Seeing Film Everywhere

JChrome

JChrome

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Just got back from a trip to Palm Springs, CA. What I saw was very encouraging for film users.

First we started at the Ace Hotel. There was a motorcycle party (people brought their bikes and showed them off and sold clothing and other motorcycle wares). A fellow was setup with an ancient looking 8x10 camera and soft boxes and shooting tin type portraits.

I spotted a few others walking around with film cameras (just passers by); Leica M3 and a Canon AE-1.

Then we went to Joshua tree. Much less of a hipster crowd than the Ace Hotel. As we congregated at some of the grand vistas, I saw as many film SLRs as I did digital cameras (not counting phones). Canons, Nikons, Pentax, Oly's. This is really where I was startled. I hadn't seen this many film cameras in a tourist spot... ever.

Next up was San Jacinto. We took a tram car up the mountainside with 50 people. Another Canon AE-1.

Have other people had this experience? I'm sure being in a spot frequented by youngsters from LA and San Diego introduced bias into the sample. But I was really surprised at how many film cameras I was seeing.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Here in Montreal film seems to be seeing quite a bit of a resurgence as well. This seems to be the case especially amongst the younger photographer crowd; those ones who cut their teeth shooting with their mobile phones, then graduated to DSLRs and mirrorless digital cameras. Now they are looking for the next thing, and that happens to be film.

The culture of instagram seems, IMO, to be playing a factor in this resurgence as well. Instagram is riddled with photos of 135 and medium format cameras, who's precision machined, retro aesthetic paints them in a very attractive light compared to the plastic disposable ugliness of digital cameras that the young generation of photogs has grown up with. Anything retro, but especially analog storage mediums and the tech that is needed to operate them is alluring to this gen. It's cool to be seen using this stuff. Look at what has happened with vinyl over the last decade or so. Artists press vinyl now, often foregoing cds. It's a 12" release with a digital download inside the sleeve.

In a culture where high value is placed upon individuality, the photographer who shoots film stands apart from the rest of the flock.
 
In NYC I'm seeing quite a few younger folks with film cameras around. They never really went away here, but the numbers seem to be up lately.

It's encouraging.
 
There are other forces driving this resurgence as well. Digital = disposable. And for a generation facing the very real possibility of induced global catastrophe, one might argue that it is a sort of protest to be reusing a robust product that already exists in the ecosystem instead of buying a new product that requires a much larger draw of resources and manufacturing to produce, only to have it stop working or become outdated tech in a few months time. Not to mention that photography is a ridiculously expensive hobby and if you are not monetizing it for personal gain then generally one cannot afford to be upgrading constantly. For the young generation of photogs this is particularly true, as millenials have less money than any gen before them and they exist in a precipitous economic climate. Film gear is an attractively low priced "upgrade" or entry point into their chosen hobby.
 
Yeah, I doubt it's political. Just another cool thing for urban young people to congregate around. Nearest place to drop off a roll of film to be processed is 60 miles away. I never see film cameras, only cell phones around here.
 
Well, talking about money, I would say film photography is expensive. Yeah, if you want to take pictures on film you don't need to expend a fortune, you can get good equipment that will last you a long time really cheap, but you need to keep paying for film and developing and those cost you. Not saying it isn't possible, but I think is not likely.

I think film is attracting people because is interesting, challenging and you can really make a picture personal. Also, IMHO, having a camera that will last you a while, kinda give you a sense of stability, something that depends on you, not on the market preferences and a quick changing fashion.


Regards.
Marcelo

P.S.- And no, here on Tijuana, MX don't really see many people with film cameras, but I don't really get out that much so maybe I'm missing them 🙂
 
I got back from a trip from Indonesia last week and I saw a Leica M-A (35mm Summicron APO), Canon A1 (50mm 1.4), a group using disposable cameras as well as a guy using a Polaroid 195.
 
JChrome said:
Just got back from a trip to Palm Springs, CA. What I saw was very encouraging for film users.

First we started at the Ace Hotel. There was a motorcycle party (people brought their bikes and showed them off and sold clothing and other motorcycle wares). A fellow was setup with an ancient looking 8x10 camera and soft boxes and shooting tin type portraits.

I spotted a few others walking around with film cameras (just passers by); Leica M3 and a Canon AE-1.

Then we went to Joshua tree. Much less of a hipster crowd than the Ace Hotel. As we congregated at some of the grand vistas, I saw as many film SLRs as I did digital cameras (not counting phones). Canons, Nikons, Pentax, Oly's. This is really where I was startled. I hadn't seen this many film cameras in a tourist spot... ever.

