Overheard someone at the coffee shop say 'film is dead' and it got me thinking

I was grabbing a latte last Saturday and this guy at the next table was telling his friend that nobody shoots film anymore except hipsters. I almost laughed out loud because I just got back from dropping off 4 rolls at the lab that morning. I've been shooting a Pentax K1000 since 2018 and I'm still learning stuff about exposure every time I get scans back. My latest roll had some shots from a rainy day at the park that turned out way better than I expected, especially this one with fog wrapping around a bench. It reminded me that film forces you to slow down and think instead of just spraying and praying with digital. Has anyone else had a random stranger dismiss film only to find out you've got a whole drawer of it at home?

2 comments

2 Comments

nancy_owens9d ago

...and that's exactly why I still shoot film, because it makes you pay attention in a way that digital just doesn't. My dad gave me his old Minolta from the 80s a few years back and I almost sold it but then I took it on a trip to the beach and the light leaks gave everything this dreamy quality I couldn't replicate on my phone. I had a similar moment at a bookstore last month where this guy was loudly telling the clerk that real photographers use mirrorless now and I just happened to have a roll of Portra in my bag that I was about to drop off. He saw me pull it out and his face went all funny, like he'd been caught saying something weird.

the_kevin9d agoTop Commenter

Did the guy actually say anything after he saw the Portra or did he just slink away? Feels like one of those moments where the energy in the room just shifted.