Film Vs Digital & Does It Even Matter?
The age old question and some examples to sway you one way...and another
Housekeeping
We are nearly through the first month of 2024 and I don’t know about you but time is flying and I’m feeling like I need to get my shit together so this year doesn’t turn into total chaos…
Don’t worry though, I’m not here to talk about productivity hacks (although I do enjoy that kind of content) I am here to share some good old fashioned photography rivalry and hopefully add some new-ish takes on the question of Film vs Digital. But before I do…
I have a few fun exhibition opportunities coming up early this year and will be printing everything with my local fine art print house We Sell Prints who do such an amazing job. I spoke to an artist on IG who is in the USA and she uses We Sell Prints to fulfill her Australian orders which I thought was so damn cool! It made me think about the global possibility for artists and I thought that I would share my discount code with you guys, who are spread all over the globe, in case you had any interest from down under and needed a print house rec :)
You can check out We Sell Prints here, browse paper stocks, sizes and price guides and if you use my code LUCY10 you will get 10% OFF your total order.
Check them out on IG as well for great tips and info on starting an online print store and other helpful resources.
Poor Things aka The Most Unique Film Ever
I went on a fun little hotel staycay in Brisbane city last week and got to catch the new Yorgos Lanthimos movie Poor Things which I was so looking forward to. If you wanna hear my full review, and also see me give you a hotel tour, eat pastries and wonder round The Valley then click below to watch my new video on the Life Of Lucy channel!
If you are here for a more BTS and well rounded look at my life then subscribe to this new channel and follow along on my journey this year as a full time content creator and photographer.
Analog vs Digi - The Debate That Never Ends
The photography community is a funny one, it’s supportive at times but also extremely snobbish and pompous and feels as if there is always someone waiting on the online sidelines to correct, inform or enlighten you…even when you didn’t ask for it.
On the other hand it’s a place of belonging and community and has been the foundations of many friendships and positive creative outlets for me over the years. Being a photog isn’t just that though, we splinter off into two groups, and then there are groups within those groups, and it ends up like a never ending Russian doll of niches within niches within a broader interest.
Clearly I am steeped in the analog world and have a whole channel focused on that, as well as a few toes dipped into the vintage digital/digicam pool, but at my core, and if I could choose/afford it, I would only ever shoot film. 35mm film to be specific. Film or die so to say.
BUT that is when it comes to personal work as opposed to paid work. Tbh most of the paid work I do is on film which is fucking amazing and I hope that makes people feel like there is a place for film for many years to come.
Work is work though and it’s not always applicable, possible, or warranted for things to be shot on film and the same can be said for personal work too. Plenty of my photos of cars could be shot on digi and edited to gain a similar look and ALOT of my work is clean, crisp and minimal and I know I could get that look from digital quite easily. For me it comes down to being more comfortable with film, being stuck in my way and also just enjoying it more and enjoying outsourcing all the post work to my amazing lab, Ikigai. #lazy
Whilst I do enjoy digicams and get some of the same excitement from them as I do with film, I have never found a true place for digital in my rotation…until now.
Using our D7100 a few times for work has been not only a faster way to shoot and get a job done, but also a fun process to craft a look that we are happy to deliver to clients, that still aligns with all the film work we do. Lux is a whiz in post and on the computer, me not so much. I have really enjoyed learning to edit the last six months though and I have even been doing the bulk of the editing + filming on my new YT channel (lol that’s probably obvious though as it’s a lot more stripped back than the main channel) and feeling more confident in those realms of what we do.
When turn around times are tight, or we simply know that blasting through film will also blast through the budget, and we won’t be able to see the results and really dial in an exact end product, it makes sense to shoot digital and for that I love it.
For other things though it simply does not hold up. Flash and Film imo is one thing that is so hard to replicate and if anything calls for that sort of look I just know it has to be the Rebel G. Getting to know where it’s needed and where it isn’t, has really freed me lately and taken the pressure off a lot.
Another camera that has been a joy to incorporate into our work flow and have alongside a video session with clients is the XE1. Gifted to me by a very kind viewer with a few lenses, this has become such a go to for Lux. We have quite the fleet of TT Artisans lenses for it now too (reviews coming soon on a few) and are often testing them out so BTS shots on location are a great way to do that.
I really do adore the XE1 and I love coming home and being able to see them straight away it feels like a novelty for me. We have a preset that we are so happy with now so that gets applied to pretty much everything and then it’s good to go and it feels like such a seamless process now which makes me much more inclined to reach for our digital cameras.
I love that becoming a professional in the space has allowed me to shoot more film than ever before but also embrace digital and enjoy it.
Whatever you shoot, wherever you shoot, and how ever you choose to share it is totally fine though, don’t ever let anyone tell you any different either! I’m here for it all and I truly think photography is photography no matter what you use or don’t use and I am so happy to be able to share that message with you guys :)
All photos are edited with my Warm Film Lightroom Preset which is available for just $5 on my website! I hope that using it fills a little bit of the film shaped hole in your heart if you have cut back due to the price increases or are dreading the ones just around the corner eeek!
I think with the 8-27% price rise on certain Kodak film stocks, it's pushing a lot of people to quit film altogether and go via the digicam or DSLR/Mirrorless route.
I'm very much in the film or die camp and hope to stay there till I have no choice! 😂
I started shooting digital (digicam, DSLR) then film. I'm in love with both and let's say I'm in a relationship with film now. I agree with you when you said photography is photography no matter what and honestly, I don't care about the tool. Have seen so many beautiful and inspiring pictures with digital (including phones) and film and I just want to never lose my favorite hobby/passion. Btw, amazing articles – as always. Luv from Brazil!