Is Film Photography Making a Comeback?

When Kodak filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy back in 2012, many people sort of believed—and tried to come to terms with the idea—that film photography was dying out. We had transitioned nicely into the world of digital photography, a much more convenient and cost effective format, but there were still photographers out there who weren’t (and aren’t) ready to let film go.

Lomography has been around for 22 years now and is going strong. The Impossible Project reproduces Polaroid film. Not only is film not dead, it is actually making a comeback:

True, film is expensive. People stopped buying it when digital became the norm. It was the decline of the use of 35mm prints that played a major role in the bankruptcy of Kodak.

But, film has more magic. There’s so much more emotion that comes with shooting film—fear of the unknown, excitement of the unknown, disappointment or sadness when you don’t get the shot, complete elation when it turns out better than you ever imagined it would.

film making a comeback

The magic comes with the wait. With digital, everything is instant, but with film you have to wait for the results. As the general manager of Lomography UK, Liana Joyce says, not all the images will work, so many factors can cause a photo to bomb, but there could be that one image on the roll that turns out better than you even saw it with your own eyes.

Digital is very useful and easy but it just doesn’t have the same look as film. Funnily enough, the filters that so many people use on apps like Instagram and Hipstomatic are all about making digital photos look more like film. Maybe these apps have instilled new interest in film photography in the younger generation.

smartphone photography apps

No matter what inspired it, enthusiasm for film has grown again. Colleges, for example, are rebuilding darkrooms to bring back the medium. Lomography UK has only seen growth—more interest in film—s the years go by.

Could film be here to stay? Are younger people interested to know how the effects found in today’s apps were created originally? What do you think?

Like This Article?

Don't Miss The Next One!

Join over 100,000 photographers of all experience levels who receive our free photography tips and articles to stay current: