Is there a time when you are sitting at the dinner table with friends, and everyone is on their phones instead of talking or enjoying the food? Is there a time when “phone eats before human” — everyone needs to snap a picture of the food, before we could eat? Is there a time you find yourself scrolling through hundreds or thousands of photos on your phone, just trying to decide which one will be posted on social media?
At least, those were all relevant to me. And I still like to snap a photo of the amazing food before I eat, just to capture the happy moment. But from time to time, I feel exhausted taking pictures and sharing everything online. Having the “obligation” to take photos all the time hinders me from enjoying the moments without thinking about how my pictures will look like. I often found myself spending hours going through photos on my phone, my camera and my computer. Picking that “perfect angle”, “perfect lighting” while thinking about how to edit them. And I’d be grateful when the time came, when I decided to ditch my digital camera for the first time.
1. Safety
At first it was out of security concern. During my time in Europe, I often traveled alone to a brand new city and then met up with my friends. Carrying a big camera would be more risky for a solo traveler, especially as a female. I only carried my film camera with me since it’s much less expensive than my digital camera, and also lighter to carry in my backpack.
2. Enjoy the moment
When I traveled with my digital camera I spent way too much time figuring out how to take good photos. Although it’s fun when your friends loved the pictures I took of them, it can be mentally and physically exhausting. If one day I will get paid to travel somewhere and take photos of someone else then great, that’s a cool job and the labor is worth it. But for traveling, I like to enjoy the time with myself, observing and learning new cultures through every moment of the experience. Camera can be absent from this part, as I connect deeper with people after I talk to them. It will be everlasting in my memory, no need to be evokes by digital images.
3. Practice patience
I did pick up film camera after I ditched the digital one, and I accidentally fell in love with it. During the first five months in Europe I only had 1 roll of color film, 36 images in total. Before pressing the shutter, I took time to look around the environment, to learn about the lighting, to observe people and their surroundings. And it took a few more minutes to adjust the focus. After pressing the button, it was a big relief because I only need one image of that moment, not two, because I should save the remaining film for the upcoming destinations. Waiting for the film to be finally developed is a nerve wracking but satisfying at the end. You won’t see the results immediately, but why do we have to crave for the instant outcomes?
4. Mental liberation
I love the feeling of no need to select one image among hundreds. Because I simply don’t have many to choose from. With digital camera, it's easy to take a whole bunch of similar pictures but later on to spend even more time selecting photos. With film, only one, of each moment. If I screwed up that image, it’s painful, but it actually leaves me with a deeper impression on that moment I “lost”. The last image I had on my Europe travels roll, I was capturing a flying balloon over the Dom Tower in Utrecht. Due to improper unwinding I broke the end of my film and therefore losing those images. But I remembered it all too well because it was so painful and frustrating at first. I learn to accept these ups and downs in the process of filmmaking. After all, what’s the point of film and art, if they wouldn’t teach us something about life?
5. Improve your photography skills!
Sounds weird right? How do you improve photography skills when you are not constantly using your camera? Well, my point is, using film camera over digital camera can help. It will teach you how to be more mindful of the framing, lighting and focus. With the practice on film camera, even when later on switching to a digital camera you will tend to get the right shot without taking hundreds of photos. Less is more. Photography is a complex art form. Great photo reveals intriguing stories. If a photographer has never tried to listen and understand the stories behind the scenes, the image would not be as powerful or convincing to the audience. Switching to film is a perfect way to spend more time connecting with the subjects that you want to capture. Nonetheless, photographers can switch between digital and film to enrich and enhance their creative approaches.