I know, language conventions don't necessarily go with logic. I just feel that the aggressive term is detrimental to the process I wish to achieve.

 

Interesting. I agree.

[Brenton C]

For me, film represents a different way of being in the world, compared to digital. In so many ways we are caught up in the idea that the latest and greatest technology is the way to advancement. But there is a different way. It is mastry, rather than innovation. Working with instuments (of sufficient quality) that allow hard work, imagination and skill to achieve heights unattainable... Even abandoned by the techno-revisionist way of things. Artists and musicians know technology wil not replace their need for skill wrought from dedicated practice.

 

And at a more humble and mundane level, I know that my daily shave will not be salvaged by the inevitable Trac 18 blade super razor, but instead will be better assisted by my increased mastry of honing my own straight razor on hones and pastrd strops at home.

 

I have accepted that digital cameras are here to stay, as are disposable multi trac razors and carbon fiber violins. These things have their place, but its not a contest. For me, film photography represents insistsnce on preserving certain unique qualities too often implicitly promised but not delivered with technological newness ( as opposed to "advancement").

 

I hope you will excuse me if I rant a little.

[Paulus]

hello

can you tell us what are your reasons still shooting with film today?

 

I have to. I can't stop. Every time I want to stop and sell my camera it feels bad. So I start again and again.

I have to develop my own films because I loved the result years ago and I still do. I don't want to be in the darkroom, but I have to because it's the only good way for me to make the best prints.

 

I tried scanning the negatives.It was dull and i din not like the sound of it.

 

I tried digital cameras and use them a lot, but I have to use my MP and I have to develop the films. I have to print and I have to see the results and I am glad and happy with them.

 

I am glad I still can afford film and that there is abundance in buying it in the neighborhood.So I stick with it until it's no longer possible for me.

 

 

I can remember coming out of the darkroom 15 years ago and saying to myself: " Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could make prints without al this wet fuzz." but now we can, but I still do this?

 

Must be some kind of passion.

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[VictoriaC]

Love the thread!

 

I haven't commented on the forum in weeks but I do look every few days to see what's new.

I started photography when I was about 10 back in 1980 and got quickly hooked (I was in my school camera club and had use of a darkroom in my early 20s). I moved onto digital in about 2005 and loved the immediacy of it but have since got back into film two years ago and joy of joy, I'm now at university doing a fine art degree (painting) and my school (Wimbledon college of art) has full darkroom facilities so though I have an M240 I'm still using my M6TTL and M7 more than ever and trying to incorporate film photography into my work as much as I can so long as it's black and white as I can only process black and white at school. I'm generally using HP5+ or Tri X though I've bought three rolls of Ilford 3200 to experiment with. I might unbox my Nikon F100 again too and start playing with that as I have more lenses at my disposal but I do love my Leica cameras (as do my fellow students!)

 

Sorry for the long post!