Is there really a strong interest in film photography?

[Agulliver]

It's finally happening at the school where I work.

In 2005 I was the cool member of staff because I'd been watching Doctor Who since the mid 70s
In 2015 I was the cool member of staff because I have a turntable in my office
Now I've just begun to see kids with Instax cameras who have just become aware that I use "real film" outside of the school. I don't engage with any of them on social media nor talk much about my life outside of work so it's taken time for them to find out. Likely a colleague who does follow me on Facebook mentioned it. And they're really interested. Though it's beyond financial reach of most of them unless their parents have an old camera they're willing to dig out.

It's now seen as cool, aspirational....the trust for which I work has even used some of my dry plate photographs in a presentation on "what staff did in lockdowns" to some amazement.

I think that getting out there and shooting in public places, sharing my photos online and ensuring everyone knows they were shot on film is something we could all do. Maybe I'll print some and put them up in my office, alongside the turntable...

I've shot a lot of local bands in a jazz/blues club who then use some of my film shots to promote future gigs. Word gets out that this crazy dude with blue hair is photographing gigs on old film cameras...and just occasionally I now get *asked* to come along and photograph gigs. No payment, but free gigs and free beer Not bad for something I do entirely for fun.

 

[Ariston]

I was a bit surprised to find that Adobe thinks there is enough interest to publish an article:

Film photography | Complete beginner's guide | Adobe

Explore the roots of film photography and see how intricate, yet rewarding, it can be to shoot with film, develop your exposures, and print your photos.

www.adobe.com

I'm not sure when it was written.

 

[DREW WILEY]

Last night, right on prime time CBS national news of all places, there was a concluding segment on the dramatic rise in interest in real film and classic film cameras, with all the representative scenes taken with real color film, and "analog" printed. It ended with a mere child pulling a b&w print out of a darkroom tray, saying, "This is Magic!" Apparently, quite a number of people looked for something fulfilling to do during the pandemic shutdown, and went out and bought used 35mm and MF cameras and put them to use, driving up demand and prices for those cameras themselves.

That sure happened around here, with all the shelves of used Nikon and Canon and even MF gear almost totally selling out. Even now that's the case. As soon as something classic shows up, it almost instantly sells out, even old 8x10 gear. And now dev and processing of real film, along with printing both RA4 and digital options, have gone way up in the local specialty labs. Real film has gotten cool again. And please keep in mind that this is the world epicenter of the tech industry. Many of those new converts to film actually make their living in digital applications, including digital imaging. But who wants to do just more of the same non-tactile rat race on their day off?

 

[Kodachromeguy]

Real film has gotten cool again.

That is great to hear.

However, an observation : I've just spent a couple of days wandering around downtown Athens, Greece, with Acros film. No other film users, a small number of DSLR and mirrorless users, and thousands of mobile phones. Sigh....

 

[Bronson Dugnutt]

Now I've just begun to see kids with Instax cameras who have just become aware that I use "real film" outside of the school.

Instax is a novel gateway into a 'real film' hobby especially for the undergraduate age group. The reaction I get when towing my Mini Neo 90 along on a pub crawl is typically universally positive. The instant gratification jives with their familiarity with digital photography, while holding and watching a physical image develop is as ever as good as magic. The subjects' first reaction 9 times out of 10 is to immediately take a cellphone snap and post it to their social media. I remind them to physically annotate the picture because it's one-of-kind and isn't laden with metadata. I'm kinda (not) surprised that Fuji hasn't integrated some sort of RFID into the films for embedding said metadata.

"Yeah, they sent a Hasselblad to the Moon. Nope, it wasn't digital"

Spoiler: Anecdotal Inflation

Fuji Mini Neo 90

Then:

Now:

 

[Huss]

My local shop told me they develop 40 rolls/day. And they are outside LA so not in hipster central…

 

[markjwyatt]

There is still a one hour photo open within 30 miles (which in Southern California is considered kind of close). I used them when I started testing old/acquired cameras a few years ago. They do C-41 plus offer passport photos, restorations of old photos, enlargements, and studio work by appt. Interestingly , now they are only open Saturday and Sunday. If interested it is Nice One Hour Photo in Fontana, California.

 

[DREW WILEY]

Well, if you want to be kept employed as a digital camera designer, or its software, then you better go with the flow in terms of company marketing propaganda, i.e., doom and gloom to everything not dependent on their own kind of technology. But I've had even CEO's of those kind of firms ask me where they can still get real film and how to set up a darkroom when they finally retire.

