Despite the domination of digital cameras and photography throughout the past few years, the comeback of film photography has sparked and become a cultural trend among younger generations. In an era of digital technology, one could wonder: Why did this old-fashioned hobby have a sudden return?
From nostalgia, curiosity or just for the aesthetic, it’s hard to say what caused this renaissance. Film photography has a long history dating back to the 1800s, before the emergence of digital. This sudden return began in 2019, just around the time COVID swept the nation. Many enjoy the practice of developing film and learning about the process, while others desire a more thoughtful approach to photography. For me personally, the enjoyment is a mix of everything—nothing beats the feeling of going to pick up the prints and negatives, feeling excited to see how they came out.
The New York Times article “The Lost Art of the Negative” examines the importance of film photography and its future, which isn’t looking too bright. Professional photographer Andreas Olesen shares, “In 50 years, his grandchildren may not be able to access a hard drive or a CD with digital files.” There are many different aspects of film photography, but many forget about the real art that comes from it: the photo negatives. Photo negatives are more than just a piece of film; they are what allows you to keep the photo, art and memory alive forever. With good preservation, the negatives can last for decades.
42nd Street Photo shop worker Silvio Cohen tells The New York Times, “They don’t pick up their negatives,” Cohen said of his customers, guessing that maybe 10 percent of them return for the rolls. Behind him, a colleague corrects him: “Five percent.” Another, laughing: “Zero percent.” The article highlights how rates of film photography have increased, but the number of film negatives left behind in labs to be thrown away is just as high.
“The film negatives are where all the creativity happens. Don’t throw them out,” says White Plains High School photography teacher Ms. Quigley, as we talk about film photography and its resurgence, along with people’s disregard for the negatives. “I try to teach students that negatives are the most important part of the process. The whole project is captured in that 35mm film. The film is so small and compact you can save the negatives for years. You refresh something from 20 years ago with the enlarger.”
An example of the power of negatives is provided when Ms. Quigley shares a memorable moment in her classroom. “A student once brought in film so we could develop it in the classroom that his family had saved for years. They were negatives from World War II! His grandfather took a camera to Europe during the war. The student brought in the negatives, and we figured out how to use our enlarger to produce brand-new photos from the 1940s.” Ms. Quigley says film is like a time capsule and adds, “I would encourage people to look around—especially older family members—to look for negatives that haven’t been thrown out. They’re fun to discover and print out.”
Ms. Quigley is the adviser to White Plains High School’s Photo Group and invites guest speakers to share their experiences with students. “We have had two guest speakers this year for the Photo Group. An engineer from Kodak, Ben Gibson, told students about his career with film photography and cameras, and how a degree in engineering helped him follow his interest.”
The club also enjoyed a Zoom call from a photojournalist working for The New York Times, Erin Shaft. “We got to hear about careers in photography and how following your interests can turn into your life’s work. Erin is very young and doing amazing work. I don’t know how we can top this!” Ms. Quigley has high hopes for the future of film photography. “It’s so cool to see old materials come back for the new generation to discover. I can’t wait to see what your generation does with film photography.”
Many of the older generations have grown up with albums full of childhood photos taken on film, but what will these new generations have other than pictures off a phone? I hope film photography gives others the feeling of warmth and melancholy I get seeing photo prints age along with me, going through rips and spills but still being there to show those moments in my life. From my parents capturing moments like my first birthday and pre-K moving-up ceremony, to me learning and picking up a film camera myself, I’ve captured moments like my 15th birthday and the entirety of my now-ending high school career. Being able to display these moments in an album and flip through time is something a phone cannot replicate. Film picks up colors and details many don’t notice, and because most of the time film pictures don’t get retaken and nobody truly knows how the pictures will turn out until they’re developed, the emotions shown in them are raw, and no two pictures are the same.
