Once, rumours of film’s imminent death seemed plausible, but hindsight shows the obituaries were premature. Even in an era of digital domination, a small cadre of artists have continued to create powerful and emotion-laden work on film.
Now in 2024, film sales are up, a new film has just been launched, and new film cameras are about to hit the shops. Clearly a lot of people are inspired to look for alternatives to digital and for an aesthetic that can be achieved with vintage film cameras.
So, if you’re someone who can see film’s creative possibilities but are new to analogue photography, where do you start?
STARTING OUT
In 1888 Kodak advertised, ‘You press the button, we do the rest’ and modern pre-loaded single use cameras continue in that tradition.
For less than the price of a pro-spec roll of film you can buy a camera and all you have to do is point and press to get acceptable images on film. If you’re an occasional user who wants to try fun shots, single use cameras might be just right for you.
The same can be said of many low-tech re-usable cameras that are on the market; they have ‘focus free’ (meaning the focus is set) or ‘zone focus’ (a small choice
