Good Reasons to Shoot Film

Even as a creative who publishes a Sony evangelism blog, I have good reasons to shoot film. It’s like listening to vinyl, taking a retro bike out, or antique car; driving with manual gears, feeling the road. I don’t shoot film professionally, of course, what I do is about a decade of mirrorless, but it’s sure a pleasant experience when I want to unwind.

The tech is so good from Sony, that in post-production, you can edit a digital negative for hours and take it in an entirely different direction or try and make it look as natural as possible.

Taken with a Leica MP and 28 Summaron.
Taken with a Leica MP and 28 Summaron reissue.

Getting beautiful photos at Mt Bachelor was the most fulfilling of the tens of thousands of pictures I took this year. That’s because I spent the least amount of time on them. And, that frees me up for more soul-fulfilling activities and being present with those around me.

Land Camera Bend
Land Camera Bend, using peel-apart film

Good Reasons to Shoot Film

  1. Shooting film keeps me connected to what’s in front of me, and whatever I’m *about* to shoot next, not what I’ve already captured.
  2. I feel I can trust film and how it reacts. Digital sensors can act like moving targets by comparison. There are so many more variables (including the variable of how you edit a RAW file in different lighting and ISO situations and new releases).
  3. Shooting film saves me time, both when shooting and in post. I make most of the creative decisions ahead of time.

I think you should ditch your DSLR and get a Sony camera for sure, like the one I shoot with or one of the models on sale. And, indulge in film, it’s a great hobby.

Leica MP with 28 Summaron
Leica MP with 28 Summaron courtesy Glazers.

As I wrote about for Shutterbug, many photographers still choose to shop at traditional brick-and-mortar photo specialty retail stores. They’re got film too and Glazers loaned me a Leica MP with 28 Summaron reissue to write this story.

My daily shooter is Sony A1 with a vertical grip and various Sony lenses attached like the FE 20mm F1.8. Find more gear recommendations in our shop. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.