I feel like we all had a similar experience from 2018 to 2020 where we all wanted a colorful Fujifilm Instax Mini camera. The instant polaroids were so fun and aesthetic, and of course, made the perfect room décor. Everyone had a Fujifilm Polaroid camera or knew someone who did. Of course, the camera was the best prop in our Instagram photos. Bonus points if you had Birkenstocks, Pura Vida bracelets, or flowers in the picture too!
Since then, we’ve evolved to apps like Huji and other film apps to add that vintage aesthetic to our favorite photos, disposable and reusable film cameras, and now digital cameras. Somewhere in the multiple photography trends, we started labeling everything as “film.” As an avid film camera user, I’m here to clear some things up. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t cringe internally every time I saw someone caption their adorable digital camera photos as “on film.” Let me debrief and debunk all of our favorite photography trends.
what is a film camera?
According to Adobe’s Film Photography Beginner’s Guide, “During film photography, a roll of light-sensitive film is placed within the camera.” From there, when you wind the film and take the photo, the light captures the image inside the camera, and you can’t see the image until the whole roll is developed. Film is developed using various chemicals. I don’t develop my own film. I enjoy using Z41 Film Lab, a small business that develops rolls of film for $10 plus the shipping cost, but I’ve also heard good things about CVS.
It’s essential if you’re dealing with the actual film cartridges that you make sure they aren’t exposed to light. I brought a reusable film camera to use while studying abroad in Florence, but I didn’t know how to wind the film properly back into the cartridge and lost 12 photos out of my 36. I also couldn’t figure out how to get the old cartridge out and put a new film cartridge in, so I did go film camera-less for the remainder of my study abroad experience. Please learn from my mistakes and know how to operate your cameras before you’re in another country.
Film is one of my favorite things in the world. It’s a pretty accessible form of photography as camera prices range from $12 to $250. I’m currently still trying to figure out my reusable film camera because it’s more sustainable and cheap (rolls of film start at $8), but in the meantime, I’ve been doing one film camera per semester. As a result, all my friends look forward to my film developing at the end of the semester and being able to revisit our most fun memories in photos we’ve never seen before.
HUJI IS my out for 2024
If you’ve never heard of Huji, it’s an app that was created in 2018 with the promise of making your photos look like they were from 1998. In reality, Huji puts dates on your photos and adds a lot of blue, purple, and red splotches to your pictures. Huji also enhances the saturation in photos by what feels like 100 percent. The app was fun in 2019, but now I look back and cringe and wish the blue, red, and purple splotches didn’t litter my photos with my friends from high school. At this point in time, if I wanted to add a filter to my photos, I’d just edit them with fun filters that enhance the colors or match my Instagram. It’s safe to say that Huji is not film.
Everyone’s current favorite: DIgital cameras!
I desperately want a digital camera. The moment that solidified this moment for me was when I was studying abroad in Florence and one of my roommates let me take hold of her camera for a night, and I became obsessed with every picture taken. Every person I came across got their picture taken, I was so excited!
For me, digital cameras are tough. I want and require a good quality one, but unfortunately buying them new or used can cost upwards of $100 to $300. My current plan to get my hands on one is to rummage through my parents’ old technology bin which could hold their cameras from my childhood in the early 2000s, thrift a camera, or buy one from a (hopefully) clueless seller on eBay or Poshmark. I’m severely jealous of everyone who has been able to find their parents’ old camera or found one absurdly discounted.
TikTok has raised my standards as to what qualities the ideal digital camera should hold. Besides the amazing quality digital cameras can hold, they’re available for viewing right away and can be transferred to one’s phone almost instantly. This is the main differentiation between digital cameras and film cameras. A digital photo can be taken on a camera or on a phone; a film photo cannot. As a result, I don’t want to see any “me and my friends on film” Instagram captions on beautiful and stunning digital camera posts. Hot girls know what cameras they’re using!
Thank you for listening to me rant about different styles of photography. I look forward to seeing your various dumps on Instagram!
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