The expense of shooting film

[VinceInMT]

www.husshardan.com

Wow, I really like your work.

 

[Pieter12]

The costs of film, processing and printing were among the reasons I was not able to pursue photography as a profession when I was much younger.

 

[madNbad]

Try owning an airplane.

Around the turn of the century, we were in the parking lot where my coworker had a freshly restored 1964 Chevrolet Nova SS. We were talking about the cost of the restoration when a B-17 Flying Fortress flew over.

 

[Agulliver]

Since you develop your own black & white film you know that the cost of stop bath with indicator and PhotoFlo are just so damned expensive!

Oh I use so much of that PhotoFlo, you wouldn't believe I use a bottle every three years! I've realised that I don't need stop bath.

One thing I might have to compromise on is booze at the jazz & blues club as they just put the price up considerably. However, I also know the club will be in danger of closing if it doesn't make money....so maybe I'll have to compromise elsewhere. No more new tapes for my Revox A77 perhaps.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Oh I use so much of that PhotoFlo, you wouldn't believe I use a bottle every three years! I've realised that I don't need stop bath.

One thing I might have to compromise on is booze at the jazz & blues club as they just put the price up considerably. However, I also know the club will be in danger of closing if it doesn't make money....so maybe I'll have to compromise elsewhere. No more new tapes for my Revox A77 perhaps.

Heck, I even gave up abstinence for Lent!

 

[Huss]

Wow, I really like your work.

Thanks! And I’ll take u up on that beer offer when I make it to Montana.

 

[GregY]

Yes. Most digital shooters are happy with a single camera and a single zoom lens, too. That's it, no need to spend a penny more, since printing is not in their world. On the other hand, it seems like film shooters need at least a couple of cameras plus multiple primes (the zooms from film days were either mediocre or very expensive). And those darn film cameras break down and need servicing or replacement and on and on...

Pieter how are you gathering your data? The one brick and mortar pro shop in Calgary continues to stay in business and every time i'm in there, there's a lineup of people trying the very latest Nikon or Canon DSLR or mirrorless offering.
As far as film cameras needing service..... I've only ever sent one Leica in for service in decades. How about those digitals that breakdown and become a brick? I think i have lovely dead $1k Digilux from 2000 kicking around somewhere...

 

[Roger Cole]

Film photography is actually cheaper than most of my other hobbies.

It costs what it costs. As someone (on a forum for a much more expensive hobby) said, you just need to ask yourself two questions: 1) Do I enjoy it? and 2) Can I afford it? (Note that "afford it" is not the same as "manage to pay for it" - he means truly afford it without negative impacts to family obligations, retirement savings, credit rating and total etc.)

If the answer to both questions is "yes" then stop fretting about it and just enjoy it. If not, then either find a way to afford it or find another hobby.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Film photography is actually cheaper than most of my other hobbies.

It costs what it costs. As someone (on a forum for a much more expensive hobby) said, you just need to ask yourself two questions: 1) Do I enjoy it? and 2) Can I afford it? (Note that "afford it" is not the same as "manage to pay for it" - he means truly afford it without negative impacts to family obligations, retirement savings, credit rating and total etc.)

If the answer to both questions is "yes" then stop fretting about it and just enjoy it. If not, then either find a way to afford it or find another hobby.

When I go off roading, things break and cost a whole lot more than a year of photography.

 

[Huss]

When I go off roading, things break and cost a whole lot more than a year of photography.

Really looking forward to taking my Jeep on a Superbloom Safari next month!

 

[blee1996]

Other than inhaling a little bit of chemical fume in the darkroom, film photography is one of the safer, cheaper, and healthier hobbies.

I'm only averaging 10-15 rolls per month, and home processing everything from B&W to C41/E6/ECN-2. B&W processing costs very little ($1 or less) per roll, while color is a bit more ($6 for E6 Tetenal, less for C41/ECN-2). You can still get good B&W film under $7, but fresh good color film is much more than $7.

I think time is the most valuable thing in the equation, and I do enjoy almost every minute of it.

 

[Paul Howell]

Around the turn of the century, we were in the parking lot where my coworker had a freshly restored 1964 Chevrolet Nova SS. We were talking about the cost of the restoration when a B-17 Flying Fortress flew over.

Parts for the B 17 are hand made by Boeing. I was at the Commentative Air Force Wing at Mesa Falcon field as 2 Boeing engineers and mechanic were pulling parts that had to be replace, one of the site managers told me that Boeing charges full rates as the parts have to meet FAA standards.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Parts for the B 17 are hand made by Boeing. I was at the Commentative Air Force Wing at Mesa Falcon field as 2 Boeing engineers and mechanic were pulling parts that had to be replace, one of the site managers told me that Boeing charges full rates as the parts have to meet FAA standards.

It has been a while since I wanted to blow someone or something up.

 

[albada]

If you need to spend more money shooting film, try Super 8. You can burn $40 in 3.3 minutes that way. Then add the cost of developing that 50-foot roll.

Mark

 

[Sirius Glass]

Photography is better for ones health than drinking alcohol and it is more productive.

 

[markjwyatt]

Really looking forward to taking my Jeep on a Superbloom Safari next month!

I flew over the hills on I15 by Lake Elsinore a couple of weeks ago- I saw a a number of orange patches in the hills already. It has since rained a few more times (and is raining today), so it could be a super super bloom this year in SoCal (if we get the sunshine soon).

