How Can Analog Photography Be Saved?

[robert blu]

People and companies will offer goods and services as long as there's a demand for pure analog or hybrid analog/digital photography (film scanning and printing). Theres's profit opportunities in all niche markets.

The price of those goods and services will reach equilibrium. A negative feedback loop (demand decreases so prices increase) will not result in a death spiral. Instead new equilibrium points will be set. The significant impact will be a reduction in options for the niche consumers.

I don't see the demand dropping much lower and I certainly don't think the rate of decrease in demand will increase.

All will be well as long as people continue to accept the increased costs. Fortunately the hardware side cameras, lenses, etc) generally benefits from an excess in supply.

+1, I fully agree
robert

 

[HHPhoto]

The future of film photography is written in a demographic. What percentage of folks younger than 30 years are shooting film.

A very high percentage!
The "digital natives" are very interested in film. Digital is mainstream, normality and therefore also a bit boring to them. Film is different flavour and a nice addition and alternation.

There have been surveys (e.g. by Ilford) showing that. Look also at facebook, instagram, youtube: Most of the film photographers there are very young.
Forums like rff and photrio with mainly old(er) members are fortunately not representative at all for the current film photo scene.

Cheers, Jan

 

[ptpdprinter]

Look also at facebook, instagram, youtube: Most of the film photographers there are very young.
Forums like rff and photrio with mainly old(er) members are fortunately not representative at all for the current film photo scene.

Which tells you more about the user demographics of facebook, instagram, and youtube vs. rff and photrio than it does about film usage.

 

[HHPhoto]

People and companies will offer goods and services as long as there's a demand for pure analog or hybrid analog/digital photography (film scanning and printing). Theres's profit opportunities in all niche markets.

+1.
Basic economics.

I don't see the demand dropping much lower and I certainly don't think the rate of decrease in demand will increase.

In several markets the demand is already increasing: US, UK, Australia, Vietnam, Italy, Belgium, Scandinavia, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Russia for example. More markets will follow.

Cheers, Jan

 

[HHPhoto]

Which tells you more about the user demographics of facebook, instagram, and youtube vs. rff and photrio than it does about film usage.

No.
Facebook has more the 2 billion users.
And instagram more than 1 billion.
Both are growing.
To say these mediums are only used by people under 30 is simply wrong.
Photrio and rff member numbers are tiny compared to the member numbers of film photographers on facebook, instagram and youtube.

Cheers, Jan

 

[farlymac]

Analog/film photography will be saved one frame at a time.


PF

 

[DominikDUK]

Interesting it seems that "analogue" photography is considered by many to be industrial made film photography only. Denise Ross has instructions on her website the lightfarm on how to make film yourself http://thelightfarm.com/
Analogue photography unlike digital is in fact not dependent on manufacturers as it can be made at home without too much difficulty.

Analogue photography doesn't need to be saved as it is very much alive and far from dead.

 

[ForestCap]

Judging from the prices of colour negatives in shops near where I live, film photography is not in danger and does not need to be saved.

 

[KM-25]

The one thing I never see being talked about and I believe will have increasing effects on the viability of film and especially silver printing is rapidly increasing water scarcity. In my opinion, this is the number one thing that could imperil film and the darkroom's future.

So I have been doing all kinds of experiments, building and testing of re-capture and re-circuation systems to reach my goal of a reduction in water use associated with film and the darkroom by 70%.

Water scarcity is the number one near term reality that we all face, film and darkroom usage within that scope falls way down the list as a priority in broad scope societal terms. I hope all makers of film, chemistry and paper take this to heart and make real gains in this regard.

Otherwise.....

 

[Russell W. Barnes]

Water scarcity is the number one near term reality that we all face, film and darkroom usage within that scope falls way down the list as a priority in broad scope societal terms. I hope all makers of film, chemistry and paper take this to heart and make real gains in this regard.

Ilford's reduced water wash method works well enough and I now use it. Fill tank with water, invert five times, discard. Fill tank again with water, invert ten times and discard. Fill tank again, invert twenty times and discard. Fill with water once again, add a dash of wetting agent and that's it! None of this 'ten minutes under the tap' business.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

With washing aid it is one minute of water wash.

