Best era for film photography

This is one of the most common questions I am asked by my students. When was the best time to be a film photographer? Surely it must have been in the 70’s or 80’s at the peak of photography popularity among the general public.

Back in my early days of photography, I would shoot my roll of film and head straight into the darkroom. The film would be processed, and a contact sheet printed to determine which shots were worthy of printing. The next several hours would be spent making prints of my keepers. Once those prints were made, unless destined for a magazine or other publication, generally, the only ones who ever saw them were myself and maybe a few friends. Many of these prints were filed away in dusty albums, never seeing the light of day again.

Cameras were very expensive back then. A high-quality Nikon, Canon, Olympus, or Pentax SLR was comparable in price to a high quality camera today. Film was plentiful, and TV shows and magazines were filled with Kodak and Fujifilm advertisements. One-hour film processing shops seemed to be on every street corner. And film—oh my was it cheap! But was it really? I remember hearing photographers constantly lamenting about the price of film. Let’s talk about that in a bit. 

In the 2010s, digital cameras stormed the market, causing film to fall out of popularity like a lead weight off a table. Camera companies retooled to produce digital cameras, and the phrase “Film is Dead” was everywhere. Kodak, Ilford, and Fujifilm drastically reduced production and canceled entire lines of film. But this wasn’t the end of the story.

Here we are in 2024. Entire generations have grown up in a heavily computerized era, where everything from the watch on your wrist to your refrigerator is digital. Machines make decisions for us as we go through our day. Even the art of photography has become heavily automated, with machines enhancing our images. These same generations are now longing for something that doesn’t involve a keyboard or voice interface. Many are picking up old film cameras, blowing the dust off, and shooting a roll. They are discovering film photography anew in the 2020s. They can make art themselves with just their brains, eyes, and hands. They can hold something in their hand that they truly created. This is unique and new for many and it’s spurring a fascination with film that is reinventing the entire industry.

How about film itself?  As I type this post, I have a roll of Ilford HP4 (the predecessor of modern-day HP5) from 1979 sitting in front of me. It still has its original London Drugs price sticker of $1.75, which equates to roughly $8 in 2024. Today, a roll of HP5 costs $11 at London Drugs. So, film has indeed become a bit more expensive over 45 years, but not as drastically as some might think. Companies like Kodak and Ilford are struggling to meet customer demand, which is a good thing. Kodak has even reopened an entire factory that had been mothballed for years, and Ilford has expanded their manufacturing. We also have newcomers like Flicfilm, Cinestill and others, repurposing cine film into 35mm canisters for still photography. Some companies are even manufacturing new stocks of film or reviving old ones that were previously discontinued. In 2024, we arguably have more variety of film available than we did in the 1980s.

The market is also rich with beautiful old cameras at amazing prices. Today, you can buy a premium professional-grade SLR like a Nikon F2 for about $300-$400. Back in the day, that camera would have been out of reach for anyone but a working professional. In front of me, I have my Hasselblad 500cm and Leica M6. Both are top-tier cameras. In the 1970s, purchasing a Hasselblad would have cost roughly a year’s gross salary for the average person. It was far out of reach for the average hobbyist. While still expensive today, these cameras are now within reach for dedicated enthusiasts. The Leica M6 is similarly prestigious and costly. In the 1980s, owning even one of these cameras would have been unthinkable for me, much less both.


Let’s talk about processing and sharing. Today, I still have to process my film, either myself or at a photo lab. The corner one-hour photo shop is pretty much gone, but I still have a couple of labs within a few minutes’ drive. I choose to develop my film at home because it’s significantly cheaper, and I enjoy the process. Here is where a huge difference lies: back in the day, I would spend hours in the darkroom proofing my film and printing the chosen keepers. Today, I can scan or digitize the entire roll and handle them as digital images. This allows me to share my photos on social media or send them to friends and family anywhere in the world with the click of a button. While they are now digital, these images still retain the unique look and characteristics of film that digital still can’t accurately replicate. Occasionally, some of my images catch my eye, and I choose to take them into the darkroom for traditional wet processing. You don’t need a darkroom to enjoy processing your own film today. Hybrid photography processes the film in daylight and combines that with digital processing of the final images. The key difference is that today, I have choice! I can process my images entirely in a darkroom or entirely digital, or as in my case I can use a mix of the two. In addition I can share my images with an audience that would have been unimaginable in previous years. Every time I share a photo, it is seen by thousands on my social media accounts, and I engage in meaningful conversations about them. This level of exposure and interaction has never existed before in history.

