Return to the Basics: Youth Embrace Film Photography

Long before taking Photo 340 his fourth year at Cal State Long Beach, Kyeler Brant began developing his own film in his mother’s bathroom when he was in high school. 

He had bought the film processing chemicals, beakers and bottles online and pinned a towel around the door so that light didn't come in. The room was small and easily got hot; Brant remembers being sweaty, frustrated and tired. Nonetheless, he described the process as cathartic. 

“I just felt more involved in the process. It wasn't like taking the pictures, dropping them off somewhere and getting them back. I saw them through to completion,” Brant said. 

Now, Brant develops his photos in the darkroom on campus. Taking a photo class has been a gentle reminder that he can be both an engineering student and a photographer. Grant has wanted to be an engineer for as long as he can remember, especially when it comes to seeing issues and creating a solution. To him, engineering is about problem-solving, and he looks at photography the same way.

“​​We all walk around, we all live in the same world, but we see things so differently,” Grant said. “I kind of see making photographs as problem-solving because I know there's beauty in the world, but it's my job to find it.” 

He began taking photos on a cheap disposable camera, shooting photos of his friends skateboarding in middle school and later bought his first film camera on eBay. 

Despite the widespread access to cell phones and by extension, to cameras, some young people like Brant prefer the analog medium to digital.

Photo by Kyeler Brant.

Interest in film photography has been building over the years. Eric Vitwar, the owner of local camera shop Tuttle Cameras, noticed film sales at the store began to go up in 2018 and have been steadily increasing. Vitwar believes this can be attributed to social media, and says he’s noticed its popularity on platforms like Instagram and TikTok to this day. 

“It is definitely a youthful movement,” Vitwar said. 

Vitwar added that although young people have grown up with easy access to a phone and hence to taking photos, they don’t know much about photography because “they just pushed a button and there came the photo.” Engaging with film photography has made them focus on things like shutter speed and aperture and made hitting the shutter button more intentional. 

“Before, they just pushed a button. They didn't feel like they owned that photograph or they created it. Now they have a sense of creation,” Vitwar said. “It's made them, I think, by far better photographers because they're slowing down and looking.”

Film photography has really shifted the way Brant sees and interacts with the world. 

“You walk through things slowly and pictures can develop in your head or not. But it's always the possibility that they can,” Brant said. “So I think I just walk around the world a lot more optimistic, hoping to make it photographs.”

Michael Hinojos, a fourth-year philosophy major, stumbled into photography. While he had friends who were photographers, he had never given it a try. Hinojos has what he describes as a “DIY ethos” so when he needed photos for a flier to promote his radio show on 22 West, he bought a disposable camera and took them himself. 

He enjoys taking photos of his surroundings and of the various punk shows he attends. He describes film photography as “kinda like magic in a way.” The process behind it fascinates Hinojos and the grain and imperfections give photos more character. Digital photos seem “a little lifeless” to him. 

Vitwar talked about the vintage vibe young people are looking for and points to the increasing popularity of the analog world in general—VHS, cassette tapes and vinyl records. Hinojos himself also collects vinyl.

“It's kind of just going back to the basics. Going to a different time. So it's definitely fun to see the technology from 25-30 years ago, getting embraced again,” Vitwar said. 

Brant’s preference for film over digital stems from not wanting his photos to “die on Instagram.” For him, taking photos solely to post on Instagram has desensitized him to a process he holds sacred.

“It's like you'll post them, get the likes, get the comments, and then what? Nobody really remembers it, you can’t really tell because your phone is so small, so much is lost,” Brant said. 

Photo by Kyeler Brant.

An Expensive Hobby

While the appeal of film photography has drawn a younger generation thanks to its aesthetics and almost grounding process, both Hinojos and Brant  recognize getting film developed and purchasing rolls can get expensive. However, for Hinojos, it adds intentionality to the experience. 

“It kinda disciplines you to not take a billion photos,” Hinojos said. “I want to be more thoughtful of the photo I’m taking partly because I want to get a good photo but also because it's money being wasted if I don’t take a good photo.”

The guesswork is part of the fun for him. At shows, he finds himself having to be constantly aware of his surroundings to find the perfect photo. Will it be the musician on stage? Will it be the group of people moshing in the pit? The thrill of trying to capture the perfect moment makes going to shows he’s been going to since he was 12, which can eventually get pretty stale, all the more exciting. 

He tries to avoid looking through the viewfinder at shows to make sure he's aware of his surroundings. Instead, he holds the camera facing out in the palm of his hand, one finger on the shutter button ready to take a picture when needed. He said it makes taking a good photo feel more rewarding because in a way he wasn't really looking at it.

Photo by Kyeler Brant.

More Than a Hobby, a Community

For Hinojos, film photography became something else he could bond with his friends over. It’s helped him feel closer to them, especially since they’ve taught him how to better his skills. 

For Brant, film photography has allowed him to connect with people from all over the world. On a trip to New York, he was walking around the park and saw someone with the same camera as him. He approached him, they chatted about photos and he is now one of Brant’s closest friends. From across the country, this friend has helped answer his questions about darkroom and they have nothing else in common except a passion for the medium.

“It's a really small but also tight-knit community and everyone is really nice and really welcoming,” Brant said.

Vitwar said it’s been a solid four or five years of film photography becoming a larger trend, one he predicts will continue to stick around. 

“Some of them I think jumped into it because it was the thing to do and jumped back out because it wasn't their thing,” Vitwar said. “But those who have embraced it. Oh, I don't think they're going anywhere. I think this is it for them. This is how they want to do their art form.”