The Loop develops an eye for film photography

The analog approach to taking pictures in making a comeback with more young Edmontonians shooting and developing with film cameras.

This week, The Loop focuses on this growing trend.

Reporter Liam Harrap visits a community in Edmonton creating a home for film photos and CBC reporter Kyle Bakx takes us through the effect the renewed love of film photography is having on the local business scene.

Harrap met up with the Stratus Collective, a group of film photographers in Edmonton that have created a community and space for taking and developing their work in town. Member Alexander Milo shared how he found film photography and about how his passion has grown.

This transcript has been edited for clarity and length.

Alexander Millo: Stratus is kind of a film photography collective, but we’re ultimately a bunch of artists who have come together to revive film and help influence people into shooting films. And these can be just fun photos to be honest.

Liam Harrap: So what got you into film photography?

AM: It looked so nostalgic. And I think a lot of people would agree that when you look at the film, it just feels nostalgic. It’s almost like capturing a memory. For me particularly, I love the way it renders lights. I love the way it has grain and each film stock gives you a different color and look and style, something that doesn’t exist with digital.

LH: How did you discover film?

AM: It was really just seeing all these people shooting on the internet. Film was a much more expensive thing, but it also just captures something you can’t replicate with digital. I think digital focuses a lot on the pixels and how sharp an image is. But the film is really that feeling.

It also really taught me to slow down. Digital is very fast, whereas film really forced me to slow down, take my time and really set up that shot. It was very hard at the beginning because there’s all these manual settings I’m holding a medium format camera. It is a Hasselblad 500CM. It was the brand that was taken for the first moon landing. And I have a Cinestill 50D film roll that shoots 12 photographs with this Hasselblad.

LH: So you’ll only get 12 pictures out of this?

AM: Twelve pictures with this particular one, yes.

LH: In our digital world, does that make you nervous?

AM: Very much yes. Films are extremely expensive, but I don’t think it’s something you can replicate. It’s really unique … but I think with the pressure of how expensive it is, you’re kind of forced to get good at it.