I’ve been a complete digital photography convert for the last three years. Then one day I found the old mechanical camera my dad gave me in the drawer, with some film still left in it. I snapped a few pictures around house, feeling nostalgic and odd with heavy body, heavy mechanical clinks of the shutter – much louder and more authentic than even the digital SLR.
And a few weeks later, I finally got around to the one-hour photo place to get it developed.
The whole experience is so different from digital. It is planning and anticipation to digital’s instant gratification. The lightings are delibrate, the angles are carefully planned. Everyone poses for the pictures. There’s a sense of stillness, a touch of elegance in the pictures.
Then, You have to wait for a while to see how the pictures look. It is often long after the vacation or holiday gathering has ended. It natually extends the vacation or holiday when friends and family get to finally check out the pictures – relive the experience and reminisce the happiness.
I hope some company will find some ways to extend the life of film photography, not just for professionals, but also for average people like us. Digital is so convenient. But we have lost a piece of experience in the waiting and anticipation. It is like email, we can live without it. However, a part of me will forever miss those handwritten notes and letters of our youth.