Status of Film Photography – Why You Should Consider Film

I recently gave a presentation at a local camera club. The club is primarily digital focus, but they asked me to give an update on the film photography genre and why a digital photographer might consider film photography. Here's an overview of the presentation.

Why you should try film again or give it a try?

• New films to try
• Harman Phoenix 200
• CineStill 400D
• CineStill 800T
• Kodak Ektachrome (relaunched)
• Film Ferrania Orto 50
• Wolfen NC500
• Kodak Gold 200 – 120
• Santa Gold
• Polaroid 600 & iType
• Film Photography Project repackaged films
• LuckyPan SHD400
• Various Vision3 repackaged films
• Others

• Trending / hot on social media
• Heavily impacted by young social media influencers
• Uses YouTube, TikTok, BlueSky & Threads
• Not afraid to edit
• OK to fail / just snapshots
• No rules
• Share easily online
• Boutique physical and online stores (just a few) that are active on social media promoting the genre & photographers.
• Bellows
• Film Photography Project
• Brooklyn Film Camera
• Lomography
• Roberts Camera & Used Photo Pro
• KEH Camera

• Film photography compliments your cell phone / digital photography

• Allows you to slow down & get back to basics

• A new source of inspiration and if you are burned out

• New life to old equipment

• Lots of cool cameras at reasonable or low prices

Q&A about the current status of film photography 

• Question - Are film cameras still available / where can I get one?
• Answer - YES
• Family & friend's stash (cameras they own that are not being used)
• Online & physical stores (both new and used)
• KEH
• eBay (be careful as descriptions are often inaccurate / misleading & prices may not reflect the market)
• New cameras are available (Pentax 17, Rollei 35, Leica M6, disposable point & shoots, etc.)

• Question - Is film still being produced and available?
• Answer - YES
• Color, B&W, instant and slide
• 35mm, 120, Polaroid, Instax, large format & bulk
• Vision3 motion picture film in bulk and repackaged

• Question - Where to buy film?
• Answer - Many places
• Mass market stores like Walmart, Meijers, Target, etc.
• Fujifilm & Kodak almost exclusively
• Roberts Camera / Used Photo Pro
• Freestyle Photo
• Ultrafine Warehouse
• B&H Photo
• Adorama

• Question - Can I still get film developed? Where?
• Answer - YES both labs and at home
• Developing chemicals are readily available and affordable
• Its normally cheaper to develop film at home
• Labs (to name a few)
• Roberts Camera
• CVS / Meijers / WalMart
• They send it to a 3rd party lab and it's typically the most expensive option
• The Darkroom
• Boutique Film Lab
• Citizen Photo
• NJ Film Lab
• Dark Slide Film Lab
• Boutique Film Lab
• Art centers / public due it yourself photography labs

• Question - Is film photography expensive?
• Answer - it's all relative but YES, relative to digital (after the camera is purchased) film is more expensive. A roll of film costs $6-25 before tax and developing $10-15 per roll.

• Question - How do I lower the cost of film photography?
• Answer - many options
• Home develop your negatives
• Bulk roll film
• Use less expensive cameras - there are MANY options
• Less expensive films
• Arista EDU, Harman, Fomapan, Vision3, Ultrafine, etc.

• Question - Is film or digital better quality?
• Answer - eye of the beholder, but overall digital is better and more flexible

My Workflow

• First, I always carry a CAR camera
• Normally, a point & shoot

• Select a shoot theme, project or location for each non-casual photoshoot
• Primarily street photography
• Recent locations: Indianapolis, Colorado (4 times), Chicago (3 times), Cincinnati, Louisville, Columbus, OH & NYC
• Past projects:
• "Small town Indiana"
• Vision3 remjet removal and testing different types of Vision3 types
• Used Photo Pro camera tests
• Try new films
• Expired film tests

• Select a camera and film

• Do the photoshoot

• Update film / photoshoot worksheet

• Develop & scan

• Post on social media or write blog post

During the meeting which is primarily attended by photographers with previous experience with film photography most have kept one or two of their film cameras. However, only one of about 20 members at the meeting still routinely shots film. I'm not sure if anyone has plans to go out and try film in 2025 but if so they now have information bringing them up to speed.

Expired Polaroid Film

You have an old Polaroid camera (a Polaroid….not an Instax)! Now you need film. You don’t want to spend $$$ for fresh Polaroid Originals film at your local camera store or online. You’re thinking to yourself, I should buy some expired Polaroid film on eBay or found at a flea market. It’s inexpensive…go for it.

