Thirty things I love about film photography

Film photography has taken me by surprise, if I’m being honest. When I originally looked into film, I just loved the way the photos looked. But now I love so much more than that. It feels like I am intentionally creating art, and that every photo has to count because you only have a finite amount of them.

The list below may feel brief, but it is truly hard to summarize everything I love about this medium. I will always love the instant access to my digital photos. Always. But this is so much fun, and honestly gives me so much joy.

Thirty things I love about Film Photography

1. The feel of the images. I can’t explain it, but film images just seem to have a depth to them.
2. I love the sound of the camera rewinding a full roll of film.
3. That feeling when I open my inbox and have an email from Photovision Prints telling me my images are ready.
4. I love that the white balance is set by the film stock, and the available light. The white balance doesn’t necessarily change if there’s not enough light, but the images just look muddy.
5. Composition is so important. 
6. Really planning out each photo
7. The process – reading the light, framing the photo, etc. 
8. The colors of film images. 
9. Mailing film off – who doesn’t love snail mail?!
10. Selecting a film stock to set the tone for the images. 
11. The intention behind taking film photos and making them count. 
12. Focusing on the light more than ever. 
13. The sense of accomplishment when the photos turn out. 
14. Honing a new skill. 
15. Feeding my longing to create. Film feels more artistic to me for some reason. 
16. Focusing on settings and really taking the time to prioritize them. 
17. Having to trust myself to capture the image because there isn’t instant playback. 
18. Black and white film is a whole mood. 
19. Learning so much about film photography and everything that goes into it.
20. Setting aside time to take film photos and carve out a little bit of joy for that day with the sole purpose of creating.
21. What film photography has taught me about how I want my images to look.
22. They way different film stocks are perfect for different occasions. You have to really plan what kind of phots you’re wanting to take. Ektar 100 won’t give you the same results as Ilford 3200 – they each have their moment.
23. Printing my film photos.
24. It kind of feels like keeping history alive by using a more analog method.
25. Finding so many new film or hybrid photographers to follow and learn from.
26. Even using the same film stock as another photographer, you still have to work to find your style – and I love the process.
27. Using film in direct sunlight or in the middle of the day is a wildly different result than digital.
28. The hunt when looking for a new-to-me gently used film camera.
29. Sharing this learning process with all of you.
30. Having another format for all of the Wynn photos.

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I am so excited you found me! Just so you to know your email is going to make my day, and I’ll probably do a little happy dance when it hits my inbox. I love email because it helps me keep all our important conversations in one place versus spreading the conversation out over email, text, Instagram DMs, Facebook Messenger, Snapchat, etc. You can expect to hear from me within 24 hours. You can contact me here, or just shoot me an email at kelsey@kelseyalumbaugh.com