 

[ptpdprinter]

The one thing I never see being talked about and I believe will have increasing effects on the viability of film and especially silver printing is rapidly increasing water scarcity. In my opinion, this is the number one thing that could imperil film and the darkroom's future....

Water scarcity is the number one near term reality that we all face, film and darkroom usage within that scope falls way down the list as a priority in broad scope societal terms. I hope all makers of film, chemistry and paper take this to heart and make real gains in this regard.

I'm pretty sure I use less water in my darkroom sessions than I do taking a bath. I don't see this as a near term problem. Perhaps it is location specific.

 

[KM-25]

I'm pretty sure I use less water in my darkroom sessions than I do taking a bath. I don't see this as a near term problem. Perhaps it is location specific.

I take 3-5 minute showers, no baths so my wife can enjoy those..🙂

So far I have cut water usage by 50%, goal is 70%. While somewhat location specific, that too will change as the issue propagates and those who have water will be expected to not waste it because of the overall shortages.

Film is not so bad but rather fiber based papers and the required wash times. Time to innovate there.

 

[dave lackey]

Interesting it seems that "analogue" photography is considered by many to be industrial made film photography only. Denise Ross has instructions on her website the lightfarm on how to make film yourself http://thelightfarm.com/
Analogue photography unlike digital is in fact not dependent on manufacturers as it can be made at home without too much difficulty.

Analogue photography doesn't need to be saved as it is very much alive and far from dead.

Dom,

Thank you for that link. It is a fascinating read and will keep me busy for a long time.🙂

 

[Godfrey]

There is no such thing as 'analog' photography, that's why it's difficult to save. There are film and digital capture mediums, two different mediums for capturing light and doing photography.

To save film photography, the manufacture of film must be a profitable venture and worth investing development money into with respect to the manufacture of film itself as well as film cameras. So it's quite simple: Buy more film and NEW film cameras, and help the film manufacturing industry become profitable again. That's what you need to do. Remember that there's no profit to the manufacturers in the sale of non-new film cameras.

... Without adequate attention to language, we lose the plot. 🙂

 

[willie_901]

+1.
...


In several markets the demand is already increasing: US, UK, Australia, Vietnam, Italy, Belgium, Scandinavia, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Russia for example. More markets will follow.

Cheers, Jan

But how much of these increases are due to INSTAX?

 

[ptpdprinter]

Buy more film and NEW film cameras, and help the film manufacturing industry become profitable again. That's what you need to do. Remember that there's no profit to the manufacturers in the sale of non-new film cameras.

Are there more new cameras than the F6, MA/MP, and Lomo?

 

[HHPhoto]

But how much of these increases are due to INSTAX?

In my comment about the markets with increasing demand I've only referred to standard film, not Instax.

Instax is even a different case with booming demand all over the world in almost all regional markets.

Cheers, Jan

 

[HHPhoto]

Are there more new cameras than the F6, MA/MP, and Lomo?

Yes, there are several options in medium format like the DW Photo Hy6 Mod.2 (former Rolleiflex Hy6 Mod.2), the Hasselblad H5 and H6 which can be used with a film back, the Alpas.
And there are more than 15 different manufacturers of large format film cameras.
And we have to wait and see whether the projects of Reflex and Ponf will have success.

But at the current phase of the beginning film revival new film cameras are not a problem, nor a slowing factor for increasing interest.
Because there are millions of film cameras in working condition still sitting unused in cupboards. There is enough potential for increasing film usage by getting these cameras back in the hands of real photographers using them.
And then later in some years with increasing prices for used film cameras it also will be again attractive for camera manufacturers to produce new film cameras. Especially as the production volume of digital cameras is still significantly decreasing. A trend that will probably continue for some further years because of the decreasing demand of digital compact cameras.

Cheers, Jan

 

[Godfrey]

Are there more new cameras than the F6, MA/MP, and Lomo?

Dunno. I don't follow new cameras all that much any more, neither film nor digital. I have all the cameras I need.

G