Next up was San Jacinto. We took a tram car up the mountainside with 50 people. Another Canon AE-1.

Have other people had this experience? I'm sure being in a spot frequented by youngsters from LA and San Diego introduced bias into the sample. But I was really surprised at how many film cameras I was seeing.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

I am glad you saw that in Palm Spring, you did not see me with my Leica M5. It was raining like crazy. I understand president Obama flight into Palms Spring on Friday was re-routed to March AF Base in Riverside. I was along the main drag (111) taking shots at the cloud formations, they were unbelievable. Regarding the switch to film by many, it produces a bad feeling every time a "new and better" computer (read it DSLR or Digital RF) comes out and you want to upgrade. It creates a good second hand market for those cameras, but it feels like you are always behind. But with a Canon P RF, you do not notice the changes, and you can take as many shots as you want without feeling left behind.
 
JChrome said:
Have other people had this experience? I'm sure being in a spot frequented by youngsters from LA and San Diego introduced bias into the sample. But I was really surprised at how many film cameras I was seeing.
Click to expand...
I studied in Barcelona (not living) but saw a fair share of film cameras. Must confess that didn't see (or notice) many in a row, but there are plenty.

IG has quite a weight to it and your note about the LA-SD crowd is well observed. There is a group of Nikonos Surfers around that area that spread the word for film, among others.

lovely_sausages said:
And for a generation facing the very real possibility of induced global catastrophe, one might argue that it is a sort of protest to be reusing a robust product that already exists in the ecosystem instead of buying a new product that requires a much larger draw of resources and manufacturing to produce, only to have it stop working or become outdated tech in a few months time.
Click to expand...
No need to tell me! We youngsters don't have such a privileged status in wages and conditions, washed slowly by the recession which hasn't left, at least here -- resource limits.

But digital aren't that disposable nowadays, the race has slowed and the months gave away to a few years. Yesterday had a long coffee table discussion with a friend about which (digital) camera he should get, and 2013 models are perfectly fine. Any camera model you can get now is excellent!

I'd not argue for a political or anti-system reason, rather the uniqueness, aesthetic and settled media that it is. The DSLR and mirrorless medium can felt squeezed with cellphones being more convenient and rather decent.

Labs are mostly send out and dev+scan. Look at the success of, say Carmencita in Spain. In some interview they explained the hard times they had in 2013, but once it caught clientele, nowadays it's a 20 person team working in the lab... Wedding and lifestyle has a heavy heft here in quantities processed. Then take a look at select camera prices (specifically MF) and they rose in the last 2-3 years.
 
splitimageview said:
Seriously doubt shooters are making a film choice for political reasons.
Click to expand...

it's one of the primary reasons i continue to incorporate film in my work. i have seen, with my own eyes, the impact of digital mass consumption in places like the eastern DRC and it isn't pretty. not a blanket statement... just my own reasoning.
 
I saw a Minolta X something yesterday at the Montpelier march. Only film camera I saw, and it looked very well used. Most of the actual cameras I saw were Nikon DSLR's, a few Sony P&S, a Panasonic All-weather, and one Fuji XPro. I carried the Monochrom and an M9, left all the film equipment home, though my shooting is still 50% film at minimum.
 
Young people who tire of digital grab their dad or mom's old film camera to try film. The Film Photography Project Podcast has a huge following of film shooters. It's now very easy to home process C-41 & E-6 to get fantastic results, not to mention b&w.

High schools are starting film photography courses & the FPP has shipped many as 40 cameras to a classroom that people have donated. It's awesome what is happening. There are several high schools now teaching film photography because of the FPP.

http://filmphotographyproject.com/fpp-gives-film-cameras-kids
 
I walked into a natural foods store yesterday and a young gal behind the counter (probably in her mid- 20’s) took a real interest in my old Canon III-A rangefinder. She had just discovered film and asked me many questions about the camera and processing B&W film. I was both surprised and encouraged by her interest in film photography.

Jim B.
 
Womxn's March in Seattle yesterday---saw several folks with film gear:

Four with Black M's of some sort (three with short lenses, one with a 90 of some sort)
A Minolta (or Mamiya?) big chunky SLR of some sort
A couple of Pentax? Canon? chrome 70s looking gear
A guy with a digital M (not film but cool)
A medium format Makina

and me with the Canon L2 and the Leotax Elite...

Demo was mostly middle aged to older white dudes like me😉

My students are interested in film more in the last few years and I don't generally encourage them because of cost
 
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