From Phone to Film
In a contemporary world with the latest technologies, Generation Z is returning to nostalgic means of photography.
Film cameras raised our parents' generation and in the 2000s, babies grew up with digital cameras until the popularity of smartphones. These picture-taking methods have their strengths and weaknesses such as clarity, grain, and blurred effects, depending on the desired aesthetic outcome. With so many options to guide your next photoshoot, which one will you choose?
PHONE
It's 2024 and people rarely go anywhere without their devices. Taking photos with a smartphone is not only conventional but convenient. With cutting-edge technologies, the quality of images taken on a smartphone has improved drastically since the release of the first iPhone in 2007. A great photoshoot can be accomplished with a quick click of the camera app, and timer features or photography apps, good photography can be a one-person job. The point-and-shoot method can be accomplished within the walls of a cellular device, making photography on phones a popular and easy choice. From flashy photoshoots to Instagram posts, this process runs seamlessly on devices.
FILM
“Nostalgia sells,” says Harper’s Bazaar; the digital camera is more popular than ever, popping up in stores across the United States and the hands of the youngest generations. Regarding practicality and function, digital cameras fall between phone and film cameras. When using a digital camera, there is freedom to control lighting and focus like a phone. A screen often displays the photo after taking it, allowing adjustments as needed, similar to a phone but not accessible on a film camera. The digital camera is not only a method of photography but a fashion accessory as well. The small size of cameras, such as the Kodak PIXPRO FZ55 and Canon PowerShot ELPH 360, makes them easily transported, and their fun colors complete an outfit. Digital cameras can also achieve blurry photos and often reflect the quality you see with your eyes, making them real, relatable, and trendy.
DIGITAL
Returning to the roots of capturing memories, our generation has turned to film photography's grainy, sentimental feel. From Polaroids to Fujifilm Instax Minis to your mom’s Kodak from the 1990s, film cameras remain a timeless photography trend. While phone photography has the power to capture detailed and crisp images that are available to us instantly, film photography values delayed gratification. Film photography gives a sense of nostalgic escape: by the time a roll gets developed, its contents have been forgotten. After developing them, flipping through physical photos makes the cherished memories come alive again. This might just be the appeal of film cameras to young adults in this fast-paced world.
Written by
Seda Propes