The number of 35mm and 120 rolls developed in our local small specialty lab numbers in the hundreds daily. Some is brought directly to them,
and some comes from local camera store photofinishing counters. Sheet film is sent to a larger lab across the Bay.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

I think I already mentioned this but I have been told to prepare for a possible full load of photography classes for next Fall. I hope so. My numbers have being going up significantly over the past few years.

 

[Pieter12]

Sure, I see film users around L.A., probably as many or more than big pro DSLR users. What is visible out in the world are mainly tourists and tourists never carried much in the way of recognizable gear, even in film's heyday. They might have an instamatic or a Polaroid camera, they bought postcards and slides of major attractions. But the number of film shooters today is ridiculously miniscule when compared to those taking photos with smart phones. Film may not be dead, but it isn't exactly thriving. The hipsters using film cameras will gradually lose interest in film and proceed to the next hip thing, young folks taking up film eventually get frustrated with the limitations and have other priorities. Those who want to pursue a career in photography and actually earn a living will need to shoot digital anyway. There are maybe two places left in L.A. to purchase black and white film in 35 to 4x5 formats. And I don't know if anyone carries 8x10, black and white or color.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

The other day, I was in my local camera store and there was a young lady talking film with the clerk. I almost fainted. Ten years ago, the manager there told me to my face that film is dead, you better get rid of all your film cameras, and go digital (let me tell you I had a few choice words for him!). He is not longer there. I wish he were so that I could rub his nose in it. The current manager is a young guy, who loves film. The future is safe.

 

[Cholentpot]

I guess I got lucky getting the gear I have before it got hip.

Who am I kidding? Gear is plentiful and cheap if you know where to look. I'm happy more people are using film though.

 

[Pieter12]

The other day, I was in my local camera store and there was a young lady talking film with the clerk. I almost fainted. Ten years ago, the manager there told me to my face that film is dead, you better get rid of all your film cameras, and go digital (let me tell you I had a few choice words for him!). He is not longer there. I wish he were so that I could rub his nose in it. The current manager is a young guy, who loves film. The future is safe.

So much of this is anecdotal and occasional witnessing of film transactions. (I saw a young person buying film, a young person with a film camera, a handful of amateur film at a drugstore.) I don't see rows of film refrigerators stocked up in any camera store I have been to lately. Sure, film is not dead, but there isn't the amount or selection of professional grade films that there was 20 years ago. Maybe few enough of the members don't go back that far, but film has been dying a long, slow death. And if I were to predict something, actual digital cameras will be relegated in the near future to professional use with most casual photographers using smart devices.

 

[Huss]

So much of this is anecdotal and occasional witnessing of film transactions. (I saw a young person buying film, a young person with a film camera, a handful of amateur film at a drugstore.) I don't see rows of film refrigerators stocked up in any camera store I have been to lately. Sure, film is not dead, but there isn't the amount or selection of professional grade films that there was 20 years ago. Maybe few enough of the members don't go back that far, but film has been dying a long, slow death. And if I were to predict something, actual digital cameras will be relegated in the near future to professional use with most casual photographers using smart devices.

people like you have been singing that same song for the last 25 years

 

[Huss]

Pieter12, maybe you should tell Kodak your bad news?

Kodak on twitter: "We're hiring to keep up with demand for 35mm film"

Absolutely! It seems to me that slide film is often underrepresented in discussions, like color negative would be the "only" color film in existence. It is clear that Provia and Velvia are among the highest grade of color imaging materials available. I absolutely love Fuji slide film since...

www.photrio.com

 

[xkaes]

https://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/video/film-is-not-dead-demand-soars-for-vintage-cameras-in-developing-trend-150890053734

 

[brian steinberger]

I guess I got lucky getting the gear I have before it got hip.

+1. I remember the time from approximately 2002-2008, KEH was just loaded with TONS of gear at cheap prices. People starting in this hobby in the last 5 years would never believe how cheap gear was during this time. I feel so fortunate to have been able to try lots of different camera systems and if I didn’t jive with them I’d just turn around and sell them, sometimes for more than what I paid. Bronica 6x6, 6x4.5, Hasselblad, Fuji RF, Leica’a, Mamiya 7s, 6s. I tried them all. If I started now I’d never be able to afford the gear that I acquired during that time.