 

[VinceInMT]

Film photography is actually cheaper than most of my other hobbies.

It costs what it costs. As someone (on a forum for a much more expensive hobby) said, you just need to ask yourself two questions: 1) Do I enjoy it? and 2) Can I afford it? (Note that "afford it" is not the same as "manage to pay for it" - he means truly afford it without negative impacts to family obligations, retirement savings, credit rating and total etc.)

If the answer to both questions is "yes" then stop fretting about it and just enjoy it. If not, then either find a way to afford it or find another hobby.

Well stated. Prices of film and chemicals would have to go up substantially before I changed my shooting habit.

The ”afford” thing is, of course, relative to one’s financial situation. As my father taught me, to know whether I can “afford” something, anything, is whether I can pay cash for it. In other words, if you don’t have the cash, you can’t afford it. Borrowing money to support a hobby would be crazy. The only thing I’ve ever borrowed money for is my first house, which I bought on the GI Bill, rehabbed and flipped and have paid cash for the 3 houses I’ve owned since then.

As Roger Cole said “Film photography is actually cheaper than most of my other hobbies.”

 

[Pieter12]

Well stated. Prices of film and chemicals would have to go up substantially before I changed my shooting habit.

The ”afford” thing is, of course, relative to one’s financial situation. As my father taught me, to know whether I can “afford” something, anything, is whether I can pay cash for it. In other words, if you don’t have the cash, you can’t afford it. Borrowing money to support a hobby would be crazy. The only thing I’ve ever borrowed money for is my first house, which I bought on the GI Bill, rehabbed and flipped and have paid cash for the 3 houses I’ve owned since then.

As Roger Cole said “Film photography is actually cheaper than most of my other hobbies.”

So it’s OK to deplete your savings on your hobbies?

 

[VinceInMT]

So it’s OK to deplete your savings on your hobbies?

Did I say that?

 

[kennethwajda]

I shoot film. Two frames of 8x10 cost me $4 a sheet (Arista EDU 100) plus one roll of 120 (Ilford HP5) cost me $7. I'm up to $15 plus a few bucks maybe for processing at my studio--under $20! And I have two 8x10 frames and a roll of 120 in a Rolleiflex to show for it. It's not expensive if you know how to use it. https://6x6portraits.wordpress.com/2022/08/28/portraits-8x10-rolleiflex-and-the-in-betweens/

Kenneth Wajda | New York :: Denver :: Los Angeles | Photojournalist and Commercial Photographer :: 720.982.9237

Kenneth Wajda is a NY/Denver/LA corporate event, lifestyle, editorial and portrait photographer who focuses on creating images that embody personalities in an iconic style, and documenting stories in an authentic way.

kennethwajdaphotographer.com

 

[Huss]

I flew over the hills on I15 by Lake Elsinore a couple of weeks ago- I saw a a number of orange patches in the hills already. It has since rained a few more times (and is raining today), so it could be a super super bloom this year in SoCal (if we get the sunshine soon).

End of March/early April is when I expect it to hit.

My favorite location is the Carizzo National Monument.

 

[Roger Cole]

Well stated. Prices of film and chemicals would have to go up substantially before I changed my shooting habit.

The ”afford” thing is, of course, relative to one’s financial situation. As my father taught me, to know whether I can “afford” something, anything, is whether I can pay cash for it. In other words, if you don’t have the cash, you can’t afford it. Borrowing money to support a hobby would be crazy. The only thing I’ve ever borrowed money for is my first house, which I bought on the GI Bill, rehabbed and flipped and have paid cash for the 3 houses I’ve owned since then.

As Roger Cole said “Film photography is actually cheaper than most of my other hobbies.”

It CAN make sense, albeit rarely, to borrow even for a hobby. One case would be for a major asset that won't depreciate, or even appreciate - one other hobby I was thinking of is flying. I'm a pilot but haven't flown since 2018 when I decided to hang up the headset for a few years (but will get back to it. I was in a club but figure maybe to get into a partnership when I can retire in a few years.) Used airplanes have increased a LOT in value since just then in 2018, and historically if well maintained they almost never decrease, at least ones 20+ years old which is what I'd be talking about. A loan might make sense. Another case might be where, say, you'll have the cash from a payout, say, next month, but an item is on sale or otherwise available at a substantial discount NOW, but won't be by then. Provided you have the discipline to actually pay it off when the card bill comes in and avoid any interest, or avoid paying more than you saved, that can make sense.

Of course it's not "ok to deplete your savings." It often makes sense to finance something rather than pay cash even if you HAVE the cash. I've had many arguments with people on the "pay off your house!" bandwagon over this, explaining that I wouldn't pay my mortgage off if I won a $1B lottery tomorrow. Why would I? It's at 2.75% fixed after a re-fi near the bottom of rates. That'd be insane to pay off one penny more than the required payment when even CDs are getting 4%+ now.

 

[Pieter12]

Did I say that?

You did state that If you have the cash,

 

[Ivo Stunga]

We live in an age where good photographs are produced by volume not by skill!!

Or will be drawn tomorrow entirely by AI, but it doesn't bother me from where I live: Planet Slides and up to 60 films per year.

 

[Agulliver]

Heck, I even gave up abstinence for Lent!

I gave up Lent.