So, when was the best time to be a film photographer? As someone who has been shooting film for 50 years, I can say without hesitation that the answer is today!

Radioactive Lenses

I was contacted by a student recently who asked “I was just told that all my old lenses are radioactive and dangerous, is that true?” He was quite concerned as he loves shooting vintage lenses but was concerned about the potential health risks. I reassured him and explained that some lenses (not all) made from 1940 thru the 1970’s do utilize radioactive thorium oxide ThO2 to reduce reflections and generally improve optical performance. However the radiation levels should not be concerning, unless you sleep with it and use the lens for hours on end every day. The radiation levels are generally quite low and almost undetectable at distances of a meter or more. Having the camera body between the lens and your face also effectively cuts the levels in half.

The lens in the photo below has a radiation level of 0.105 mR/h which is classified as a “high level”. All tests were done using a GQ GMC Geiger Counter. Measuring through the camera body resulted in a level 0.046 mR/h. Moving the counter 1 m from the lens, there was no detectable radiation above normal background levels. Putting the lens in a cabinet with glass doors, completely blocked all radiation from the lens. 

Lets put this in perspective: 

Round Trip Cross Country Airline Flight 5.0 mR/h
Hospital X-Ray 5.0 – 10.0 mR/h
Dental X-Ray 10.0 – 40.0 mR/h

Compare those with this lens at 0.105 mR/h and you can see the levels are very low. However radiation injury can be cumulative so sleeping with the lens on your night stand and carrying it on your person 16 hours a day 365 days a year, might be something I personally would reconsider. It’s also important to understand that the majority of lenses are not radioactive. I have tested about 40 lenses this week and only 5 of them are radioactive.

The biggest danger with radioactive lenses is caused when the glass becomes broken or damaged. This may result in tiny particles of glass containing thorium becoming airborne. The radiation does not penetrate clothing or skin well, but if inhaled or ingested, it can be cause for concern. Protect these lenses and if they become damaged you should contact your local authorities for advice on proper disposal. Beyond that, have fun with these beautiful old lenses. Besides, it’s fun to see the reaction when you tell people your lenses are radioactive! 

Amateur vs Pro

I frequent a facebook group called “Canadian Amateur Photographers”. It’s been an excellent group where I can enjoy conversations and share images with other hobby photographers similar to myself. I am able to avoid incessant conversations about wedding photography, growing a business, getting clients and other similar chatter common to most other photography groups. 

This week something unusual happened. I posted an image and received a very harsh response. “This group is for amateurs and you are clearly a professional, please leave!”. A couple additional people also chimed in venting the same message. Explaining that I have been a photographer for 47 years but my background is health care and I’m strictly a hobbyist / amateur, only yielded the reply “I can tell by looking at your photo’s that you are obviously a professional”. 

That brings me to the point of this post. What is a professional vs an amateur. The difference is completely unrelated to the individuals skill or talent. It is entirely related to money. If you receive a significant portion of your income from the activity, you are a professional. If you don’t, you’re an amateur. It’s as simple as that! In the dialogue mentioned previously, they equated professionalism to quality of work, but this is incorrect. The dividing factor is simply dollars!

Does being an amateur mean you are just learning or are bad at what you do? As a case in point, look at the olympics. The original concept of the Olympics has been amateur sport. To compete in the Olympics you had to be an amateur .. meaning you do not receive a wage for participating in your chosen sport. Now having said that it’s obvious that the athletes are neither inexperienced, nor do they perform poorly in their sport. Quite the contrary, they are some of the best in the world .. yet they are amateurs! I do know that the Olympics today has departed from this intent so I’m speaking historically.