 

[Cholentpot]

+1. I remember the time from approximately 2002-2008, KEH was just loaded with TONS of gear at cheap prices. People starting in this hobby in the last 5 years would never believe how cheap gear was during this time. I feel so fortunate to have been able to try lots of different camera systems and if I didn’t jive with them I’d just turn around and sell them, sometimes for more than what I paid. Bronica 6x6, 6x4.5, Hasselblad, Fuji RF, Leica’a, Mamiya 7s, 6s. I tried them all. If I started now I’d never be able to afford the gear that I acquired during that time.

I started around 2012 and stuff was beyond cheap. So cheap that if I knew what to look for I would have bought it. Sadly I didn't really know much so I didn't grab the best of the deals. Places were selling boxes of gear for next to nothing.

 

[brian steinberger]

I started around 2012 and stuff was beyond cheap. So cheap that if I knew what to look for I would have bought it. Sadly I didn't really know much so I didn't grab the best of the deals. Places were selling boxes of gear for next to nothing.

Yea I’m sure it was still cheap then. I think these prices we see today really started 3-5 years ago. I think some of it too is that a lot of the best gear has found homes and there’s just not enough supply compared to demand. You can still find cheap gear but I’d be scared at this point about prior use and servicing. Personally, I would only buy from a reputable source (KEH).

 

[Pieter12]

people like you have been singing that same song for the last 25 years

And your point is? I said it was a slow, long death. Film has no commercial promise. For every film user, there are thousands of smart phone users. For them, taking a photo costs virtually nothing, they can share with as many as they like all over the world. The film photographer pays dearly for every exposure, maybe a few dozen people actually see the print. Hybrid use (film negative, scan, conversion and adjustment) is complicated and not within everyone's budget or abilities. To say nothing of darkroom work. Except for artistic purposes, film is not commercially viable enough to survive. Film prices have risen steadily, especially over the last year, and its use will soon enough be relegated to fad-following amateurs (remember steampunk?) and artists who can manage to afford the supplies and equipment. Each generation of "true-to-film" believers shrinks, the equipment gets rarer and in-person training harder to find. Those who believe film is the only true medium for photography will be dead in due time, too.

 

[Huss]

Pieter completely ignoring Kodak’s news….

 

[DREW WILEY]

Well, Pieter, except for the current 35mm canister issue with Kodak, the choice of pro film is actually very impressive today. You have to keep in mind that for several decades now, certain films have been successfully developed to do the work which a greater variety was once necessary for. And there have always been temporary outages of certain products, especially in less popular formats like 5X7 color film in the US. Right now, certain Kodak 8X10 films jockey between feast and famine, depending on how recently a volume cut was made, or if it's still awaited. But that's what personal freezers are for, to ride out the lean times. The ornery gorilla in the room right now isn't lack of choice, but the skyrocketing prices, just like many other items.

Of course, art stores, canvas, and tubes of paint were doomed once photography was invented. You would no doubt have accurately predicted that if you had been alive back then, Pieter. And all of us know that the dozen or more Art Supply stores in every sizable city are actually selling millions of umbrellas and mothballs instead, which keeps their doors open. But it is nice to know someone is declaring the sky is falling - we could use a little rain around here.

 

[Cholentpot]

Yea I’m sure it was still cheap then. I think these prices we see today really started 3-5 years ago. I think some of it too is that a lot of the best gear has found homes and there’s just not enough supply compared to demand. You can still find cheap gear but I’d be scared at this point about prior use and servicing. Personally, I would only buy from a reputable source (KEH).

Some gear has found homes. Have you seen prices on early F series user Nikons? They're uncool so the price is still sane. Loads of them out there and they tend to keep working.

 

[MattKing]

It is a mistake to attempt to derive absolute truths from the comparison between current prices and availability of equipment on the used equipment market and past prices and availability. We are still in a period of rapid change. The trends are informative and interesting, but it is like using tea leaves to predict the future.
There is current interest in film, it is different and greater than it was a few years ago, and there is reason for hope.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

So much of this is anecdotal and occasional witnessing of film transactions. (I saw a young person buying film, a young person with a film camera, a handful of amateur film at a drugstore.) I don't see rows of film refrigerators stocked up in any camera store I have been to lately. Sure, film is not dead, but there isn't the amount or selection of professional grade films that there was 20 years ago. Maybe few enough of the members don't go back that far, but film has been dying a long, slow death. And if I were to predict something, actual digital cameras will be relegated in the near future to professional use with most casual photographers using smart devices.

I agree with your film refrigerator comment. And I would have agreed with everything you said maybe ten years ago. Now? No. Still lots of film types out there. Digital? Don't care what happens to it.