Cincinnati Photographers Enjoy the Resurgence of Film Photography

This story is featured in CityBeat's May 1 print edition.

There’s no denying the popularity of photography as an artistic medium. Whether it’s the barrier of entry or the meshing of technology with artistry, it seems like photography grows in popularity every year. With this growing popularity, photography, much like fashion and storytelling, has found itself in a cycle — a cycle of what’s in and what’s out. What’s old has now become new again, and what’s new is the rise of film photography.

For those who don’t remember, film was once the only way to transfer real life into images for us to cherish forever. Little canisters filled with chemical strips were commonplace on department store shelves for customers to purchase to refill their cameras whenever they wanted to capture memories. It was normal to buy disposable cameras containing film if you wanted something to take photos of things like a family vacation or road trip. Film was everything for photographers, amateurs and professionals alike.

However, everything isn’t meant to last. In the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, the digital camera first hit the market. Film became impractical and increasingly less cost-efficient compared to its digital alternative. Families everywhere could now purchase cheap digicams. Professionals bought DSLR cameras that ran on batteries and SD cards that made their jobs infinitely easier. Photography had forever changed and film became nothing but an antique fad.

Like vinyl and platform shoes, film has seen a renaissance. Photography enthusiasts ensured film never truly died, constantly supporting companies like Kodak and Fujifilm. Then, much like any trend, influencers also got a hold of film. Despite how people feel about it, Kylie Jenner posting film photos to her Instagram breathed life into the floundering art form. The great thing about film’s rise is that it isn’t just confined to those who are looking for what’s trending. Film has also found a foothold here in Cincinnati.

Kyle Woodford, a Cincinnati-based film photographer, described why he decided to choose film over the convenience of digital.

“Film for me is much more about the process than anything,” Woodford told CityBeat . “Having to choose the right film, the right type of camera, manually expose and take the shot all while having no clue what your photo will end up looking like is the reason I shoot film. Although it sounds much more complicated, it makes shooting much simpler for me. I am bound by the choices I made when picking my film stock and camera.”

These artistic choices when it comes to film photography come through in Woodford’s work. He describes his style as a “person” photographer. Woodford shoots street photography in hopes of capturing the candidness of everyday life.

“I always say street photography is like people-watching except with a camera. Not knowing exactly what you’ll find on any given day is the best part for me. Street photography is very much out of my control which makes it more satisfying whenever I can get a good photo.”

Can’t all this still be accomplished digitally though? Is film just another status symbol, or does it offer any practicality for actual photographers? Local photographer Daniel Iroh, who shoots both digital and film, explains why film could be the choice for artists.

“So back when I was a teenager, I made the grave error of saving all the digital photographs I had taken up until that point to my laptop and I didn’t have a separate backup,” Iroh told CityBeat . “Eventually, the hard drive on that laptop failed spectacularly, and attempts to recover the data failed,” Iroh explained that this experience deterred him from taking photos for several years. Eventually, he wanted to document his bicycle adventures, so to avoid the pain of permanently losing his photos again, he picked up shooting film.

Despite the practicality and vibes that shooting film brings, it’s much more than that for those currently in the hobby. There seems to be a true passion burning from some human desire to stay attached to this old medium. “I think a lot of people enjoy the methodical approach to photography that shooting film with a vintage camera requires," Iroh said. "Also, in a digital world, we find ourselves finding solace in physical mediums, and shooting film can provide that.”

Dan Liang, a Cincinnati photographer who was recently featured on CineStill’s platforms, also shed some light on the personal passion photographers feel toward film.

“Shooting film is everything to me,” Liang said. “From holding a roll of film in your hand, just holding film is cool. To picking a camera and composing the shot and waiting for it to come out, it’s like a journey. … I started with digital for maybe a month or two and I didn’t like it. I don’t know what it was, but the process just wasn’t fun for me.”

With the rise in film being fueled by people like Liang, Iroh and Woodford, it’s safe to say the scene in Cincinnati is in a good state. In fact, according to the locals, it’s continuing to grow.

“I think the film photography scene here has grown so much,” Woodford says. “There is so much support and resources here for new people who want to get into film. I think the photographers around Cincy, film or digital, do a great job at involving the community.” Iroh elaborated more on this community Woodford spoke of, “Thanks to the power of social media, I’ve personally been able to connect with several members of this community and I’m now close friends with some. Recently I started going on photo walks in Northside every Thursday evening. I’m trying to get the word out so more people can show up. It’s been fun to connect with fellow film shooters on these walks.”

If you’ve ever had an interest in shooting film, now is the time to do so. With a community that is currently growing in numbers, and one that’s so willing to accept others, the barrier to getting into film photography hasn’t been this low since the ‘90s. Various Cincinnati photography groups, like the Photography Club of Greater Cincinnati and Cincinnati Photography Group, are open for people to join. Film and digital photographers alike meet up once or twice a week in Washington Park to go on photo walks. All you have to do to join them is show up. Shops like Western Hills Photo & Hobby can set you up with the equipment and film you’ll need to start. All these are ways you can make yourself a part of the film photography community today.