A New Look At Analogue Photography

The digital age and the internet have brought about a huge revolution in photography. It’s never been easier to take and share photos before. There’s no need to wait until a photo is developed to enjoy it and even find out if it worked.

However, despite these invaluable advantages of digital photography, the old analog solutions have not been completely forgotten. They still have a huge power and charm, which modern technology does not provide. That’s why it’s worth rediscovering!

Analogue photography – how did the king die?

Photography was created in 1839 and throughout this period every enthusiast of taking pictures had to go through a similar process in order to be able to enjoy his images. First, the photosensitive material was exposed to light, and then the waiting for what the development of photos from the film would bring.

Over time, the process was shortened and the technology developed, but still – apart from Polaroids – the photos could not be seen immediately after the exposition was over. This made it difficult to fix photographic errors immediately.

Not without significance was also the price of photosensitive materials, which made it necessary to think about every press of the shutter button. The real revolution in this area was brought about only by the digital era.

The king died slowly, because at first digital technology could not match the quality of films. Today, however, professional matrices are able to provide quality that allows professionals to work with digital technology. Interestingly, many well-known artists and icons of photography still work on photosensitive materials, praising their unparalleled quality.

Has the digit forgotten its older sister, despite the fact that all the flaws of analogue photography and its dethronization have been eliminated? It turns out that what used to be a disadvantage of analogue photography is now its advantage and many people appreciate its magic or unique power.

Mystery and thrill of emotions during exposure are elements of photography that are rather inaccessible when photographing with a number. That is why many people use old cameras. At the same time, similar sentiment inclines to look at old photographs again. This may be due to the desire to explore one’s own roots or to discover astonishing.

Old photos as fashionable as ever…

Old photographs have become the focus of interest of many photographers. They include people who want to explore the history of their city or family, but also artists who use new means of expression. Often, the world of photography is surrounded by information about the discovery of new, previously unknown great talents.

Such a discovery was Vivian Maier, whose 30,000 undeveloped negatives were bought in 2007 by John Maloof for 400 dollars. Her mysterious figure and works became a world phenomenon and she became one of the icons of street photography. How many more such geniuses are hidden in attics or flea markets?

Even if you don’t intend to discover new brilliant photographers and change the history of this medium, it’s still a good idea to develop photographs from film. Digitising or making prints will help to preserve the memory of past eras. The mood and sentiment of black-and-white photos will be a great way to rediscover your photography.

What’s more, these images can be used as a beautiful gift. Use your parents’ PRL photos, retouch them and reprint them to give them an unforgettable, moving gift.

The most popular types of old photos

Enthusiasts looking for astonishing analogue photographs reach for various types of images. These can be old prints made in an atelier, where people pose in arranged sceneries. Very specific (and even a bit funny) are the stiff poses of the models of those times, which were forced by the prolonged exposure time.

Old photographs showing forgotten professions and traditions are also very popular. Without knowing the context, some of them look really strange. To such types belong e.g. previously extremely popular spiritualistic photographs.

Going back to a bit closer to the times, however, old family and wedding photos are very popular. In both cases, one sometimes hears about fascinating stories of attempts to find the models visible in the photographs.

What can be done with old photographs nowadays?

The price list of analog photography services includes many different options for using old photographs. If you find old movies, you can develop them and burn them on CD or make prints and order them as posters. The services are available in 35mm format, 120mm negative or 135 slides. You can use both colour and black and white film in your projects.

It is also possible to scan old photos. If you have photographs that are particularly important to you in your family albums, it is worth to digitize them as soon as possible. Thanks to that you can print them in any format and store them on hard drives. You do not need to have a negative – scans can be made on the basis of your prints.

Ronald K. Johnson

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