photography rumors – film is not dead
yes the title is kind of joke or somehow cynical declaration… this is not a rumor, but our reality – thanks to many activists, film is not dead and unstoppably growing in popularity. recently i found that a few local (Tel Aviv’s) digital photography stores started selling film. in part of them the prices are inexplicably high, but i do believe that some people just don’t pay attention to these prices. in the same time sometimes during conversation about photography with different people – photographers and not a photographers, i still hear this phrase – “really, people still use film?” or “is it possible to buy film these days?” or more actual “why to use film?”. well, someone also asked me to show with a camera display the results of shooting on film. ok this is funny, but don’t think about me as a film photography snob – started with digital photography and only after few years of shooting i got the beauty of grainy frames, and still use both formats 🙂
so, what with the last question – “why to use film?”. i don’t want to waste your time with the tiresome philosophy about “zen of film photography” and “motivation to slow down the clicks” – everything in our head and possible to make less clicks also with a digital camera. or if to say with the words of Abraham Maslow – “if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail” and photography “Chauvinism” does not look different from any other kinds of chauvinism.
all the images below were taken with Ricoh GR1s on ilford HP5 film and semi-stand developed in R09 Rodinal. scanned with Epson V500 and corrected in Lightroom.
enjoy a say a few words if you have some…
Levinsky Market in Tel Aviv is the right place to buy spices and dried fruits
Abandoned house of my friend. not sure if this construction still exist.
Only cats can be found there now or builders of a new skyscraper 🙂
abandoned construction in the old Jaffa port. its look like skeleton
too much abandoned objects for one post.
thank you for the visit ! …
Really interesting post. I started photography (too many years ago !) using film, then went to digital and then to using both. I really like using film camera’s and the process of developing and scanning the film.
than you very much for the kind words !! so sad that i missed this “before digital” era but from another side im happy with both now ;-))
Of course I have a few words for you. For a start, great photos here!
And then film is really coming back, slowly. And each one has his own reasons to go back to film. The cameras, the grain, the look, the slow pace….
For me it’s a bit of all that.
As for buying film here in Luxembourg, most of the (surviving) photography shops carry at least a small selection of film. But horribly expensive…
Even with 10€ postage I prefer ordering film from Germany (Fotoimpex). From 6 rolls on it’s cheaper.
Of course the shop owners do not comment on their high prices. I guess it’s a case of skinning the Hipsters…
hey Frank ! thank you for taking a look, reading and especially for saying ! i love the last words about hipsters – some say that exactly hipsters saved the film photography but they also created this unhealthy interest to everything about film (also vinyl records production is going through same problem now)
Yes, hipsters saved film, but they also made it very expensive. But I have some hope that when the hipster scare is gone like all the fashions, film will stay and become more affordable.
indeed ! we will hopefully wait. try to check on ebay for a big film sellers .sone of them send shipping packages to Israel so also probably to your country too.
check the “apdigi” store, films-festival, phoenix-young
Wonderful series , I love the old skeleton building at Jaffa old port.
thank you Paula !!
There’s no such thing as too many abandoned objects, Victor — at least not in my world. 🙂 Wonderful images, as always, especially knowing that you shot them on film. (It really does take more skill and discipline, I think, so I’m always extra-impressed when I see nice film images.) But … why did your friend abandon his/her house? It looks lovely; pity to think it may no longer exist. Hope your friend is OK.
hello Heide ! thank you for your careful look and very nice words. yesterday i tried to analyze why i photograph this amount of abandoned and oldies with a film. but actually i always take pictures of them also with a digital. but taken with film both on color and BW they looks like more rich with textures and details.
this is very old something like old 80-100 two floor living construction with a big covered territory at the back that was a small plant once. last time it was a big studio where my friend filmed a few short films and clips. also was a place for a local artists to gather and play a music. right now its empty or even destroyed by the city reconstruction and growing plan. my friend is ok. he and his mom moved to a new appartment.
Your experience with film echos my own, Victor — there can be a richness and fine detail to it that isn’t quite the same in digital. Same thing with CDs. Some people swear that vinyl records sound better, and although I’m no expert in sound I’m bound to agree.
As for your friend … I’m glad he and his mom are OK! I was worried they had been forced to move because of some catastrophe. Glad that isn’t the case.
i can agree about CD and vinyl Records but also this depend on the sound system that one use. not with grandmother pathephon for sure ;-)) thank you again !
Your words and photos go well together Victor! And after reading all comments here there is nothing to add.
Film prices here in Germany differ. You have those high proce sellers too, but in the internet you can get them at good prices. My favorite seller is macodirect.
Have a nice week ahead!
Juergen
hey Jurgen ! thank you very for stopping by ! i will check the seller that you’re recommend. in a first days of september i will visit in Munich. coming there to the lifetime event of my friends both film photographers.
When I started with photography there was only film available. Later I switched to digital because of its convenience, but a few years ago I moved back to film photography. One of the main reasons was, that I missed working with my hands. I mean, with digital you click only on a computer, but with film there are so many manual steps involved.
The availability and prices for film are quite good in Taiwan. You can get all major brands like Kodak, Ilford, Fujifilm for reasonable price. Even some exotic stuff. Cameras are overpriced and often in bad condition. Only film developing stuff is hard to get here.
hey Alex ! thank you for reading and taking a look ! i really would like to return back all the years when i ignored the photography and to start with film. to learn all small details and moments of dark room printing and advanced developing. but i have what i have and right now i enjoy both formats bit still to far from darkroom printing. the time and needed place for this, hope one day i will come to it 😉
yes prices are not too nice and also aviability of a gear. here in Israel almost impossible to find something in local boards so only fro US or Japan
When my father passed away about 3 years ago, he left me a 4×5 camera in his will. I have finally gotten around to ordering film for it, and hope to soon post some new pictures taken with it on my blog.
hey Thomas ! thank you for taking a look ! sorry to hear about your father and happy to know that you decided to use by his gift to you ! hope to see the results !
Hey Victor, indeed film is not dead! Excellent light and shadow samples in here, all great, but I absolutely love that last pic!! 🙂
thank you Sam ! as usual i put my personal fav to the end of my posts 😉
I think I noticed that! By the way, I love that old VW in the pic!! 🙂