For the Love of Film

I never thought that photography would ever be something that caused me worry or stress, but there is one subject that in recent years bothers me. It sits on my shoulder whispering in my ear...

What on earth could be doing this to me, considering my entire creative existence is based on a love and passion about what I do? The answer is, in fact, simple. I worry about the reduction in the range and availability of film for cameras.

In recent years we have lost some gems – Fuji Reala was a film that I loved using. Hopefully all is not lost though, as I read that Fujifilm now earns more from film sales than their cameras. Film is a consumable, so it may makes sense for them to keep manufacturing it as it actually brings in an income. Sadly, they raised their prices a while back, which was linked to higher production costs as they are creating less of the product.

Ilford have had a rough few years, but seem to be okay for now. I think their FP4 and HP5 will always be in demand as long as people shoot film. I also take some reassurance from The Impossible Project with their instant films. Lomography have done a lot to revive film with their business model. They have some interesting products and special editions. In fact, something to suit everyone.

Kodak have a beautiful product in their Portra films. I love their ISO 160 version. This film has a truly beautiful colour balance and images look gorgeous. It was designed for portraits, but can be used for other work as well. They also make Ektar, which seems to have a slight reddish tone. I think this makes it ideal for landscapes, although I have not shot it myself yet. If Portra continues to be made, I think my own requirments will be catered for.

Is my worry justified? I would like to think it is not, but I hope the industry will continue to provide us with 'camera food' for many years to come. I hope we will always have film of some sort, but the products will probably continue to reduce into the ones that sell well. I suppose that makes good business sense. I know this is selfish, but I hope that my own preferred choices are the ones that survive.

Why the Attitude?

Pretentious – Attempting to impress by affecting greater importance or merit than is actually possessed...

There are many good things that have come with the internet. Possibly quite low on the big list of developments that could be described as amazing is the ability to research information about cameras and read or watch reviews.

One of my favourite places to look for these is YouTube, but when did it get choked with so called reviews that are just an overview of the camera? Why not call it what it is, an overview?

There also seems to be a huge number of videos by photographers explaining why they changed from one camera brand to another. This can be interesting, but does it really need to be a 15-30 minute video? I think not. Each to their own, but I lose interest after 5 minutes because they are too drawn out. However, there are videos that I think are genuinely interesting, and not because they are more technical. One example that springs to mind is DigitalRev. Occasionally you get the personal slightly arrogant opinion sneaking in, but it is not rammed down your throat with a footnote saying 'I am right and you are wrong. No, actually, you do not matter'.

I never fully appreciated how pretentious some photographers are until they started to have a presence on the net. I had noticed it in forums before, but that tended to be people slagging each other off or their respective work. This was probably an early form of trolling. Maybe that would that be called trollism? Either way, the act of being a troll.

I originally thought the drive for attention was for hits associated with affiliate links, but it seems more complex than just earning a revenue. I think that was the case in the early days. In more recent years the obsession for followers and likes seems to have become crucial to some, possibly in the pursuit of some form of acceptance or credibility. The world of Facebook, Instagram and Twitter has taken things to a different level.

While researching this subject a little further before writing this post, I found some interesting links online. The one that stuck out to me and has made it onto my personal reading list for sites is Psychology for Photographers. The author is called Jenika and she has done a far better job than I can of explaining this subject. You can click the link to view her post and also take a look at her site if you would like to read more. Of course, I have not taken anything from her post, so what you will see there will be fresh.

I am not surprised to find someone had already tackled this subject online, but in my unexpected need for justification or validation of my observations, I am pleased to see the posts and articles do exist.

Camera Envy - Advertising or Desire?

Camera envy is a curious thing, and I think if affects us all in different ways.

There are some people who are obsessed (a strong word but accurate) with the buying the latest version of their camera or upgrade, while others seem content with the same one for years. I think the world of digital has a lot to answer for with this change in the way we think.

