I am not too sure when I became interested in film photography. I think it was when I was 14 and the thought of double exposing without knowing what the result would be kept me excited. However, I never pursued it. The excitement was long put on a shelf with the camera my uncle gave me, and it was forgotten.
Fast forward a few years later when, at a photo walk, I met one of the coolest friends I have till date. He had a small Pentax and God, he took beautiful photos. When I went back home, I got my camera down from the shelf and started shooting on film. There was something absolutely beautiful about the sepia toned, grainy, overlooking images.
Photography in the most literal sense is capturing emotions. Shooting on film has always been a medium of capturing emotions in their most unadulterated form. In a digital world where filters change the entire essence of the photo, film stays true to itself. It does away with the pretense. It is raw and rough and more real. This is not to diss digital photography, however, the art of film photography makes you think before you shoot. As there is limited amount a roll can capture, you pause and tend to think before you are shooting. You take everything in consideration and then make a conscious decision. I, too, have been a victim of just randomly taking as many photos while using a digital camera and then going t hrough a process of sorting and selecting and deleting. With film, I am more careful, more aware.
Albeit film can be expensive at times, the results are worth it. There is a large community that supports film photography and even has a dedicated hashtag entitled #filmisnotdead. Despite the rise in digital photography, film continues to exist. Its aesthetics are unmatchable. There are presets being created to imitate images on film. Why would anyone bother with this if the aesthetics of digital photography were enough? Film photographing is not only about consuming, it’s also about creating. There is a lot of hard work that goes into it, it’s almost a labour of love. While digital photography has its own benefits, we cannot forget about shooting on film. Film photography helps you understand the dynamics of photography in general. You get a better understanding of the mechanisms of things like exposure. We need to understand the balance between digital and film. Where we come from is always important. As a photographer, I think it’s extremely worthwhile to not forget about shooting on film; the original roots.
