Photographer Mattias Burling has a thing for film photography. You might say he’s a connoisseur of film photography. IT’s not that he doesn’t like digital, but a majority of his stills are shot with film. In this video, he shares the top five reasons why film photography is still relevant:
1. Analog Cameras
Analog cameras are cheap. You can probably find a mint condition analog camera for a throwaway price on eBay or a thrift store. The same is not true about digital cameras.
Analog cameras are dirt cheap.
Plus, the lenses on these analog camera come in handy for shooting videos. Alternatively, you could choose to sell them off for a good amount of money. You might argue that film costs money, but it’s fairly inexpensive and certainly worth it.
Shooting medium format is distinctly cheaper with film.
2. Medium Format
Medium format is a lot more accessible on film. In the digital world, medium format cameras are well out of the budget for most photographers. In the analog world, cameras like the Certo (pictured above) are available almost for free.
3. Processing
Processing film is a lot of fun. Not that you have to do it—some film labs are still in business. But if you do choose to develop your film yourself, it’s a lot like baking. You could easily buy a loaf of bread from the bakery, but it can be a tremendous source of satisfaction when you do it yourself.
The organic look with film is irresistible for connoisseurs.
4. The Organic Look
One of the top reasons Burling cites for his affinity for film is that with film you get the distinct organic look—excellent tonality, dynamic range, skin tone—something that you can never hope to get with film.
5. Choice to Experiment
Lastly, with film you can experiment with different film stock, chemicals, and development processes. There’s far more room for trying new ways of doing things throughout the whole photography process.
What’s your take on this topic? Do you think film photography has a leg up on digital?
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I prefer film. It’s got a more romantic and dream quality to it.
You’re contradicting yourself on point 4: “something that you can never hope to get with…” what, again?