Point. Click. Shoot: Film photography isn’t dead
With apologies to Mark Twain, the reports of the death of film photography were greatly exaggerated. So say the hosts of the photography podcast Studio C-41 as they talk to April Balser about the medium and why it isn’t just for National Geographic’s Steve McMurry or hispter Millennials looking for “authenticity” beyond an Instagram filter.
Photo: Nol Tran
We all remember the days of taking photos using film. Well, most of us. If you were born after the 90s, you may not know what it feels like to carry a disposable camera in your pocket to graduation or a party, and then wait a week to see what the photos look like. It was slow, and the results were often surprising in a bad way.
Yet these three professional photographers -- and many more, in fact -- are embracing film photography: a medium that nearly became extinct with the discontinuation of Ektachrome and Kodachrome films, among other things. So, why are they working with and talking about something that’s often seen as an outdated format?
The Talent
Bill Manning is a fine arts photographer specializing in portraiture and weddings living in Ball Ground, Georgia. He started out shooting digital and began working with film five years ago after receiving two cameras from a family friend that passed away.
Steven Wallace is a full-time wedding and portrait photographer living in Smyrna, Georgia. He shoots both film and digital (called “hybrid photography”) providing his wedding clients with both formats.
Jordana Dale of Atlanta is the newest member of the podcast and her photography includes both editorial portraiture and commercial. She shoots mainly film, but also digital.
Their mutual love of film inspires the conversations happening weekly on the Studio C-41 podcast.
“The increased interest in film has taken off in the last four or five years. There’s something that’s happening now with the digital technology doesn’t feel new to photographers,” explains Manning.
“There’s been an interest and revival in analog things — it’s the same way with vinyl records. It’s been a real grassroots snowball,” says Wallace. “Even if you are getting your work scanned it for the end result, the physical act of loading a roll of film through a camera connects people more than just picking up a smartphone or digital camera. The physical tangible aspect is a big part of it. ”
“ The principles of photography are the same: it’s about the light.”
Be kind, rewind
When Manning first began shooting with film cameras, he often stopped into his photo lab of choice, Dunwoody Photo, to talk with Wallace and the owner, Michael Beattie, for film photography advice.
“We became good friends. I remember saying, ‘Let’s go to dinner -- I really want to do a podcast.’ That dinner was three hours long. We walked out of there and said, ‘we can totally do this,’” says Manning.
Manning and Wallace set out to start the podcast, named for the film process C-41, and the first episode was released in May 2017. They met Dale through a local film photography meetup. She was later a guest on the show and officially joined the team in March 2019. New episodes are released every week with the three co-hosts talking with film photography notables and companies, including Kodak, Lomography, and Emulsive.
“We try to be more conversational and engaging with each other, so that it’s not just a couple of nerds rambling into a microphone, but actually talking about the topics in this medium that we love,” says Wallace.
Who’s using film?
According to Manning, Wallace, and Dale, there are three types of people who use film photography: One who formerly used film and goes back for nostalgic reasons, those who are tired of digital and are searching for a new medium to re-energize them, and third, photographers who are discovering shooting on film for the first time. Dale suggests that many millennial film photographers are drawn to the medium because they think film feels more real.
“Whether it’s hip to think this way or not, millennials are big on authenticity. I don’t really agree with this, but a lot of people think film is more authentic. Film is potentially less retouched and less edited, even though it’s not true in the industry. Plenty of the big fashion photographers never went away from film, and they still do plenty of retouching. A lot of people today think film is raw and real. You aren’t Photoshopping it — you’re taking a real picture of a real moment. It is an authentic thing, and I think that is what people are looking for in a day and age where so many things are fake,” says Dale.
The rising popularity also isn’t strictly for still photography: TV series and films like The Walking Dead and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood are shot on film.
Instant gratification
There’s also been a resurgence of Polaroid and Instax cameras using instant film. My husband even recently bought a vintage Polaroid camera at an estate sale. New or old, it’s a very popular form of photography. The immediacy also has a tangible aspect to it.
“I absolutely love instant film. You just can’t replicate the magic of it developing before your eyes or the color quality it has. Instagram filters don’t even come close. I’ll use instant film for as long as it’s made.” ”
Film vs. digital: what’s the difference?
“People don’t realize that shooting film is all the same principles as digital. If you know how to shoot digital, you can shoot film. There are only very minor differences as far as how you meter it to get the optimal exposure. The principles of photography are the same: it’s about the light. It’s about exposing the light correctly and composing the frame. It doesn’t have to be ‘this one is better than the other, or that it’s so complicated or different.’ It’s all photography,” says Dale.
“Try film — there’s nothing to be scared of. Make a mistake. For people who have always used digital, go out there and ruin a roll of film. Give it a shot literally — and figuratively,” says Wallace.“
There are constraints when it comes to film: there are a limited number of exposures a photographer can take before having to change the roll. With digital, the number of photos are only limited by the memory card storage. Film technology hasn’t changed for many years -- perhaps part of the appeal. Many film photographers collect and use cameras from decades ago because they’re simply not made anymore. New digital cameras and technologies hit the market all the time. But there’s little to replace the shared reminiscences, experiences, and conversations that happen over a photo album or pictures, and if the we are guilty of anything in the age of digital, it’s trapping our memories on phones, sticks, and cards.
