Photography in 2025 has reached unprecedented levels of speed and automation, with cameras capable of tracking eyes at 60 frames per second and instantly sending 45-megapixel raw files to smartphones. Yet thousands of photographers continue loading Kodak and Ilford film rolls, proving that analog photography isn't just surviving—it's thriving as a cultural counterpoint to digital dominance.
The emotional appeal of film photography lies in its deliberate pace, forcing photographers to truly engage with each shot. Loading a roll into vintage cameras like a Nikon F or Rolleiflex transcends mere mechanics to become a ritual. The weight of the camera, the tension in the film advance, and the distinctive click of the shutter create a grounding experience that modern mirrorless burst modes simply cannot replicate.
Photographer Steven Van Worth recalls his first experience loading Ilford HP5 film into a Canon AE-1 Program while still relying on Auto mode with his digital Canon Rebel T2i. "Using the AE-1 alongside my digital camera forced me to slow down in a way that was both unfamiliar and utterly captivating," he explained. "Thirty-six frames suddenly felt like a gift and a challenge; every click demanded intention, and in return, it offered anticipation."
This intentionality represents the core of analog photography's appeal. With only 36 frames on 35mm film or 12 on 120 format, photographers shoot less but observe more. They compose carefully and notice subtle changes in light because they're not constantly checking LCD screens. This presence and mindfulness create a fundamentally different photographic experience.
While digital technology can approximate film's appearance through Fuji's simulations or software like Dehancer and VSCO, these remain simulations rather than authentic reproductions. Film's unique depth emerges from its physicality—light literally carving into emulsion, with silver halides dancing in chemical baths. These imperfections aren't flaws but distinctive fingerprints that define each film stock's character.
Different film stocks carry distinct personalities. Kodak Portra 400 delivers soft pastel roll-off, while Ektar 100 provides bold saturation. Ektachrome E100 slide film demands technical perfection but rewards photographers with vibrant colors that seem to leap from light tables. Black-and-white stocks like Tri-X and HP5 possess a grit and soul that digital often struggles to replicate without extensive post-processing.
Medium format film pushes these qualities even further. A 6x6 negative from cameras like the Rolleiflex or Hasselblad offers depth and tonal separation that digital sensors continue chasing. The grain, halation, and edge softness aren't technical limitations—they're the aesthetic that entire industries work to emulate in digital cameras.
Modern film photography operates through hybrid workflows that embrace both analog and digital technologies. Today's film photographers typically load rolls in decades-old cameras before processing results through high-resolution digital workflows, creating conversations between mediums rather than competitions.
Accessible scanning equipment has revolutionized home film processing. Flatbed scanners like the Epson V600 and V850, or dedicated 35mm scanners like the Plustek 8200i, enable high-quality home scanning. DSLR and mirrorless scanning rigs using macro lenses have pushed quality even higher, particularly for medium format work.
Software like Negative Lab Pro transforms Lightroom into color-managed darkrooms, allowing precise inversion and color balancing that rivals traditional optical printing. A typical modern workflow might involve loading Kodak Gold in a Canon AE-1, careful metering and shooting, home development with Cinestill CS41 chemistry, drying negatives, scanning with DSLR rigs or flatbeds, processing files in Lightroom or Capture One, and posting images online—all within a single day.
For professional photographers, hybrid approaches prove essential since clients typically want digital files rather than contact sheets or physical prints. Wedding photographers often shoot several rolls of Portra or Tri-X alongside digital coverage, using film scans to add texture and nostalgia to galleries. Commercial shooters incorporate medium format film for campaign hero images, scanning at drum-scan quality for large print runs while maintaining digital workflows for other work.
Film photography provides several crucial benefits in 2025. It teaches fundamental skills without histograms or highlight alerts, forcing photographers to learn proper metering and exposure visualization. The financial cost of mistakes creates valuable learning pressure that digital photography often lacks.
From sustainability perspectives, film cameras outlast digital upgrade cycles significantly. While digital cameras become outdated within five years, mechanical film cameras from the 1970s continue functioning flawlessly with periodic cleaning and adjustment services. This longevity keeps equipment in active use rather than contributing to electronic waste.
The film community has experienced remarkable revival. Labs are reopening, Kodak re-released Gold in 120 format, and Cinestill launched 400D film. Boutique companies hand-roll custom emulsions while online communities share processing recipes and repair techniques daily. Film photography represents both a medium and a craft community.
Working photographers Johnny Martyr and Kevin Camp exemplify film's continued relevance. Martyr, who shoots exclusively black-and-white film, explains that choosing film wasn't about rejecting digital technology. "I chose film as my starting point," he said. "Seeing the care and thought that went into producing just one print opened my mind to how expressive you could be if you tried."
Camp appreciates film's creative limitations. "When you load a roll of film you are shooting that ISO. You're committed to that film choice with minimal changes allowed. So it's a little more challenging, and I enjoy that," he noted. Both photographers emphasize hybrid workflows, with Martyr developing in his kitchen sink while Camp develops and scans black-and-white at home but outsources color work to labs.
Both photographers stress that film teaches different ways of seeing. Camp explains: "It taught me to look for contrast instead of just pure exposure. Sometimes a technically bad exposure—a blocked shadow or blown highlight—can carry more meaning than a perfect histogram."
Regarding client requests for film, Camp notes that while some ask for Polaroids or large format work, "most non-photographers think film doesn't exist anymore." Martyr faces different challenges with all black-and-white, grainy film work requiring careful client preparation about final results.
Critics argue that film's resurgence stems from nostalgia, which contains some truth. Loading Kodak film in vintage Canon AE-1 cameras does evoke cultural memories spanning family albums to art history. However, nostalgia alone couldn't sustain an industry requiring chemistry, manufacturing, and distribution in a digital-first world.
Film persists because it offers something digital cannot replicate—tangible connections to light and time. When photons strike silver halide crystals, they create physical marks rather than digital data. Negatives become artifacts that can be held, examined, and preserved for decades without technological dependencies.
This physicality fundamentally changes how we value images. While hard drives crash and cloud subscriptions lapse, film strips can survive in boxes for fifty years and still bring moments back to life. This permanence carries both literal and metaphorical weight in an era of disposable digital imagery.
Film's future doesn't require mass adoption to remain relevant. Its survival depends on passionate communities keeping crafts alive, which current trends clearly demonstrate. Kodak, Ilford, and Cinestill continue investing in new production runs while boutique companies hand-roll custom emulsions. Startups like Supersense have revived peel-apart film with One Instant projects for Polaroid 100-series cameras.
Film education quietly fuels next generations as college photography programs restore enlargers and high school students learn exposure on Pentax K1000 cameras. Community darkrooms fill with people who weren't alive during film's original reign yet feel drawn to its tactile pace in digital worlds.
Because film is no longer default technology, every roll becomes intentional. Loading cameras isn't routine anymore—it's commitment. Choosing film in 2025 makes quiet but powerful statements that moments matter enough to slow down, risk mistakes, and wait for results.
Film photography in 2025 represents choosing different relationships with technology rather than rejecting it entirely. It's about texture, imperfection, and the weight of twelve to thirty-six frames in photographers' hands. In an era of endless, disposable images, analog photography still makes photographers care—and professionals like Johnny Martyr and Kevin Camp continue proving why that connection matters for contemporary visual culture.
