Preserving history through the art of film photography

By Andrew Collins, Chloe Papas

A group of photography enthusiasts have the answer, and are planning to preserve their photos by switching back to film photography.

"Almost every person you talk to will have a story to tell about how they lost their photos," says Albany Film Users Group member Bob Symon.
From corrupted hard drives, to lost camera cards and the expense of buying more memory, the problems with digital storage are endless.
"I can still hold up the negatives I took when I was a kid," says Bob. "Digital photos that I took ten years ago, I haven't got many. What I've got, I'm looking after now, but it's a very difficult thing to do."
Most members of the group own digital cameras, but all have recently made the switch back to manual film cameras.
"Something changes in your mind when you have the old cameras," explains Bob.
"Because most of us haven't got automatic on the cameras, we have to do everything manually, so we've got to set the lens, exposure and think about the whole concept of the photo. I think that's where the improvement is, that we actually get this feeling for the photo."
The group believes that, although technology has advanced considerably when it comes to photography, it's all too easy for consumers to buy a sophisticated piece of equipment and shoot completely on automatic - losing the connection with the art.
"We have to develop this feeling of being able to predict something, so that we can see it coming and can snap it right on the spot. So rather than taking 100 shots, we'll take two or three. And it's just developing this feeling of - got it!"
The group are meeting regularly to exchange skills and equipment, with one member even taking to a few cameras with an angle grinder to invent a hybrid 'frankencam.