In the days of film, many photographers would buy new lenses or change their preferred film, but often stay with the same camera body for several years. Changes to the body were often linked to a change in requirements, such as a better built body to withstand heavy use or sadly after some fatal damage.

I have vivid memories from my younger years of looking at alluring camera adverts in the magazines. The camera did not even have to be really expensive, it was just made attractive. I distinctly remember the Practica B200 and Nikon EM adverts, and neither of those cameras were top of the range. I choose an American Leica advert from 1970 for this article, but this was before I would have started noticing such things.

In fact, as a teenager, various camera adverts and specifically the Lambs Navy Rum calendar are almost certainly what lured me into shooting models and the world of studio photography. To be fair, there was probably an element of teenage testosterone as well.

In the modern day, digital is an ever evolving world, and as such many of the manufacturers bring out upgraded or new models every year. This constant supply of new equipment can make some wonder if newer is better. In reality, I think they should ask themselves if newer is more suited to their needs. I do speak from experience, I was a new camera addict. There you are, I said it :-).

This ties in well with my experience of shooting film. This was what I cut my teeth on, but when digital was released I grabbed it with both ends and fully embraced it. The main reason for this was because at the time I was shooting web content almost entirely. Anything that cut out the need for scanning and produced the end result quicker was welcomed. This period instigated my own bout of camera envy as it was a rapidly developing world. It seemed that every few months something was improved, made quicker or brought down in price.

I think advances in technology are always going to be the big draw in digital photography, but pricing is as well as you get more for your money with each year. Talking about pricing, I will leave you with this little snippet. In or around 2002, I paid around £160-200 for 1GB IBM Microdrives. This was a good price at the time, but I think the present day price to capacity ratio is more attractive.

Instant Print Film - It was Fantastic

In the middle to late 1970's, I was immersed in my new love of photography. Not content with just taking pictures, I started to notice what other people were using and owned. Some may say that this was my first experience of camera envy, and I think to some extent it was, albeit on a much smaller relative scale to the modern equivalent. What I mean by that is that the price and specification difference involved in that early envy was negligible. Of course, as I got older and learnt more, the gap did widen.

Anyway, back to the '70's…

My cousin, who is my age, had a Kodak camera that produced black and white images by pulling out a sheet and waiting for it to develop before peeling off the top layer. This was fascinating, and I was always slightly jealous of her.

About a year later, I am pretty sure it was the heatwave summer of 1977, I saw a Polaroid 1000 Land camera (why were they called 'land' cameras?) hanging around someone’s neck. We were on our family holiday, and I realised that we knew the lady that owned it. Feeling very brave, I politely asked her what it was. She demonstrated and took a picture. To my astonishment the photograph was delivered from the slot at the front of the camera and started to develop in front of my eyes. The wait was far more exciting than the peeling sheet type version because it appeared in front of as you watched. There was something rather appealing about the design of this camera, and interestingly today it still has a certain style icon charm for many people into the world of design.

As part of my recent camera and photographic rummaging at home, I remembered I bought a Polaroid Image 2 camera in the late 90's. I used it for random snapshots for about 6 months, until I decided my snapshots were better serviced with 35mm film in a small camera.

Polaroid (or a trading partner using the name) seem to be selling film again. I did not think you could buy original Polaroid film that is in date any more, and as this camera has a built-in battery in the film pack, I thought expired film may be too much of a gamble. I also discovered this week that just like Lomo, there is also some new film available from The Impossible Project. I am really pleased to see they have taken the plunge into this revival, and I do hope it will prove to be successful.

They do a colour and black and white version for my camera. Sadly, I have to balance the result, experience and price in relation to everything else I do. I am sure I am not the only one in this predicament, although I realise without the customers buying the film The Impossible Project may die. It could be a fun nostalgic experience and make an amusing addition to a photo shoot.

There are modern alternatives to the above, so it looks like there is a bit of choice for anyone seeking something for the tangible instant print. Perhaps this is an area of photography that will grow if the interest remains.