Photographers share the true cost of film photography
Photo by Wendy Wei
Countless photographers are in love with film photography. Some of the best photography magazines are fully dedicated to the craft. Film photographers come from all generations, even those who are more accustomed to the digital era.
But, the medium isn’t cheap and in this article, we’re looking at how much photographers spend to fund their film photography passion.
The cost of film photography
According to the Film Price Tracker on Analog Cafe, the average cost of film is currently $14.67 per roll. That means, on average, film photographers are spending around 40 cents per photograph. Had I shot this weekend’s photo session on film and not digital, I would have paid an average price of $74.80 - that’s a lot!
As useful as statistics are, they struggle to get to the real world experience of a person. To overcome that, I got in touch with some friends who I know are avid film photography lovers. I wanted to learn how much they’re spending to do film photography, and what pushes them to pay the costs when digital is so much more affordable.
Tamara Torres, Virgovsfilm and Karol Bagiński are three photographers I admire. I interviewed Torres a while back and she shared some of her fantastic film photography.
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Photo by Tamara Torres.
I asked all three of them how much they spend on film roll.
Torres: “Anywhere between $50 - $250 (per month) but that's only because I'm compulsively buying film even though I don't shoot as much as I buy. Maybe I'm preparing my stash for when I can no longer afford it.”
Virgovsfilm: “If I had to put a number I’d say $35 per month. This amount fluctuates depending on how many times I drop off rolls of film to be developed. I have a horrible habit of wanting to try out different film stocks while waiting to be helped at the counter.”
Bagiński: “I’m buying twice a year roll films type 120 and 4x5’ B&W and color negatives. Last year I spent around 1000 euros ($1116USD) on film roll”.
Developing film
Film roll is only part of the expense for film photographers. They also have to send off their negatives to the lab, which of course come at an expense. The three film photographers had this to say when discussing their spend on developing rolls…
Torres: “I spend between $20-30 per month. I thankfully handle all my developing and scanning at home, so my only cost comes from chemicals”.
Virgovsfilm: “Yikes. Okay, this is where my pockets cry the most! My cost a month right now is between $110-$140…that’s because I’m currently trying a new film lab so right now I’ve been getting rolls developed a lot more than usual since it’s local”.
Bagiński: “Because I’m preparing B&W powder developers and fixers by myself, my costs are not huge, I think around 150 euro ($167USD)”.
Photo by Virgovsfilm
Why invest in film photography?
In a world of digital, where SD cards are very affordable, why would someone choose to invest so much each month and year into film photography. It seems we can sum up the answer into one word: love.
Here’s what each photographer said in response to why they think the investment is worth it…
Torres: “The anticipation and satisfaction I get from shooting film and developing it is something I haven't been able to get from any other medium. I still love digital, but film gives me a different process that forces me to trust my instinct and challenge myself to try new things and new cameras with one (or many) past lives before me. Every roll ends up feeling like Christmas morning”.
Virgovsfilm: “Film photography just hits me differently than everything else. Digital photography had always been an interest of mine, but it was also an interest I’d leave and come back to. Not with film. The anticipation and high of shooting a specific scene, something or someone and going through the steps to finally see what you’ve captured. It’s a beautiful photo and memory that I can feel. I mean getting the feels when you see THAT email with a Dropbox/WeTransfer link is unmatched.”
Bagiński: “I’m an artist and love to follow my own process from exposure to silver chloride print. So it’s not economical, rather a personal and creative decision”.
Photo by Karol Bagińsk
Signing off
Hopefully the cost of film doesn’t completely price out those who love film photography. I’m the last person who knows about economicas, but hopefully the game they call the markets finds a way to drive costs down for everyone.
I’m curious, if you’re willing to share, how much do you spend on film photography? What drives you to go analog in our digital world? Let me know in the comments. There are links in each photographer's names, so be sure to give them a follow. Thanks for reading.
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