FILM
distinguish themselves from other shooters. Often times that ‘look and feel’ also extends to workflow – for example, if they are shooting our Tri-X black and white film, many love to process in their own darkroom. That’s a lot more ‘hands on’ and specialised in nature than editing image files sitting in front of a computer screen. Too many young photographers who grew up knowing only digital capture, film offers something new and unique. Will Kodak continue producing film? Film is part of our heritage, and we’ll do everything in our power to keep it going. That said, since Kodak Professional film is manufactured and finished by the Eastman Kodak Company (EKC) in Rochester, we are dependent on and have an agreement with EKC for continued supply of film. We’d love to continue to sell it and will do so as long as it remains a viable, profitable business. Part of ILFORD’s survey asked open questions about why people liked using film. When asked “What first attracted you to using film?” comments included: • “It’s fun” • “It’s retro” • “I wanted to slow down and really think about what I was doing rather than just shoot 15 versions of the same shot to get it right. As I have grown into film, I also enjoy the craft aspects of it. Developing etc.”
• “The fact that there goes a lot more thinking in taking a photograph. Because of the ‘limitation’ of 36/12 pictures on a roll you think more about a shot you take. While with digital you just shoot.” Perhaps in our increasingly instant society, where everything is disposable and replaceable, younger people are searching for something with value. People all over the world share over 1.8 billion photos to the Internet each day. How do you make your photo stand out? The teen years have always been about rebelling, finding an identity and fighting to be heard. Maybe this goes some way to explaining why film is becoming more popular with younger generations in particular. It’s a rebellion against the mainstream. ILFORD’s Director of Sales and Marketing Steve Brierly commented: “Thanks to the film users who took part in this survey, we have confirmed what we thought, which is that the recent growth in film sales can be attributed to the new users coming through. We are providing support to these new users and making it easier for them to find darkrooms should they wish to. It’s a year since we launched localdarkroom.com and we now have over 650 tutors and sharers in more than 60 countries around the world. Without the support and help from the film community who complete our surveys, this couldn’t have happened”.
“Perhaps in our increasingly instant society, where everything is disposable and replaceable, younger people are searching for something with value. People all over the world share over 1.8 billion photos to the Internet each day”
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