Hey all, Erik here with a quick guest post about a subject that’s raised a lively debate in our studio. Everyone on our crew has long been shooting with Polaroids, rangefinders, micro 4/3 cameras adapted to accept vintage lenses…even processing digital images to look like they came out of an old dusty camera. Surveying the landscape, it’s clear this tide has been rising for a while now and we’re not the only ones attached to this stuff. So the question I present to you is this:
Why is retro or faux-retro photography so popular these days?
Why, when we have such capable and inexpensive cameras at our disposal, are we reverting to old technology and old aesthetics? Is it pure nostalgia? Is it a palette cleanser from the ease and accuracy of said capable and inexpensive cameras? Is it a passing trend? We have opinions–especially Chase does as you might expect–but we’d like to hear from you.
Legitimate vintage photos taken with legitimate vintage cameras are awesome. I think that with photoshop, “vintage” actions so readily available that it has cheapened the effect a lot. It can be done tastefully, but it is hard to find a photographer that actually does. And I feel like it is a passing trend that many photographers wil regret over time, unless they retain the originals.
I am an old guy, still learning i love digital it gives me the flexibility i need, i take field hockey photos, and fast action shots. Altho i have started to take facial shots and some behind the seines shots on the making of music videos, and club and concert shots. So mistakes are easy to fix or delete, i love my digital but need a new one and new glass!!**
Old School – The Best School!
I think its different things to different people at different times.
When I use something like instagram its cause its quick, fun and I can share intuitively. I myself dont get too wrapped up in the effects, and dont have much interest in doing a ton of processing on my mobile device. But some people do and thats cool.
However, when I shoot with my vintage cameras (I currently use a Conler Jr. from 1913-1920, a Mamiya C330 and a Bush Pressman 5×4 press camera) its about getting into the organic act of photography. I shoot a lot of digital too, as thats what I started on, and had never shot film until last November. Shooting with film makes you slow down. Zack Arias said something about every exposure costing money, so you pay more attention.
The other thing I really like, as a gadget lover, is how mechanical old cameras are. Gears and springs just feel more real then firmware updates and button combos. All the actions are “decoupled”. With a digital, or even modern film camera, you just hit the shutter, sometimes change your settings, then hit it again. With an old camera, you cock the shutter, compose the shot, focus, close the shutter, set exposure, load your film holder, take out the dark slide, and click. It has helped my digital photography immensley knowing what is happening in my more automatic cameras.
I dont think its always better, but it is a hell of a lot of fun.
I’m with you on the feel of old cameras-nothing feels like my medium format in my hands and nothing sounds like that shutter. I’m still a Tri-X shooter, and since Kodachrome is gone I’ve embraced Portra. I still use a darkroom but I like digital output too. I love that people have embraced the Holga and Lomos. It’s liberating when all you think about is responding to what you see in the viewfinder.
For young bucks like me, it’s because I haven’t ever shot with that kind of gear before! To me, there is a certain caché that goes with vintage these days. Muscle cars are back in. 60’s summer dresses are back in. An old 4×5 camera. It evokes nostalgia, back to a time when…all I’ve known of it is movies and photos. I enjoy it, and will continue to ride this tide as you put it–it looks different than today.