Why I shoot film and digital and love it

Blog # 6

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The upside down

My last post ended on a bit of a cliffhanger.. looking back there has been a lot of progress and changes in my street photography journey. Looking at the surface level I have shifted my street photography “style”. I moved on to using wider focal lengths,

I now chase more candid, raw and authentic kind of street photographs.

Honestly, I never saw this coming and was perfectly happy with the way I perceived street photography, I was comfortable and at times I felt I mastered that particular way of doing street photography.

There is nothing more detrimental to continued progress than being complaisant and comfortable at anything for too long in life. Well that my world view at least.

 

So, it got flipped on its head – entirely of my own doing or not I’m not sure. As it is with any kind of change – it hard to begin with but over time it gets easier and eventually become the new normal and I dare to say even great.

There have been two major defining moments that pivoted and accelerated my journey further and deeper into the world of street photography.

The first was when I decided to buy the camera that broke the internet back in 2023. I felt very strongly about getting it and without a lot of effort managed to secure a copy as it was in backorder in most of the world. At this point I was a major Sony fangirl – which is justified mind you. Sony is the market leader and innovator in many ways (especially a few years ago).

 

From summer 2023 to Summer of 2024 the joy of street photography came back with a vengeance. As mentioned for a few years I mostly felt comfortable and didn’t have that “I want to hit the streets not matter what” kind of attitude any longer.

Summer of 2024 the other major shift happened – I once more decided to pick up a new camera. This time a film camera. I had the urge to get more into film photography for a long time but felt a bit overwhelmed by the commitment film photography requires.

You have to be dedicated to the craft in a whole other way than digital. There are a few "risks" and it's costly.

 

I took the plunge.

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Who am I now?

Most people like to align and label themselves to certain things whether its a hobby, passion, career, or something else. Since I started my Youtube channel I've put on a few labels more “officially”; street photographer and content creator.

I’ve always been a street photographer, but the change was that I started to communicate it more openly. I often present myself as a street photographer even to strangers and colleagues alike.

A proud card-carrying member of an exclusive club..right?

 

It’s no secret that I’m a (over)thinker and a slight introvert. I like to think through things and impressions and process them slowly.

Which is why it prompted the question; What kind of street photographer am I becoming.

 

Those labels and boxes I talked about moments ago came up again. Now that I’m enjoying film photography – do I identify myself as a film street photographer.

Do I need to seek membership of that other exclusive club now? Urgh so many boxes, labels and categories..

 

Practically my newfound passion would impact at least one thing – the content I produce for my YouTube channel. Would that be another pivot?

I spent some time on figuring out what my channel should be about and there are probably audience expectations to manage.

My conclusion is, that there will probably be more film related content but I'll try to integrate it subtly. My channel will not suddenly change into film photography content only. By no means.

 

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A hybrid shooter

As I alluded to in my last post the most natural thing for me is to identify myself as a hybrid shooter. I enjoy film photography but also to a high degree digital photography. I don’t want to have to force myself to choose between the two. There are pros and cons to both way of doing street photography.

 

With film it's generally driven by a desire to get that analogue experience in an increasing digital world. The nostalgia combined with the slowed down process, delayed gratification that typically comes with development and scanning lead time.

The cons however are mostly surrounding cost of film photography,

As I mentioned before; getting into film photography requires a commitment and a bank account to go with it.

 

On the other hand, digital photography is so convenient and easy. If you didn’t nail the composition or exposure, then just retake the shot. Easy as that.

Instant gratification and pin sharp photographs that can make any pixel peeper blush.

 

I love that I have the freedom to chose best of both worlds and make it my own. I don’t see any reason to change anything in the way I perceive street photography. The only change are the tools I use and the feeling I get from using these particular tools to make a photograph. The end result is the same - a street photograph.

 

So, going forward.. what will I be known for, or what would I like to be known for.

Well, that's easy. A Street Photographer.