Does being a professional mean you are good at what you do. Oh my goodness, no! In fact I recently saw the work of a professional wedding photographer that was unbelievably bad! Most of the images were out of focus. Exposure was all wrong, a bright background put everyones faces in shadow. Composition was terrible with many subjects poorly positioned so that heads were cut off. Yet, this individual was a “professional photographer” .. she charged for her services.

I love the Cambridge English Dictionary definition of the word amateur: “Taking part in an activity for pleasure, not as a job.” 

As amateur photographers, we engage in the activity out of passion, not out of obligation to generate an income. Some of the best photographers in the world are amateurs. Going back to the group I mentioned at the beginning, one thing my antagonists seem to miss is the fact that experienced and passionate amateurs are often the first to step forward to volunteer to mentor those who are picking up a camera for the first time. Amateurs can range from newbies who are picking up a camera for the first day, to those with decades of experience. What we all have in common is that we engage in photography because we love doing it!

People Magnets

Today I was out shooting my 1940’s Leica iii when a fellow walking in the opposite direction, suddenly stopped in his tracks. “Oh wow that’s a really old film camera isn’t it?” he asked. We carried on a conversation for about 15 minutes and I learned his name is Lee. He isn’t a photographer but was utterly fascinated with the camera and we had a wonderful conversation. Lee finally asked if he could take a photo of me and my camera using his phone. I said “Sure, but then how about I take a picture of you?”. He responded “Oh that would be cool, a picture of me on a film camera!”

I shoot film for many reasons but a wonderful side effect of shooting old vintage cameras is that they are people magnets. Strangers will come up and initiate conversation with me. I’ve had the most amazing conversations with complete strangers and then I can always turn that into a street portrait. It makes me smile every time this happens.

Lee kept his mask on for the shot but you can still see the wonderful smile in his eyes.

Leica iiiF with Leica Summicron 50mm f2
Fort Langley British Columbia Canada

This is Lee. He stopped on the street to ask me about the Leica iiiF and asked to take a photo of the camera. In turn I got him to pose for a street portrait.

Where does the memory card go?

15 November 2020

I’ve been a photographer for 47 years and live in a small historic town/village called Fort Langley on the west coast of Canada near Vancouver. I shoot Fuji X Series cameras but also a selection of film cameras, some as much as 100 years old. I love shooting film and spending time coaxing the best out of an image in my darkroom. 

Several years ago I found myself shooting a scene of some kayakers from a bridge in the village. My camera of choice that day was my Contax 139 film camera. Sharing the same vantage point was a young fellow with his big Nikon DSLR banging away in rapid fire. After several minutes he turned to me and asked; “Is that film?” I answered it was and he responded; “Oh wow, I’ve never seen one before!” 

 We spent some time talking and he kept asking questions such as; “Where does the memory card go,” and “How do you get the pictures out of the camera?” He was loaded with such questions. Everything I said received the response; “Oh wow!” I asked if he would like to try it and he tentatively took a shot and then instinctively looked at the back of the camera. I laughed and said; “Uh, uh, you don’t see anything until you develop the film!” His response of course was, “Oh wow!” He took a couple more shots as he was utterly fascinated with this concept of film. 

His name is Tad, a 22 year old graphic arts student from the local university. Tad grew up in the digital era. Everything was digital and it was all he knew, so this was a unique experience. I offered to email him the shots he took once I developed and digitized them to which he replied, you guessed it; “Oh wow!” 

Two days later I emailed the photos to Tad, not really expecting to get a response. He not only responded, but continued to pepper me with questions in utter fascination. His enthusiasm was unquenchable and I became his mentor into the world of film. Today, Tad lives in Toronto, Canada and he exclusively shoots film with his newly acquired Leica M6. 

