Why I Shoot Film

I bought a typewriter today.  This will become relevant shortly.

Defenders of film photography often focus on the technical aspects.  They expound about how they are forced to slow down and plan each exposure, or about how they can control the entire process from start to finish, or about the ‘feel’ of creating an image in the darkroom.

All of these are valid points, but they aren’t the biggest one.

I bought a typewriter today.  The seller posted it on Craigslist, and it is a model I have been seeking.  He had a garage full of items gleaned from estate sales, which he resells as a side business.  On the shelf next to my typewriter was this:

More accurately, there were eight trays of vintage slides, almost 1000 images, sitting there neglected.  This image is a random selection from the top tray.

I have no idea who the subjects are, but the slide is at least 50 years old.  It was abandoned and neglected, yet it cleans up wonderfully and remains fully functional.  You simply cannot say that about modern digital photography or inkjet prints.  I have already lost images to crashes, media failure, or simply poor organization. Backups are not foolproof.

No one will ever find an old laptop at a flea market and exclaim, “Look at these cool JPGs I found,” yet with proper storage the photos I create today should outlive me.  Hopefully they will bring joy to my family or even some random person who finds them in a dusty garage.