DON’T

As a general rule, DON’T buy expired Polaroid film. I’m not talking about newly expired Impossible Project or Polaroid Originals film. I’m talking about the “original” Polaroid film that hasn’t been produced since 2008.

But why not? Expired 35mm film is generally A-OK to use.

Because film for Polaroid cameras is integrated. There are developing chemicals in the film and in a battery in the pack (including SX-70, 620, & Spectra) most cases. Unless the pack was cold stored the chemicals have more than likely dried up.  And even if you did store it correctly the battery is probably dead as well. Note – peel apart film (i.e. FP-100c / FP-3000b) doesn’t have a battery…you just need to worry about the chemicals.

Look, if you have money to burn or someone gives you a pack then by all means give it a go. However, from years of experience I can count on 1 hand the number of times I’ve had good experience with expired Polaroid film. If you are lucky you may get a “lomo” type of effect, and that’s always cool.

My recommendation, buy a new pack of Polaroid Originals and have a blast.

Polaroid One - Goodwill Find

I visit Goodwill monthly to look for used film cameras.  Sometimes I'm successful, most times not. Today i found this cool Polaroid One.  For as much as I use Polaroids, I have never owned one of these, so I was excited.  Guess what, it appears to work.  Fun find that I'll use this weekend.

Flea Market Finds - Some You Win, Some You Lose

Yesterday, I went to a flea market with the plan to look for film cameras!  I've done this a few times, and the results are always hit & miss.  Yesterday was no different.  As always, if you go into your flea market adventure looking for film cameras you need to always:

• Don't expect the seller knows anything about the camera you might find
• Expect that some of the equipment won't work
• Don't always expect to find out you have a dude until after you get home and give it a good looking over,
• Don't overpay
• Don't be afraid to walk away

I always use the mental measure, "how much would this cost me if I bought it on eBay?".  If I can get it cheaper online, I'll ALWAYS pass, unless the example sitting in-front of me at the flea market is in great shape.

This is what I found from 2 sellers yesterday including the price paid.  

• Leica AF-C1 - $10
• Polaroid OneStep - $1
• Minolta XG-A - $15
• Miranda Sensoret - $1
• Olympus XA2 - $1

I gave them all a quick going over before I flopped down my $$$.  The Miranda & Olympus were in a bit of rough shape, but I took a flier since they were only $1 each.  The Leica didn't fire at the booth, but I figured that was a battery thing.  The Polaroid looked clean (I have lots of experience buying these), and the Minolta looked clean but the film advance was stuck.

After getting home and giving them a good going over, the Polaroid & Leica appear to be good to go. The Leica fired up easily with a new battery, and the Polaroid worked with a test cartridge.  The Olympus appears to be a goner even if I give it a good cleaning.  But again, only $1.  The Miranda's shutter seems to be stuck, but I'm going to self CLA it to see if I can get it moving.  The Minolta's film advance lever if frozen, so I'm going to try to fix it myself.  If I fail on the Minolta, no major dramas because the lens is in good shape and I can use it on other cameras.

So for $28 I got 2 cameras I can use.  I particularly like the Leica and would have easily paid $25 for it alone.  I might be able to salvage the Miranda, but I'm not going to put tons of effort into it.

Bottomline, I got to hang out with the Mrs and go on this film camera treasure hunt.  A fun couple of hours.

Expired Polaroid 600 Film Funness

This past Friday, a photography friend of mine gave me a 4 pack of Polaroid 600 Instant Film. Without hesitation I say, "why yes, I'll take this off your hands".   I checked the back and it was dated 2004.  Hmmm, might not be very good.  I've used 10+ year old Polaroid film before with little if no success.  Either the chemistry is dried up, leaked or the pack batteries are dead.  Oh well, really what do I have to loose.

I brought it home and loaded a pack in one of my Polaroid cameras.  I picked one that I knew worked well.  I used one of my Polaroid OneStep Closeup.  I've used this camera a few times before with Impossible Project film and it works great.  I wanted to eliminate the poor camera element.

I opened my first pack to see if any of the chemistry had leaked or there was anything that looked wonky.  So far, so good.

OK, here we go.  I wanted to just shoot some snapshots around the house.  I took a selfie, some flowers, and yard and my cat.  At first I was concerned because the chemistry didn't seem to spread very evenly, but the batteries were strong and most of the shots spread the chemistry to cover between 90-95% of the film.  That was better than I expected.

