So much has been said and written about what makes analog different from digital photography. Is there anything I can add? Probably not, but I will try.
It was most likely a good eight years since I shot my last roll of analog film. Then it was mostly only black and white, which I developed and scanned myself. Now, I picked Kodak ColorPlus, which I sent away for developing and scanning.
And wow has film and developing become expensive!
I bought a Nikon F75 camera, and shot the roll with it and a variety of lenses.
It was a very nice experience to shoot film again. Memories came rushing back. Pictures appeared in my mind. It all came back.
One thing that was pleasant was actually not being able to look at photos on the display on the camera after making an exposure. The anticipation and surprise of analog photography is one of its main attractions.
But that was something I anticipated, expected.
Something that was not as anticipated and expected was how I felt my view of the world changed when I had the F75 with me. I took more care to look at the world around me, to find potential shots, and took more time to find the exact scene to shoot once I had narrowed down my choice.
So, I took more time, but I also took more care.
I also found myself shooting more everyday things in my surroundings than I normally do. That was also a surprise. I have mentioned before how much I like William Egglestons work. With the film camera, I became more of an Eggleston than with a digital camera.
In a way, I felt like I was looking more for things to photograph.
And like Eggleston, who famously said that he only takes one photograph of something, I found myself doing just that. Partly because of the slower process, partly because of the cost associated with each press of the shutter button.
But enough about me, how does photographing with film change your behavior?
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash.