Could film photography actually  make a comeback? We live in a digital world where photography has almost surpassed words as the most prevalent form of communication. We instantly document and share our experiences, watching each other’s every move. So what is left unsaid?

With instant visual gratification at our fingertips  with a fast and relatively easy way to create photographs, why would anyone ever want to go back to film – especially large format? As with anything new, we go full force ahead, leaving the past behind. But eventually we have to take a few steps back again to regain our balance.

Slowing down to capture the magic

We move through the image making process so quickly that we miss what photographers have experienced for centuries. We miss the magic. We document our every move and project a filtered reality to the world, but we don’t stop to capture our inner selves.

Slowing down is a luxury from our past that people are beginning to crave again. I read articles all the time about film coming back:

Film isn’t dead: The large format revolution is here

In May, the British Journal of Photography published an article entitled: Film isn’t dead: the large format revolution is here. Sponsored by the Intrepid Camera Company, the article explains how the use of large format film, with their new crowd-funded Intrepid 8 x 10 camera, can change the way the photographer thinks:

“Because it’s so slow and you’ll only have a couple of sheets of film with you, you have to really consider the shot you’re going to take. There’s a huge risk of messing it all up and coming away with nothing, so you wait for the moment to take the perfect shot and by doing that you find yourself noticing more things and feeling immersed in what’s going on.”

According the British Journal of Photography, the large format film revolution is here!

Earlier this year Kodak announced plans to bring back EKTACHROME film for motion picture and still photography with availability expected later this year.

Film is alive and well at SPC

While most institutions across the globe were quick to tear out their darkrooms, some of the best photography schools in the world did not. Fortunately here at St. Petersburg College, we have one of the few remaining wet labs. While most of our curriculum is digital, we still teach film and large format. Learn more about SPC’s photography degrees and classes.

In this fast paced visual world we live in, we still remind ourselves to stop and smell the developer sometimes.