Something happened with that encounter! It helped me to realize that not only is film making a comeback with former film shooters such as myself, but there is a younger ‘digital’ generation, who have never experienced shooting film, don’t understand what it is or how it works, and are intrigued by it. They enjoy the experience of doing something totally different, creating images without computers, using their own vision, and imagination all by using simple manual cameras that, in many instances, are older than they are. Today I meet a constant stream of ‘Tads’. Most are in their 20’s – 30’s while a few older ones are returning to film. This is not a unique phenomenon. Film photography is seeing a significant resurgence, with young adults being the primary driving force. Entirely new films are hitting the market and previously discontinued films are being resurrected. 

I refer to myself as a Hybrid Photographer because I shoot both digital and film, with the two worlds becoming intertwined when analogue images are digitized. Hybrid Photography makes film fun and affordable, while removing the need for a darkroom for those not so inclined.

Someone said Film is Dead … I guess I didn’t get that memo!

Social Media to Showcase Your Work?

17 September, 2020

I often hear photographers say, “I don’t need a website I use Instagram .. or Facebook”. That always gives me cause for concern. You are going to trust your work to a company that can ban or shadow ban you in the blink of an eye! They display your images in tiny proportions with massive compression that kills image quality and they only show your images to those they choose as worthy. I know of a photographer who does weddings and maternity photos. She recently had her Instagram account blocked for 48 hours for showing nudity that violates Instagram rules. The “nudity” in question was a new mom bathing her newborn and everything was hidden by bubbles. To trust your online presence to these companies, is foolish at best!

As a photographer, you need a proper web site to represent your work in the best possible light. It gives you complete control over what people see and how your work is displayed. Getting a web site is not as complicated as you might think. There are a variety of services that provide a complete, easy to use website with your own domain and even e-commerce for very low cost. In fact if you are an Adobe Lightroom subscriber, included with your subscription is Adobe Portfolio which is just such a service. In fact this very web site on which you are reading this blog is entirely built on Adobe Portfolio which is already part of your Adobe subscription. They even have client galleries so you can provide a private portal for your clients to view the results of their photo shoot or event, Using their customizable templates you can have a professional looking site in very little time. In fact your Portfolio web site is fully linked with Lightroom. This is not a sponsored advertisement and Adobe has not asked me for endorsement. I just want to let my readers know that this capability exists and many of you who use Lightroom already have it! 

Screenshot

Film Photographers don’t edit

01 June, 2020

I’ve heard this statement three times this week and it’s only Tuesday.

“Film photographers don’t edit, they shoot and what they get on the negative is what they get … photography in it’s purest form!”

Well that statement is pure something for sure!! I wish I knew where this came from because it’s a total myth! I am a film photographer and my editing starts before I release the shutter. I begin by selecting the film stock that I want to use. We have hundreds of different films available to us each with their own unique look and characteristics. Different films stocks produce different results, similar to a digital photographer selecting a different image profile in Lightroom.

I compose the image in camera as much as possible by adjusting image placement and exposure just like a digital photographer will. We might take a bit more time with that process because unlike the digital photographer, we can’t fire off dozens frames to get one shot, we have to make each frame count, but otherwise a very similar process.

Now that the image has been captured, the editing continues by selecting which developer I want to use. If I want a really fine grain image I will use a developer like Ilfosol3 or for a more gritty effect I might use something like Robinal to enhance the grain. I may change agitation schemes again to impact the film grain. Once the film is developed I will then examine the negative closely, and will probably do a couple test prints to determine further editing requirements.

Next I adjust the cropping on the englarger and select the type of photographic paper that will best suit the image. I will almost always fine tune the contrast by selecting specific contrast filters or by dialing in settings on the englarger to produce the look I had envisioned. Finally I may dodge and burn the image to lighten areas like shadows or darken areas like the sky. I may even mask entire portions of the image during exposure to change the effect. If this sounds like the changes you make while working in the Develop module in Lightroom, that’s because it is very much the same. Adobe didn’t invent most of those sliders and tools, they just created digital versions of what photographers have been doing for decades.

In other words “Every photographer … digital and film … does a certain amount of editing in their images”. As photographers, capturing the image is only the first half of the process. The second half happens in the darkroom for film photographers or in Lightroom (or whichever editor you choose to use) for digital but we all edit our images.