CDHGraphicDesign

Before digital photography, we had different stages that lead to film photography.

«KODAK MOMENTS» is something most of us has heard about. Which is moments caught on film.

Film cameras need to be developed in a dark room or via a camera store that provides developments of your film. This process takes some time and cost money. Before the age of the digital camera we never knew exactly how the pictures would turn out. We had some chances, but not as many as in a digital camera where as you can take thousands of photographs to be sure to have a couple of good ones.

I remember that when I was a teenager I loved to have film cameras with me, and in my room. I often took pictures with my friends and on trips, I developed them and hang them on a wall in my bedroom. Many of the photo’s often came back over exposed or ruined. But few of them got on the wall as really good pictures, and they meant a lot to me. The whole wall told a story, of my teen life.

As I recently learned the photographs in film often have more depht and are more rich than digital photo’s. The film captures a dynamic range (the difference between light and shadows). The digital cameras struggle to capture this range, although it is possible with the right settings and if you take multiple images and work them in Photoshop or lightroom. With film there is something authentic and natural with capturing the moments.

Are film making a comeback as a photographic medium?

Yes and no! I think that film as a photographic medium is here to stay and especially for hobby purposes like with the Polaroid film cameras that has made a huge comeback. Everyone wants a FUJIFILM Instax camera and there is a new trend going around where people include both polaroids and film cameras in their weddings and other happenings. Film are probably usefull in some buisness purposes too, where you want to show something authentic, exclusive and artistic.

However, in my field of study – as a Graphic designer I think that I will mainly work with my digital DSLR camera for best results. There are many reasons for this.

1. I’m not a skilled photographer, and with a digital camera I have many chances and ways to know that I got the photograph i’m looking for. As one of the articles I read stated «If you give a monkey a digital camera it will take some good photos out of a thousand» – I’m that monkey.

2. I feel, after some research that I have more control with the digital images in terms of editing, manipulating and preserving.

3. It’s less time consuming and cost efficient to use a digital camera, instead of film. Although, I might use film sometime in the future for the right project.

In conclusion, I think that most people in the same field as me think the same way about the media they would prefer. They think about the efficiency, economy and how to easily work with the photographs. In our field as Graphic designers we often use typography, colours and Photoshop for editing – so it’s important to have the images digital and ready for use.

On the other hand, I think that film is here to stay and are making a comeback in peoples lives – just maybe not in buisness where things need to be as economic and efficient as possible.

Image borrowed from Petapixel.com

Best regards, CDH