Why Film Photography Just Won’t Go Away

One of my favorite encounters, when out in the world taking pictures, is to hand a 1980s film camera to a stranger and ask them to photograph me. At first, they’re quite obliging. But then confusion sets in when they can’t find an LCD screen or button to tap.

“The shutter release is on the top,” I remark, “and you can look through the viewfinder just to the left of it.”

There’s a puzzled expression for a moment, then success. The first picture is recorded.

“Can you take one more, just to be sure?” I ask.

They confidently push the shutter button again, but this time no click. The bewilderment returns.

“You have to advance the film first,” I add. “Use that lever with your right thumb.”

Snap! A second frame is captured. Usually what happens next is the camera is handed back to me and the good samaritan hurries away. It will be days before I know how the pictures turned out.

You’d think, by my telling this story, that I am some kind of throwback to the analog days when rotary phones roamed the earth and televisions magically pulled transmissions from thin air with rabbit ear antennas.

But I’m not that unique.