Forgetting Filters-The Return of the Iconic Disposable
In 2020 the photography world is taking us back to basics.
Picture this. It’s the year 1986, you’re having the time of your life out on the town with your clique, ringing in your best friend’s 21st birthday, enjoying drinks and dancing the night away.
Suddenly, as if you have been pulled aside by the paparazzi, you’re forced to pose with your group for a photo. But the device you spot in the hands of your best friend’s boyfriend couldn’t be a camera; it’s too tiny, and it’s made of plastic and cardboard.
Later on, you ask to see the photo on the tiny pixelated screen of the digital camera you were expecting to see.
“You’ll have to wait until the prints get developed. This is my disposable, you should get one,” he says.
Fujifilm took the world by storm in ’86, reintroducing film with its iconic disposable ‘QuickSnap’. Those who loved to capture memories adored the simplicity and convenience of this compact, lightweight camera. With its appeal on immediacy, it wasn’t long until major camera companies Canon and Nikon began to release their own versions of the disposable trend. It was an ode to nostalgia and a great option for those looking for a simple way to capture film photography.
Simply take 28 photos of your greatest days and unforgettable nights, forget about them, then bring your camera in for development and relive the memories with your developed film.
Flash forward to the present day. With the influx of the smartphone, film photography was quickly booted by the immediacy and convenience of social media platforms like Snapchat and Instagram. However, in the year 2020 #nofilter gains new meaning as film and disposable photography resurfaces and becomes a roaring success.
It’s in your purse, it’s on the gram and it may even be scattered across your local city metropolis: the film camera is the latest and greatest technology and it’s here to stay.
“There’s nothing wrong with an iPhone. And there’s nothing wrong with digital photography. But there’s something about film that just makes you wonder because it’s incredible. It’s a piece of history,” says 27-year-old Henry Robison, Indianapolis lawyer by day, and film photographer by night.
“I think film photography is one way, especially with Millennials and Gen Z, to provide a chance to slow down from the instantaneous nature of it all, and to be intentional about photography,” he explained.
Robison is co-curator of the popular online community Drive-by film, presenting a twist on the Instagram selfie obsession by emphasizing film. The page focuses on supporting photographers across the globe showcasing and promoting their work daily. The overarching goal of the page is to bring joy to people’s lives and ultimately show that film is here, it’s alive, and according to Robison, it’s never going away. Robison feels that the reason behind the film photography comeback is digital fatigue.
“I think now more than ever, you have smartphones and social media that present instant gratification, and you’re constantly looking for the newest and brightest thing. it’s tiring. And it’s taxing. People want to break from being bombarded with information and photos all day long,” said Robison
Some young photographers prefer film over digital due to the ability to have a physical copy of an image.
“Film materializes memories, you have something you can physically see and touch,” said 21-year-old Vanessa Ferguson of Richmond Hill Ontario, who frequently takes a trip to her local Walmart to snag the store’s last few disposable cameras.
“It allows you to remember any memory and look back on it which I think is so special. You don’t know how the photos will turn out but when they turn out, they tell a story,” she continued.
he trend has recently become so overwhelmingly popular that disposable cameras have become an exclusive commodity.
“They are so hard to find. Initially, Walmart was the place to get them, until they started getting popular and they would be sold out everywhere,” said 21-year-old Drew Mcwrirter who frequently carries disposable as a way to capture memorable moments.
In a world in which Generation Z-ers and X-ers are so immersed in social media, hiding behind heavy filters and perfecting every shot to create a picture-perfect lifestyle display, film photography allows one to take a step back without interrupting the moment.
“One thing I like about film is that when I go out and I’m taking pictures I try to capture a lot of candids. You know you get your whole group together, you take the image and that’s it, it’s done, there’s no wait I blinked or I looked weird or let’s retake it I don’t like how I looked, ” said Ben Renaud, a 22-year-old film enthusiast from London, Ontario.
