Why I Shoot Film
Photography has been a staple in my life since my early teenage years. I started shooting with my dad’s old Canon 20D and a kit lens, and I have slowly upgraded since. About two years ago, I bought an old Canon AE-1 on a whim, partially because I loved the classic look of a two-toned silver/black body, but I also wanted to give film photography a try. I had images in my head that I would create photos like those of Slim Aarons or even Henri Cartier-Bresson, but that was a delusion of grandeur. (Hey, one can aspire, right!)
Prior to owning a film camera, I always played around with photoshop to emulate the look of film. It’s possible to make a digital photo look like a film photo, but something is missing from the altered digital version. Until I had my first roll of film developed, I did not realize what that missing piece was. The photo scans I received from the lab were not especially notable; however, I loved them! The delayed gratification of seeing the photos I had shot weeks prior was immense. Being able to hold the physical negatives in my hand, I realized what the digital photos were missing—tangibility.
This specialness was even more evident after I had successfully completed my first at-home development. Pulling the photo negatives from the lab’s envelope was exciting. However, opening the the development tank after a tense twenty minute session of frantically mixing chemicals resulted in a palpable level of excitement. I was holding something that I had created from start to finish!
That’s enough for the abstract side of film photography, but what about the more concrete aspect of it? That’s where one of my favorite sounds comes from—the shutter firing. We all use smartphones to take photos nowadays and the technology behind phone cameras is impressive. The phones will even play a shutter noise when capturing a photo. It sounds pretty cheesy, so we generally silence it. However, when I fire off a shot with a mechanical film camera, oh boy…Not only do all the mechanisms work in harmony to create a solid “click-clink”, but I can feel the shutter release giving me a sense of satisfaction missing when using digital cameras.
Some of the photos below hold a very special place in my heart so enjoy and let me know which ones you like best!
