There’s a strange moment happening in photography right now.
Film prices keep rising. Labs are more expensive than ever. Even the cheapest plastic point-and-shoot from the 90s is suddenly treated like a sacred relic touched by Henri Cartier-Bresson himself. Cameras that used to sit forgotten in flea markets are now sold online with cinematic lighting and the word rare in the title, usually at absurd prices.
And yet, more people than ever want to shoot film.
So the question appears naturally:
Is analogue photography still worth it?
I think the answer depends entirely on how honest you are with yourself.
For years, film photography has been surrounded by a certain mythology. People often describe it as a purer form of photography. A slower process. A more conscious way of creating images. Some even frame it as resistance against modern technology, especially now in an era dominated by AI-generated images, algorithms, endless scrolling, and hyper-digital aesthetics.
But if I’m honest, I think many of those arguments are exaggerated.
Most people are not shooting film because it makes them better photographers.
Most people are there because they like how it looks.
And honestly? That’s perfectly fine.
The grain, the colors, the imperfections, the softness, the highlights, the accidental mistakes, the nostalgia… all of it creates an aesthetic language that digital still struggles to replicate naturally. Some people fall in love with the emotional texture of film. Others simply enjoy the trend around it. Some want the experience. Some want the look. Some just want to carry a camera that feels alive.
I’ve taken plenty of terrible photos on film myself. Truly terrible ones.
Film does not magically transform someone into a thoughtful artist. A roll of Kodak won’t suddenly inject meaning into an empty image. Sometimes people romanticize analogue photography while producing the same careless photographs they would have taken digitally, just with grain added on top.
And again, that’s okay.
Photography has always contained a huge amount of experimentation, failure, vanity, obsession, trend-following, collecting, nostalgia, and personal pleasure. Film is not morally superior to digital. It is simply another medium with its own physicality and emotional appeal.
Personally, I still shoot film for two main reasons: aesthetics and experience.
I genuinely love how film renders the world. But I also love the tactile aspect of analogue cameras. The sensation of advancing the film lever. The sound of rewinding a roll. Looking down into a waist-level finder on a TLR. Focusing differently.
There is something beautiful about interacting with a mechanical object that was designed decades ago and still functions perfectly today.
I’m also deeply interested in camera history. One of the oldest cameras I’ve personally shot with is a Kodak Brownie No. 2, and using it felt less like operating a tool and more like touching a fragment of photographic history.
But none of this means film is objectively “worth it.”
Art rarely works that way.
Painting is expensive. Music equipment is expensive. Printing books is expensive. Darkroom chemistry is expensive. Creative practices often require money, time, space, patience, and access. Analogue photography is no different. In many ways, it has become a privilege.
So maybe the real question isn’t whether film photography is worth it universally.
Maybe the better question is:
Is it worth it for you?
If shooting film genuinely excites you, inspires you, motivates you to go outside and create images, helps you connect with photography, or simply makes you happy, then yes, it’s worth it.
If you have some extra money to feed a hobby that brings you joy, why not?
Just don’t lie to yourself about the reasons.
You don’t need to pretend film makes you spiritually superior. You don’t need to frame yourself as a guardian of “real photography.” You don’t need to romanticize suffering, slowness, or imperfection to justify enjoying analogue cameras.
Sometimes the honest answer is simply:
“I like how it looks.”
“I enjoy the process.”
“I think it’s fun.”
And honestly, that’s more than enough.
