Photographs have the ability to make us nostalgic, ecstatic, and even melancholy. A childhood photo album allows a teenager to look back on years of innocence and happiness.
The type of camera used to capture these memories is especially important. And although most of us use digital cameras, there has been a huge resurgence in the use of old school film photography.
The popularity of film photography has been amplified by the opening of the Taipei Lomography Gallery Store downtown in 2010. The Lomography store (one of the many: it’s a global chain) sells a variety of plastic film cameras, film, and accessories.
There is so much that an analog camera can achieve that a digital one can’t. For example, a digital camera cannot produce photos with multiple exposures or photos that give off that timeless, authentic feel.
Of course, digital cameras eliminate the time-consuming process of developing photos in a darkroom or taking film to stores to have images printed.
Photographer Daryl T.(11) says that “each time you press down the shutter release, you lose film and money.”
However, the fear and the anticipation that a photographer gets from waiting for a photo to develop is one of the advantages of film photography.
Now that film and film cameras are considered “antique,” the cost of this hobby has skyrocketed.
A 10 per pack of Instax polaroid film costs around NT$300 and a 3 per pack of lomography film ranges from NT$350 to NT$790, depending on the type of film you want. This can add up to hundreds or even THOUSANDS of NT spent a month, depending on how avid a photographer you are.
Because of this reason, Daryl believes that film photography can be a blessing or even a curse. “Because there is this idea of the ‘infinite’ film, sometimes people just take photos over and over again without considering the factors that go into the photography”.
Convenience has definitely won over Frodo C. (11), who is a proud owner of five digital cameras. “In this age of technology people request for photos to be uploaded rapidly and there just isn’t time for me to go print the photos, scan them, then upload them”.