I have to confess, I’ve got myself a new passion.
When I was starting my photography journey not for a second would I imagine that I will be shooting analogue one day. I thought it was a thing of the past. And here I am, 7 years into professional photography, running around with my all hipster-looking vintage Canon, excited like a kid who got his first camera.
So what´s this analogue fuss all about?
Most importantly, its a whole different approach to taking pictures. It slows you down and teaches you to respect photography – the philosophy that has always appealed to me. Of course, like anything pre-digital this method comes with a few limitations. Film is unforgiving, it forces you to carefully consider each shot and meticulously check all camera settings before you fire. A typical roll of film gives you only 36 shots. If you mess it up you mess it up – you will only find out when you get the scans. To make things worse, the current prices for each roll (€ 15-20) might give you anxiety even before you start shooting and make you question if you really want this expensive hobby.
It might sound strange, but before trying analogue I never bothered bringing camera to my travels. It´s 2023 and our phones take spotless, ultra-saturated, perfectly exposed photos. I used to come home with 500+ images in the phone gallery which I would never come back to, and there is a reason why – they feel plastic, like a cheap copy of my original memories. Now, try remembering your last vacation. Your memory will come up with abstract flashbacks, some blurry images of the most impactful events. Film comes out exactly like that – sometimes hazy, overexposed, underexposed, someone blinked, some weird guy walked into your shot.. These details fill the images with soul, they look REAL. Film makes every imperfection valuable, funny, cherished. I gotta tell you, getting an email from the lab with my long-awaited scans feels like Christmas every time.
Analogue photography has been a true revelation for me. It brought back original thrill of taking pictures. Now when I come back from a trip there is only 36 images of the most memorable moments, the ones that really matter. Plus another 500 phone snaps, just in case.
If you liked this blog, feel free to drop me a line at alex@photoshoot.pt
Best,
Alex