“It’s quick, and you’re not on your phones, so it doesn’t end the moment,” he explained. “When you go take a digital or use your phone it becomes an ordeal, you’re taking pictures but if you’re shooting film, you can capture the moment without ending the moment.”
As opposed to a smartphone digital image, where the result is immediate, film photography offers an element of surprise. Images must be sent off for development, taking anywhere from an hour to a few days to get them back in tangible form.
“The wait time takes away the ability to perfect every single aspect of your life, I think that’s so beneficial because it’s capturing a raw organic moment and you can’t alter it and make it seem so picture perfect. I think that’s the beauty of it. It’s so raw and organic. it makes you feel as if you’re reliving that moment as you look through your prints,” said Ferguson.
According to Robison, “it’s like a present every time.”
Some say the trend has become slightly redundant, as many have been taking to social media to create accounts like Drive-by film for the sole purpose of sharing their film and disposable photos online. One of the most notable of the bunch is YouTube sensation David Dobrik (@davidsdisposable). The creator began sharing film photography online back in 2019, showcasing photos of moments with friends, family and even star studded Hollywood moguls like Robert Downey Jr. and Beyonce.
Some believe it is because of stars like David Dobrik who have skyrocketed the disposable trend. Dobrik has since gone one step further by releasing an app under the davidsdisposable name, allowing users to take photos with their smartphones in the style of film photography, and just as one would have to get pictures developed, the app forces users to wait up to a day before they can see the images they captured.
“Even if someone happens to be ‘capitalizing’ on it, or doing it just because they saw someone else do it, I think it helps the film community as a whole. It’s getting people excited about film photography, getting people excited about having that film,” uttered Robison, speaking on the trend itself.
According to Robison, Kodak produced twice the amount of film in 2019 than they did back in 2015. The added demand has encouraged the camera company to think about bringing some film stocks back on shelves as the trend continues to resurface and get increasingly popular amongst society.
Robison added that “even though people may seem to think it’s a fad, I think that added excitement means that everyone’s enjoying it a lot more. I think if we have more film, we have more cameras being talked about, and we have a lot more to be happy about.. especially in 2020, you know?”
Aside from capturing moments of oneself and their friends, many have taken it upon themselves to capture the moments of others on film.
One being Montreal photographer Max Hart Barnwell (@maxhartbarnwell) who curated the Take a Picture project in 2018, scattering disposable cameras across the streets of Toronto and New York for those passing by to use and take a picture.
“Take A Picture is a project idea I came up with during a university class in 2016. The title of this class was “The Other Life of The Photograph” leading me to rethink my photographic process and to distance myself from looking through the lens and capturing what I see,” said Barnwell
Street photography had always been his focus. He wanted to maintain that same essence while changing the approach.
So he asked himself, “Why not give the camera to the streets?”
And so he did. He scattered the disposables.
“To my surprise, people often had the instinct to turn the camera towards themselves revealing their identity and taking a picture that could potentially be labelled as a selfie, but a much more genuine one. A self-portrait that is unfiltered nor edited and free from instantaneous judgement. The results are candid and raw displaying beauty within diversity.” said Barnwell
While it may take some time before you can be out on the town, enjoying drinks and dancing the night away, disposable and film photography is a great way to make the memories you capture more tangible. Whether you’re walking through the city metropolis and you find a mysterious camera urging you to take a picture, or you’re attending your socially distanced gathering, take a step back from the immediate Instagram selfie you may be used to and take a candid film photo with your retro Fujifilm Quicksnap.
When your friend asks “Are you posting that on your Instagram?”
Simply reply with “No, you’ll have to wait to see the prints. It’s 2020, #nofilter has a whole new meaning.”
Left wanting more?
Check out the featured creators!
Max HartBarnwell : www.maxhartbarnwell.com ; instagram.com/maxhartbarnwell
Henry Robison: instagram.com/henrytheninth ; instagram.com/drivebyfilm
