Do I shoot on a $1000 medium format camera that likely doesn’t have a working light meter or do I invest that money into a $600 camera that will probably come out at the same cost once I factor in taxes, lenses, memory cards, flash, external hard drives, etc. Do you pay a monthly subscription for Lightroom or do you pay a monthly membership fee at your community darkroom? Did you pay the extra amount to see Oppenheimer in Imax 4D or did you pay extra to see it on 35mm film at the Drafthouse? In short, do you shoot digital or do you shoot film? Could you tell me all the different film under the Cinestill brand? What about the difference between a full frame camera and a crop sensor camera? Do you think it’s better to spend the extra money because you prefer the TIFF scans or would you rather spend extra time at the computer desk because you prefer shooting in RAW? Is there a yes or no to this question or is too arbitrary to be definitively answered?
Well yes, and no. Much like both my platonic and romantic relationships in 2023, it’s complicated. For example, if you asked me this question 3 years ago you would’ve been hit with celebratory praise for film. I loved film, started my journey as a photographer with film. I remember the first time I got a roll of film back and thinking “ wow, I can make out 3 WHOLE IMAGES from a roll of 36” and having the most delusional sense of self-confidence. That one day a whole roll of 36 will come back flawless! Every image will be clear and coherent. I all of a sudden had purpose. Every image I shot on a film camera since had intent behind it. intent on securing the magical number 36. I would triple check my settings over and over again before I caught a candid moment on a street. More than often, I would lose the shot but it was a small price to pay for that coveted title of 36 flawless pictures. I couldn’t risk my shutter speed being too fast or my aperture being one click off. Every image matters became my creed, my battle cry, my inscription on my tombstone. That is, until 3 years ago.
You see I had the unique horror of living in New York during the peak of the pandemic. I remember the sense of purpose my Canon AE-1 gave me. How determined I became to take pictures of the quiet moments in a city that usually never sleeps. Taking pictures of Time Square, abandoned and alone. Seeing the aftermath of what looked like an overnight apocalypse drove me to document it all. Stored up on roll after roll and self assured that when the world begins to explore of what it means to be “new normal” I will be stocked up on images of the old. The value these images would bring. Confident that all will be well and I could probably stop paying for therapy for a while. Of course, I was wrong about both of those sentiments.
You see shortly thereafter, I took said rolls of film to get developed at one of my local processing lab and unfortunately, my luck ran out. An accident at the lab caused a good majority of my rolls to become ruined. Without going into details. I was defeated, devastated, and deflated. How could this have happened? what could I have done to avoid this? If only there was a way I could’ve taken the pictures and then immediately been able to store them somewhere safe. Somewhere safe that even if that safe place became damaged somehow then the pictures would be still be in various other safe spaces that could be accessed with just a username and password. And then my Facebook marketplace notification went off and suggested a Fuji X-T2 was being sold nearby.
The truth is that film photography and digital photography both have their own unique benefits and drawbacks. One of the main advantages of film photography is the aesthetic it offers. Film captures images with a certain richness, depth, and graininess that many photographers find appealing. Additionally, the process of shooting on film slows down the photographer, forcing them to be more intentional and deliberate with their shots. This can lead to a more thoughtful and considered approach to composition. On the other hand, digital photography offers instant feedback and unlimited shots, allowing photographers to experiment and learn in real-time without the need to develop and print each frame. Digital cameras also provide greater flexibility in post-processing, with the ability to easily edit and manipulate images. However, digital photography can sometimes lack the character and authenticity of film, and the constant need for batteries and memory cards can be a drawback.
One thing is for sure though. It’s not what you put in front of a photographer that matters, it’s what that photographer leaves behind.