It worked groovy.  Yes the chemistry has broken down so there are extreme color shifts, the images don't have enough contrast, and they are washed out.  You know what?  Who cares, it is fun and cool.  Thats what I like, very experimental and weird effect.  Not much different than trying a Lomography camera.

Bottomline, you need to be careful buying original Polaroid expired film online.  The chances are high that the film won't work.  But if you get the film for little or no money, or they give it to you...then do it!!

Polaroid Impulse AF

I purchased a Polaroid Impulse AF a few weeks ago at a local Goodwill Outlet.  I go there a couple of times a month and just dig through the blue bins to see if anyone has donated old film cameras. Occasionally I'll find something.  If I do, then it's normally just old film point and shoots.  On a good day I'll find a Polaroid like this Impulse.  

The Impulse is cool because it has an autofocus function.  I used the Impulse AF during my last 2 model shoots.  I used a pack of The Impossible Project 600 Color during the 2 shoots.  The quality is OK for an old Polaroid.  On both shoots the lighting in the studio was somewhat poor / low so the images were a bit dark.  Not 100% sure the flash fired, but I'm guessing it did.  I just need to learn how to balance the lighting in the studio with the light slider under the lens.

Here is a shot from yesterday's maternity shoot with a model Cecilia Hernandez who I've worked with several times.  A bit darker than I'd like but still cool.

Next time with this camera I'm going to use it outside.  I'll see how it it works.  

An Impulse Buy...Yuck, Yuck...Get It?

Look what I found at Goodwill yesterday.  Its my latest film camera find.  An instant camera at that! This one is a Polaroid Impulse AF.  That's right it's Impulse AS F*CK.  What?? oh sorry, "Auto Focus".

I didn't have this version until yesterday.  The other Impulse cameras I have don't have the auto focus. The camera looks clean, the rollers are good, a fresh but empty pack of film (with a good battery) leads me to believe it will be A-OK.  Now time to run down to my local camera store and get a few packs of Impossible Project Film.  

There are a couple of features that make this camera the potential to be one of my go too instant cameras.  That is of course, if it works.  First there is a standard tripod mount.  Also, a self timer button.  Right on, Polaroid selfies!!  Also if the AF works then it will minimize out of focus photos. When you are paying $25/pack for 8 shots, you don't want out of focus images.  

I'll give this guy a go during my next model shoot.  More to come.

Me Crazy, Nope Not Me - I'm Economical

Do you love the artsy Polaroids?  These are statement pieces, right?  Do they talk to you? Should I draft an artist statement? Nope, I was just playing around.  OK, here's the story.  

I went to my local Goodwill Outlet to look for film cameras like I do once a month or so.  Score, I found a Polaroid OneStep Express.  It looked clean, no cracks, good to go.  A good investment for 50 cents.  I opened the film cartridge door to see if the rollers were clean, and it had film in it.  I closed the door and a photo didn't pop out which told me the battery in the cartridge was dead...hmmm,

I figure why not.  When I got home I grabbed an empty Polaroid 600 film cartridge and went into a dark bathroom.  I extracted all 10 undeveloped photos from the old cartridge by feel in the dark & reloaded them into the fresh cartridge.

I loaded the re-loaded cartridge in a fresh camera and one of the photos popped out!  It worked.  I then went around my yard taking photos.  The results are above.  As expected...seriously, I expected this, all of the film emulsion packs were dried like a desert so the film didn't develop.  Even though the film ejected no emulsions spread across the photo to initiate the development.  This was an actual Polaroid pack of film, so its at least ... maybe 10 years old?  No way it will be any good unless it was cold stored.

Moral of the story boys and girls?  If you plan on buying real Polaroid film online, it probably not going to be good unless you KNOW it's been stored properly & from a reputable source.  Even then the cartridge battery may be dead.   If you have a Polaroid (not talking about Instax here) then do yourself a favor, buy film from the Impossible Project.  It's quirky, but it will be good.

Dress the Part - It's a Polaroid Thing

A street photographer friend, Valerie Jardin, sent me a text the other day with a photo of a Polaroid T-shirt she saw in her local Target.  I guess she knew I liked to play with instant cameras, so she sent me the photo.  I was in my office at the time, but I about bolted out of my chair to run to my local Target to get one.   Steve, calm yourself, you're a professional finance executive so such trivial issues don't bother you!!! Uh, sure, right...hey is it 5pm yet??

