Film Photography Micro Trend Proje ct
Hadley Robinson
Photography
Noun the art or practice of taking and processing photographs.
Film
Noun a thin flexible strip of plastic or other material coated with light-sensitive emulsion for exposure in a camera, used to produce photographs or motion pictures.
History of Film Photography: Film was invented in 1884 and it changed the course of photography. Created by George Eastman, called Eastman American Film which was the first transparent film. The first film camera named “Kodak” was on sale in 1888. Eastman American film than changed its name to Eastman Kodak company in 1892. In 1895, the Pocket Kodak camera was announced and it used roll film, which allowed multiple pictures to be taken without having to replace the film. In 1975 the first digital camera was created, but people didn’t start using it till the 90s. (Kodak) and (Photocritic).
How I view Film Photography I would define film photography has a feeling and experience. In the world is digital and instant. We need everything now. It makes you slow down, think about your work. It makes you patient. Film Photography has a nostalgic feel to it. When you use a film camera you feel as if you were living in the time it takes to be made. It makes you understand the work people put in to make photos before digital images. It makes you understand photographers a lot more.
Why are people moving back to film? A big thing seen through social media is vintage and retro. Through filters, movies and fashion it’s seen everywhere. It’s not surprising people have now moved to film to experience vintage better. This reason is why people are listening to vinyl records again, it's a different experience, it has that retro feel. (The Globe and Mail) ILFORD photo which is a film roll company conducted a survey about film photography.
In 2014 they conducted this survey with about 2100 participants to over 6,800 participants in 2018. One section of the survey was about if users were new, returning or always used a film camera. 57% of their responders were returning to or trying the medium of film for the first time. While 43% have always been using film (ILFORD).
Why are people moving back to film? ILFORD photo had another section of the survey about the appeal of it. They wanted to know why people were returning to film. (ILFORD) The Garage with a blog for HP printers asked photographers the reason they use film. They said nostalgia, aesthetics, limits, and valuable asset.
This bar graph shows each appeal on the bottom and the percentage of who voted for it. The top two were aesthetics at 75% and creative control at 62% (ILFORD).
Why are people moving back to film? Disposable cameras are a camera meant for you to use up all the film on the camera, develop and then dispose of. Celebrities are a big contributor to this part of the trend because they have been creating separate Instagram accounts for their film photos. Some use an actual film camera, disposable or a film app when posting these photos. Some people who have hopped on this trend is Gigi Hadid, David Dobrik, Diana Silvers, and Joe Jonas. (W Magazine).
Everyone's value of film is different Ali Stanton a photography student at Columbia College Chicago says “(film) makes me we aware of the people around me, I become aware of the power I almost get… The way the people react to a camera.”
Andy Deluca a photographer for bands, 5 Seconds of Summer, Sunflower Bean, and others with over 120,000 followers on instagram explains “(film) it's timeless. It's skill. with a digital you can take 20 test photos and mess with the settings until you get it right. You can take 100 photos in a span of 2 seconds and hope that one of them is good. With film, you have a very limited amount of shots to take, so each one must count. It teaches you patience and technique.”
A worker at Central Camera Company said “Creative Value, I can’t put a price on (film) it. I do digital but It’s not satisfying to me the way film is. I don’t know how to put a value on it. It’s something I do pretty much everyday”
Central Camera Company has been around since 1899. They are Chicago's oldest camera store and have been running since almost the beginning of film photography. One day I came to observe the store to see If I could gain any useful information. Looking over what I saw, I would conclude that It was a very diverse age group of people who walked into the store. Even though I only had a couple of groups of people walk in -
- they were all from different age groups. Some were experts, some new and some very interested in the store and probably walked in because they felt nostalgic like this older couple who said: “oh I remember this� when looking around.
Relevant Pestel Factors: Economic: Film camera companies have been seeing an increase in sales in the last couple of years. Fujifilm saw an increase in sales of 19.4% in 2018. (Digitalcameraworld). Social: Social media. example: separate Instagram accounts for their film photos. Technology: The digital age allows things to move faster and allows you to gain information faster and learn things. Film camera apps have been on the rise like Gudak and Huji cam.
STEPP Factors:
Socal Currency: The show and tell of the product. Since Photography is a physical thing. People want to see the product.
Triggers: Some triggers are retro, film grain, filters, movies and shows where favorite characters use a film camera (ex: Jonathan from Stranger Things) Emotion: Sharing through social media, saying it was taking via a film camera. Having people react in a positive way to a photo.
STEPP Factors cont. Public: Photos are almost everywhere we look. Through ads, tv, books and the internet. Practical Value: It’s cheaper to buy a film camera or disposable camera. Thinking more about your work because you can’t see the photo right when you take it like digital and you have less photos you can take on a single roll. Stories: Stories are why people a lot of people move to a trend. If people react positively to something, It’s going to make people want to do it. Example: In an article about pro photographers trying out film a photographer Chris Burkhart said “It was like a Christmas present. I had that nostalgic feeling that I hadn't had in a long time." (The Garage)
The future of film photography Everyone I interviewed said film photography will never die, It will have its ups and downs but will never disappear. But as for companies now and for the future they have seen a rise in sales. A Canadian news website said, “the trend is driven predominantly by young people who have picked up interest shooting photos on film because of the different shooting experience and a look that is distinct from digital.” Camera stores and film labs are seeing a bright future again. Downtown Camera which is located in Toronto is moving to a big store to accommodate the large income of film roles they need to develop. (The Globe and Mail)
In 2017 the president of Kodak's Film division confirmed “Our professional film sales have been increasing over the last two or three years” (TIME). Harman Technology, which manufactures the popular Ilford Photo black-and-white films said: “We’re seeing film growth of 5% year-on-year globally,” (TIME).
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