"It is a whole culture," Mr Tate said."Nowadays, with the whole resurgence, it's a niche thing that is cool and there's a whole culture around it."Blake Tate says film rolls can be expensive, but it did not disuade hobbyists."It's weird, but people love that it takes so long and that it's way more difficult than digital. They love what's involved and that's what's keeps it interesting," he said.
"It's something that's hard to replicate authentically with digital gear, which is why it's still popular.""It's actually been so good for my mental health, sitting there focusing on something … being hands-on, touching the film, feeling it," he said."The rawness and being able to slow down, that was a huge one for me."Kodak filed for bankruptcy in 2012 after 130 years in business. It had not embraced modern digital technologies.
I still have a few film cameras. One or two very old ones. Others are new retro designs. You can buy lenses that will give an old school effect on your digital camera.
There’s a film vending machine opposite Coles in Perth CBD. It’s funny the things people get nostalgic about. Sending images to get drum-scanned used to be a regular part of my work day.