Anyway, you know the story and so now I'm the proud owner of a Polaroid themed t-shirt.  I've already worn it during a street shoot the other day.  It's super cool.

Polaroid And Fashion

On the digital side of the house, which means my fashion / beauty photography side I did a shoot this past weekend for a fashion magazine.   Full creative team was involved.  As always I decided to pull out my trusty Polaroid Silver Express and a pack of Impossible Project 600 Color and take a shot of each look.  

This is Gen 2.0 film so it's still a bit creamy and soft focus, but I still enjoy the process.  If nothing else I get to dazzle the young models by using a camera older than they are.

Just for giggles, instant giggles.

It's an Instant 'Thang - Polariod One Step Flash

I dig instant photography, as you might expect if you've read any of this blog.  I like the immediate feedback and the ability to hold the finished product in your hand.  I primarily use them in my studio for behind the scenes shots during model or fashion shoots.

Recently I pulled out of my stash this Polaroid One Step Flash.  Pretty simple.  Like most 600 styled Polaroids it's simply point and shoot.  The only option is the light / dark slider which I always tend to keep in the middle.  I loaded this with a pack of Impossible Project Color 600 film, and used it during a shoot with model Kat Scott.

A few of the images taken against a black backdrop

One thing I do because I generally have 2-3 Polaroids loaded at the same time with different films, I write what I have in the camera just in-case I forget.  I know, very OCD-like.

Alas, my last shot of the pack got jammed in the camera, but magically popped out after I gave the camera a reasonable smack.  Uh, this doesn't look like my model

OK, does this have any practical value, nope, but it's fun.

End of An Era - FujiFilm FP-100c

If you are an instant film shooter, you know that FujiFilm has pulled the plug on their "peel-apart" pack film.  I wrote about it on an earlier blog post.  The FP-3000B was discontinued about 2+ years ago, and then this past month the color FP-100c.  I liked the B&W version of the 2 the best, so I was sorry to see it go.  However, I still shot the color version regularly.  As a matter of fact it was one of my go to's for behind the scenes shots during my model / fashion / portrait studio photography.  

It was an expensive novelty / fun genre that I've done for a number of years.  I picked up 5 packs recently and will slowly use them.   Sad to see this film go, but am not surprised at FujiFilm's decision. Oh well, I still have my Polaroids.  I'll focus on using Impossible Project film in my 600, SX-70 & Spectra cameras.   I'll shelve all of my Pack cameras.

Fun With Polaroids - Scanning a Negative

A Positive Negative of Model Kiona Waters of LModelz Model Management

Sometimes you just have to have some fun.  "But, how do you have fun Steve?" Well, one way is to pay around with Polaroid cameras.  I almost always take one to a photoshoot and snap behind the scenes shots.  Film is still available through FujiFilm (for Pack cameras), FujiFilm for Instax cameras & The Impossible Project for Polaroid cameras.

Last weekend I used a Polaroid Colorpack III.  A plastic pack camera.  Here she is:

This photo was actually taken a couple of year ago by SF based street photographer Eric Kim.  This was my "street photography" camera of the day

It takes really nice / crisp images with FujiFilm FP-100c "peel apart" film.  It's "Professional". I mean that's what is says on the box, so it must be true.  For Sunday's model shoot I used a pack of B&W FP-3000B.  Unlike the color version of the film, the B&W version is no longer produced.  Therefore it's pricey.  I think I paid $21 for the pack.  Here it is:

And this is what the back of the peel apart looks like once you pull it from the camera, let it develop and peel off the photo.

The negatives that I used to throw away

Know what I see?  That's right, I see a negative.  For giggles, and that "fun" I mentioned above I decided to scan the backing into Adobe Photoshop and then "reversed" the image.  And - wait for it, a positive image appears as shown above.   Does this have a practical purpose...no, but who said all film photography had to have a practical purpose.  And just to think I used to throw the backing papers away...no more, no sir, no more.

Try it yourself, it's "fun"

Model Shoot Equals Polaroids

You might know I also shoot digital, and when I do it's fashion & beauty photography in studio.  What I normally do is whenever I do a model shoot I also play around with a pack or two of film in one of my Polaroid or FujiFilm cameras.  Here's a few shots from my photoshoot with model Eclipse Monday.  The nice thing is that they are instant (obviously) and most of people I shoot have never seen them.  It's a fun give-away at the end of a shoot.  I even have one of the Polaroids signed & hang it in the studio.

