Saying Goodbye to Film
I might be done with film.
Not with photography. Film.
Don’t get me wrong, I really do love film. I started off shooting film when I was a kid, long before digital cameras had ever been released. I’ve shot hundreds and hundreds of rolls of the stuff, both 35mm and medium format.
But lately, I am really wondering why I continue with it.
There is the expense, of course. $18 for a roll of 35mm film, and another $20 to process and get high quality scans. That’s over $1 for each press of the shutter. No prints are included in that price, of course.
There’s the headache of finding a place that really knows how to process film, and does a consistently good job. There are good companies for that, but they can be tough (or impossible) to find locally. And as for slide film—forget it. Most film processing labs don’t even bother with slide film.
Then there is the waiting for the results. I know that film lovers like to say that they love the anticipation that they feel when they are waiting (and waiting) for their film to return from the lab. Sorry, I just can’t convince myself to say that.
Digital works for me. I get the results immediately. I can readjust the composition, the settings, and shoot again if I am not satisfied. I can shoot a hundred photos or more in a day and not worry about the cost.
But most importantly, I actually like the results better with digital. I prefer the image quality of digital. There, I said it.
For years, I told myself “there’s nothing like film”. And that’s true. It has it’s own unique look. Or, should I say, its own unique looks. There are a lot of great film stocks out there, with their own characteristics.
But, I prefer the look of digital. I know, some say it’s “cold”, and “clinical.” Yeah, I used to say that a lot, too. But, the technology has improved so much, that now I can’t see how this is an argument. Some say “cold”, I say “crisp and clean”.
And with post-processing, I can add grain if I want, and other characteristics that give it a “film look”, if I so desire. Which I rarely do. I’m embracing the images that I receive from digital, and not trying to make them something that they are not. To my eyes, the digital images are more true to life than the analog images.
There are shortcomings with digital, of course. My primary concern is durability. Just how long will these digital files last? I know my folders full of black and white negatives are going to last for an extremely long time, with just a modicum of care. I can’t say the same with my digital files.
There’s the expense of storage. I’m currently shooting on a Leica Q3, with 60mp files. I can almost hear my computer groaning every time i download some new photos.
But these are shortcomings that I am willing to accept, in exchange for superb image quality, and immediate results.
Goodbye film.
At least for now.
I’m going to include some analog photographs below that I took over the years that I like. All of these date from the late 1980s and early 1990s.
In the meantime, keep photographing the world as only you can!
All the best,
Jonathan
