I recently spoke with a young man who I discovered was very interested in photography. (He knew nothing about my own ‘Special Effect’ photography), and having told me that it was his main hobby, I was intrigued and very surprised when he explained that he preferred to use film instead of digital images. Even though it is so difficult and expensive to buy movies these days. I mistakenly assumed he was referring to black and white photography, but soon realized he was buying color film.
All new cameras, even mobile phones, are digital. Also, there are only a few small labs that will process color film, and home processing, while possible, is not easy. However, he told me that there are groups of photographers, like him, who prefer to use film and that their number is increasing.
I’ve searched the internet and there are actually a lot of discussions about the advantages or disadvantages of using film compared to digital.
Most say that by using film, due to the need to be much more selective (taking much less pictures due to high costs)has trained them to become better photographers.
Another statement was that good digital cameras are expensive and need to be replaced every four to five years since they are updated so frequently. However, buying a used film camera will be cheaper, last a lifetime and hold its value, even though film cameras are much bulkier and heavier.
Lastly, old negatives and transparencies can, and always will, be easily viewed, but who knows, with digital technology changing so rapidly, if it will be possible to view digital images in the future.
I was surprised to learn this, due to the incredible possibilities of digital photography that now exist. Cameras not only make it easier to control the image and exposure, in many ways, that were previously much more complicated with film. There is the advantage of seeing the digital result immediately. But even after the photo has been taken, with the help of software, the options now available for manipulating digital photos are simply fantastic!
This got me thinking about why I preferred to use color inversion film. (for my own creative transparency) instead of negative film in the 1960s, before anyone had computers. What I enjoyed the most was seeing the large projected image, much more than a print, although there was no option to alter the image once taken, but I was using it for my own ‘special effects’. But having to wait at least a week to see transparency was frustrating.
I preferred transparencies to negatives because it was extremely difficult for me to master color printing, as a hobbyist, so I always relied on professional processing labs to do my prints.
My ‘Special Effects’ Images Were Imaginative (nothing like the usual photographs) and I soon discovered that it was almost impossible, when they were making copies of my negatives, for them to know how to get the color balance I really wanted. The advantage of transparencies was that you could simply tell them to match the color balance of the transparency they could see.
My favorite film was Kodak ‘Kodachrome 25’ which is sadly no longer available. The transparencies were much more vibrant than any of the prints, so I focused on what I could do with Kodachrome. By always using this film, I soon learned the best way to control it, even with my own ‘Special Effects’.
These days I’m excited about the digital option, rather than film. However, using my own invented ‘Painting with Light’ technique which involves shooting projected images, I am able to create some effects that would be extremely difficult to achieve with digital software.
My own views have always been that the most important aspect of photography is the resulting image, composition, quality and choice of subject. Not questions of technique, camera brand, lens used, film, etc. It is only the resulting image that really matters; however, it was created!
After so many years using film, I am now personally completely sold on the digital system, but if any readers are interested in the special effects I achieved with my own ‘Light Painting’ technique, please have a look at my website https ://www.jncohen.net/Limited-Edition-Prints/Painting-with-light.htm