Here are some recent Polaroid's using a Polaroid 600 Silver Express & a Polaroid ColorPack III.  The ColorPack used a pack of Fujifilm FP-100C & The Polaroid a pack of Impossible Project 600 B&W.  Tons of fun to play around.

Polaroid ColorPack III Goodness

I had an editorial fashion model shoot this week in studio.  Did I mention that editorial & commercial fashion with digital is what most of my photography focuses on?  One of the things I do during a model shoot is play with assorted instant cameras for behind the scenes shots.  This week's shoot with Danish model Marie Smed was no different.  

One of the cameras I used was my trusty Polaroid ColorPack III with Fujifilm FP100-C film and Sylvania flash cubes.  The camera and the flash cubes are older than my model.  Just for fun I did a split image shot just for giggles.

I enjoy instant photography

Polaroid SX-70 - My Dad's Camera

My Dad was an avid photographer.  One of the cameras he had was a super cool Polaroid SX-70.  I inherited it from him after he passed.  As you might know I shoot instant photography as part of my film repertoire.  I've been waiting to use this camera for some time and just recently bought a few packs of SX-70 color film from the Impossible Project.

I went out today with a number of film cameras to shoot around downtown Indianapolis.  One of the cameras was the SX-70.  I honestly don't know when was the last time my Dad used this camera, but it appeared to be in great shape.

Unfortunately, after the first shot something must have come loose inside.  The camera wouldn't close properly and when I opened it up the viewfinder was dark.  The line of sight through the lens appeared to be blocked.  I haven't looked at a schematic of the camera, but it's like a mirror inside got stuck.

That kind of stinks because I wanted to use this camera for behind the scenes photos during my next model shoot.  Oh well, I'll keep it on my Polaroid display shelf since it was my Dad's.  I did get take the film pack out in a dark room and replace the black cover and reload the film in a different SX-70 camera.  Can't afford to let the film go to waste.

Polaroid Sun 600 LMS - With Impossible Project Film

Instant photography is super fun.  Now that the Impossible Project has resurrected the Polaroid-like film all of the old Polaroid cameras stuck away by your parents, grandparents, at Goodwill, flea markets, etc. are now good to go.  I have many.

My most recent instant camera used is the Polaroid Sun 600 LMS.  A member of the 600 One Step series. The LMS stands for "Light Management System".  Since there is the standard "light / dark" slider I'm not 100% sure how the LMS adds value, but it does seem to have better flash control.

Like all 600 Polaroids, there is really nothing to do except point & shoot.  There is no focus and I found setting the light / dark slider slightly to the dark side is best (insert your favorite Star War's impression here) and shoot no closer than 5'.  Any closer and the image gets washed out.  At approximately $25 for 8 shots, you really don't want to burn through lots of shots testing your settings.  Remember, this is a Polaroid, so the idea is to get something quirky anyway.

I'm shooting the Impossible Project film in all instant cameras except for my Instax cameras and my pack cameras which take FujiFilm.  For my most recent shoot with the Polaroid Sun 600 I used a pack of Impossible Project 600 Color film.  All shots had a slight yellowish / green tint.  Kind of minty cool.  

The photos shown were taken as behind the scene shots during recent editorial fashion photoshoots.  Totally groovy.

Cameras I Found - Polaroid OneStep Plus

As normal I stopped at the Goodwill Outlet near my office on the way home yesterday.  Look what I found, a Polaroid OneStep Plus Land Camera.  One with the cool rainbow logo. This camera uses Polaroid SX-70 film, which isn't to be confused with Polaroid 600 film.  It was mine for only about 50 cents.  Sweet. 

I have purchased about 30 Polaroid cameras over the past couple of years, and all about 3 have worked.  The only thing that worried me about this camera was a crack on the top where the flashbar plugs in and the shutter release button appeared to be recessed too far.

Surprisingly, there was an empty SX-70 film cartridge in the camera.  Not sure how old it was, but I wanted to see if the battery was still good.  I wanted to test if the camera worked.  I took out the film and reinserted it, and the gears whirled.  I also put some black electricians tape over the crack.  Therefore, until I test the camera with some live film it appears to be working.

Next step, buy some Impossible Project film and give it a try.