Thoughts on Film Photography 🎞️

A Film Roll in My Heart: A Return to Simplicity

In an age where Japanese manufacturers compete over numbers—who has the highest resolution, the fastest burst shooting, the best video capabilities—it's worth reflecting:

What is the purpose of photography?

I really like this quote: "It's all about where photography takes you and the people you meet."

Isn't photography about recording the paths we've taken, the people we've met, and the fleeting feelings? The camera is merely a tool to achieve these ends.

Today, everyone scrambles for the latest cameras, mirroring the noisy and restless world:

All flash and no substance.

Camera specifications are important, but most people won't even look through the first few pages of the manual, let alone use 8K video or dozens of focus modes.

In this tumultuous world, we need a pure land like the film camera.

It has reached its zenith, like a loyal companion that doesn't release a barely changed new model every few days, with no hundred-page manual to overwhelm you, and it doesn't disrupt your creative process.

People need to realize that the true importance of a camera is not its specifications but whether it inspires you to go out and shoot, to record your life, and express your ideas.

Film can do just that.

Before loading the roll, you must consider the scene, thoughtfully choose the desired effect, and then select a favorite film to load into the camera. One camera, one lens, heading out without a plethora of equipment, just a person and a camera, casually recording what the eyes see.

Because each photo is precious, each shot is taken with care, adjusting the angle and settings meticulously. Pressing the shutter each time is a joy, recording a moment with both the camera and the heart.

After shooting 36 frames, you can experience the joy and sense of accomplishment of unloading and reloading the film. No need to hunch over a computer, sifting through hundreds of photos, editing dull straight-out-of-camera shots into so-called masterpieces.

In contrast, with film, you pack the film by hand, write a warm card, and send it off for development, or mix the chemicals and develop it yourself. It's all like opening a blind box.

When you get the photos, the anxious excitement of opening the folder is something digital can never match. Whether good or bad, flawless or flawed, what you remember is the experience of shooting, not showing off a so-called perfect masterpiece that might have been shot by thousands of others following the same guide.

Only film lets you capture your own moments, the fleeting and unnoticed scenes. Truly, the feeling of strolling, pausing, and casually snapping photos with friends using a film camera is irreplaceable.

Looking at the negatives, holding the photos in your hand feels like truly touching the scenes and emotions of that moment.

From a technical standpoint, no matter how small digital pixels get, they can't match the natural and detailed chemical imaging of film. On film, clarity is calculated at the molecular level. Digital's higher sensitivity from pixel merging brings unpleasant noise, whereas film's "physical noise" feels warm and natural.

Ultimately, people care not about the souvenirs from a journey but the journey itself.

In my view, digital cameras are like a dream humans had. From the millennium, film cameras started to develop rapidly like mushrooms on rotten wood, and now, as the dust settles, digital products are no longer novel. More people are returning to the original choice—film.

—Zhu Zikun, October 29, 2023, with feelings.

胶片在我心中是一种返璞归真的方式

在各个日系厂商拼数字-谁像素高 谁连拍速度快 谁拍视频好的年代

不妨反思

摄影的目的是什么？

我很喜欢一句话:

it’s all about where photography takes you and the people you meet

摄影不就是记录下走过的路 遇到的人 转瞬即逝的感觉吗

相机只不过是实现这些的工具罢了

现在大家争先恐后争抢的相机就像现在这嘈杂浮躁的世界一样：

华而不实

相机的参数是很重要 但是绝大多数人连相机菜单的前几页都不会看

更不会用到所谓的8K视频和几十种对焦功能

在这浮躁的世界中 就是需要像胶片相机这样的一片净土

已经发展到了尽头

仿佛一个忠诚的伙伴

不会过两天就出一个功能几乎没有改变的新款

不会有上百页的菜单看得你眼花缭乱

不会打扰你创作的过程

人们需要意识到 相机真正重要的不是参数

而是他是否能激励你出门拍照 记录自己的生活 抒发自己的想法

胶片就能做到这一点

在装卷前要想好应用场景

深思熟虑自己想要的效果 再挑选一个心仪的胶卷装入相机

一机一镜出门

没有多余的各种设备

一个人一机

随手记录下眼睛所看到的事物

因为每次照片很珍贵

所以在每一次拍摄之前小心翼翼的找好角度 调整好参数

按下每一次快门都是一种享受

用相机和心同时记录下一个瞬间

拍完36张就可以体会到拆卷装卷的快乐和成就感

回家更不用窝在电脑前从几百张照片中挑来挑去

再将乏味的直出效果修改成所谓的“大片”

反观胶片

亲手打包胶卷 写上温暖的卡片 寄出去冲洗

或者自己调配药水 自己动手 完成显影

一切都像盲盒一样

在拿到照片的那一刻 怀着忐忑的心情打开文件夹 是数码永远无法达到的

不管是好是坏 不管有没有瑕疵

记住的都会是拍摄时亲身经历的

而不是拿着一张所谓的完美的大片到处炫耀

因为事实就是 - 你用数码看攻略拍出的”大片“可能已经被其他人拍过几万回了

只有胶片

让你记录下自己的各种瞬间和转瞬即逝以及别人发现不到的场景

真正拿着胶片相机与好友一起出去走走停停 随手拍拍的感觉是无法被复刻的

翻看底片时真正把照片拿在手里的感觉-

就像是真切的触摸到了当时所在的场景和经历的心情

从技术角度看

数码的像素点做的再小也不可能比胶片的化学成像更加自然 更加细节

毕竟在胶片上 清晰度是以分子计算的

数码通过合并像素形成的更高感光度会带来恶心的噪点

而胶片“物理噪点“则显得温暖 自然

毕竟人们在乎的不会是旅途后带来的纪念品 而会是旅途本身

在我看来

数码相机就像是人类做的一场梦

从千禧年开始越来越多的胶片相机开始像朽木上的蘑菇一样飞速发展

而现在尘埃落定 数码产品已不再新鲜

更多人们又开始回到了最初的选择 -

胶片

-朱紫琨 2023.10.29 有感