Something interesting I’ve found since I started shooting film is that I value the photos I take on film considerably more than those I take with my digital camera. I’ve boiled this down to the fact that I am forced to think about film photos a lot more, since firstly, there are fewer of them, and secondly, it is an expensive hobby to maintain having to buy a new roll of film for every 24 or 36 photos I take, as well as paying for the developing of the photos. So, with this in mind, naturally, I try a lot harder to take better photos because I don’t want my money to go to waste.
The problem with having this mindset is that all my film photos were turning out considerably better than my digital photos, not because of the actual photo quality, but because a lot more thought was going into them and in general I was trying to be more creative and produce quality photos. The good side is that I have recognised that I’m doing this, so I am consciously trying to apply this mindset to my digital photography, approaching photoshoots more purposefully. I’m using features such as unlimited photos and the opportunity to see the pictures while I’m taking them to my advantage in perfecting the execution of my ideas.
I think my main point to this is that film photography has really improved my photography overall. I think I’ve talked about this before but that’s because I just can’t emphasise this point enough. Not only has it helped with learning to use a cameras settings, as learning to manually adjust aperture, shutter speed, focus, ISO etc. was just part of the process of learning to take successful film photos, since auto just does’t quite cut the mustard. But it has also simply improved my approach and mindset to photography in general.
Basically, if you like photography and you haven’t tried film yet, try it!! It really will change your whole perspective and experience.
Lauren Kathleen 