Courtesy of Ryszard
Not too far back in time, photographers were using film cameras in plenty. It wasn’t until the late 90s that digital cameras came to the fore, and within one decade, there were rumors flying that we have seen the back of film cameras. It is not an entirely unfounded claim. Films have been on the decline ever since digital cameras became affordable.
But films are not completely out, and it seems they never will be. They may never be popular again, yes, given the ease and practicality of digital photography, but among professionals, there will always be a split over preference between the two. Also, a lot of companies are still bringing out their product lines that indicate that some kind of market is still alive. Although there has been a narrowing in the sense that one doesn’t get vibrant-color film anymore, but does get Neutral colour portra, so there is that aspect as well.
A lot of photographers are of the view that digital makes the ends meet when it comes to commercial projects, because they allow swift workflow, low costs, and speedy execution. At the same time, they also admit that the physical artefact of the negative gives a ‘real’ feel to the whole process. But that’s not all; film provides a better highlight shoulder, whereas digital gives you headaches with all the nasty white clippings. Also, you can make really huge prints using films.
Then there is the bokeh effect and the look that film lends to the image. To put everything in a nutshell, the overall experience of film photography is time- and cost-consuming, but the results are worth it.
Courtesy of Lomography
Film refuses to die, yes, but each year, it goes a little away from us. It has already completed its transition from the consumer market to the artisanal. Robert Burly, professor at Ryerson University in Toronto, wrote a wonderful book titled ‘The disappearance of darkness’ on the slow demise of film, and there he charts out the history of film camera, from its genesis to its present state. It is a must-read for all those who want to get a comprehensive knowledge of the film.
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