Why I Love Film Photography

Starting with film photography

I've had the part-time hobby of photography for several years now – mainly my digital camera being taken with me on walks and holidays for the most part, with long gaps in between.

It was mid-2022 though when in a chance conversation with a friend led to me digging out an old hand me down film camera (a Practika BX20) which had sat in a box for the last decade or so and thinking "I should give it a go".

It is not the first time I've ever shot film though – I did shoot two whole rolls in the photography module at college, back when I had free access to the darkroom facilities – but I wasn't interested in photography at the time so didn't take advantage of that... The regret!

Either way, fast forward 6 months and I am rarely ever leaving the house without at least one a camera with me – something I never did with my digital camera.

It has become a serious part of my life and brings me a lot of joy.

So what was initially different about film?

I think there were two key differences with film that changed my approach to photography.

1. Unable to preview images

By losing the ability to see my images as I take them it meant that I needed to increase my confidence in the outcome, I can't just check and adjust.

This has led me to learning far more about the technical side of photography. Plus digital has so much forgiveness in it that I could get by with intuition and trial a lot of the time.

2. Slowing down

I could quite easily come back from a day trip out with my digital camera with hundreds of images (sometimes even over a thousand after a day at a bird sanctuary firing away at 10fps), there was never a reason not to press the shutter button.

The sad thing is though the sheer wealth of images I would take would also stop me from even looking at, let alone appreciating, the majority of these images.

Ironically the amount of work I could shoot would stop me in my tracks.

So with slowing down and focusing on learning and contemplating – is it that suprising that I feel like I am a better photographer now?

But couldn't I have done this with digital?

Well - Yeah.

Learning more about the technical aspects of photography, and "taking less photos" is in no way reliant on shooting film. These were purely benefits for myself on that front, but they are just part of the foundations of what I love about film photography.

Without sounding too hipster about it – but let's face it, it's going to – there is just a quality about the images that I love. The imperfections that would lead to you retaking a digital image are one of the very things I now love. It is strange and I can't explain why. I really might need to think more about this.

But lets also be frank here. Its also really f*cking fun finding and using old cameras and gear!

When you find an old camera and put your first test roll through, and it comes back with these images and satisfies the mystery and anticipation and it worked – there's such excitement. It's honestly an amazing and addictive feeling.

Equally for me personally, its been a great growth experience when things haven't gone perfectly – or at all. My personality historically doesn't just brush things off when they go wrong. I have kicked myself for mistakes or missed opportunities for longer then I should.

With film photography though I have had to embrace that things will go wrong, it just comes with the territory. I've also had to develop patience, something I have equally struggled with.

So what do I see next for me with film photography?

Firstly, theres still a lot left for me to learn about film photography. I'm not even a year in – I don't even know the full lengths of what I don't know yet. That is half of the fun.

I love the actual process of learning – my brain gets hooked on new subjects and just can't rest until I've crash coursed my way through it learning everything that I can. So a subject that will keep me satisfied for years to come that also makes me ridicolously happy – yes please.

So I will be continuing to learn, continuing to improve, continuing to find and build relationships within the community. I hope.

Next challenge – Probably either home colour development or 5x4 Large Format...