The Analog Revival: Film Photography in Modern Travel Journalism
I remember the weight of my first Contax 645 at a wedding in 2013—that distinctive chunk of German engineering that would become my constant companion through countless "I dos." Back then, shooting film at weddings raised eyebrows. "You're brave," other photographers would say, a polite way of suggesting I was slightly unhinged for trusting once-in-a-lifetime moments to analog capture.
A decade later, my Contax G1 still draws admiring glances, but now for entirely different reasons. The same photographers who questioned my sanity are dropping thousands on film cameras, chasing that ethereal quality that's become the holy grail of modern photography.
The Cyclical Nature of Aesthetic
Here's something they don't tell you about photography trends—they move in perfect circles. I've watched the industry pivot from film to digital, then attempt to recreate film's imperfections through presets and plugins. Every major preset pack promising that elusive "film look" makes me smile. They're chasing something that's been here all along.
My relationship with film began in the darkroom, learning to read negatives like tea leaves. Those early days of professional work—wrestling with reciprocity failure during long exposures, pushing Tri-X to its limits in dimly lit reception venues—taught me more about light than any digital sensor ever could.
The fine art film photography Wedding Years
Shooting weddings on film requires a particular kind of confidence—or perhaps madness. The Contax 645 became my primary camera not because it was trendy, but because nothing else rendered skin tones with such supernatural beauty. That Zeiss 80mm f/2 lens, combined with Fuji 400H (rest in peace, old friend), created images that looked like memories feel.
Those were the days of carrying backup everything—two bodies, multiple backs, enough film to document a small war. Each wedding was an exercise in logistics as much as artistry. But those limitations bred creativity. When you're working with 16 frames per roll, you learn to see differently.
Helpful Tip: The best film education comes from failure. I still have boxes of incorrectly exposed negatives from my first year of professional work—each frame a lesson in humility and technical precision.
The Digital Disruption
The industry's shift to digital was seismic. I watched as seasoned film photographers traded their Hasselblads for DSLRs, chasing the immediacy of digital capture. The weddings got bigger, the shot lists longer, and suddenly everyone was a photographer.
But something was lost in that transition—a certain intentionality, a relationship with time and light that digital cameras don't demand. My Contax stayed in rotation, even as I adapted to the digital age. Some moments simply deserve film.
Recently on trip to Vietnamm– looking through the viewfinder of my Contax g1 in Hanoi's Old Quarter, time seems to slow down. The mechanical click of the shutter becomes a meditation—each frame costs roughly $2 between film and development. This isn't the rapid-fire digital world of Instagram stories. Here, every shot matters.
Film photography transforms travel documentation into something far more profound than mere image capture. In an era of instant gratification and digital perfection, there's a growing movement among travel photographers returning to analog processes, seeking something more tangible, more intentional.
The Modern Revival
Now we're here—2024—and film is experiencing a renaissance. I watch with amusement as photographers discover what some of us never forgot: there's magic in the mechanical. The Contax G1 that's been my street photography companion for years is suddenly commanding prices that make me glad I bought when I did.
The current trend toward film aesthetic isn't just about nostalgia—it's a recognition that something fundamental was lost in the race toward technical perfection. Those subtle halations, the way Portra renders highlights, the grain structure of Tri-X—these aren't imperfections to be corrected but characteristics to be celebrated.
Helpful Tip: For those diving into film now—start with one camera, one lens, one film stock. Master that combination before expanding. The best film photographers I know could shoot an entire wedding with a Contax 645 and digital as backup.
The Technical Romance of Film
The relationship between photographer and film camera demands intimacy that digital simply can't replicate. My first-morning shooting in Vietnam's highlands taught me this lesson thoroughly. The fog was thick, creating ethereal conditions perfect for capturing the terraced rice fields. But with only 12 frames per roll of 120 film, each composition required careful consideration of exposure, knowing that the characteristic fade of Portra 400 film would render those misty mountains in subtle, painterly tones impossible to replicate digitally.
Helpful Tip: When shooting in variable lighting conditions, carry both fast (400-800 ISO) and slow (100 ISO) film stocks. The grain structure of faster films can add atmospheric texture to street scenes, while slower films capture the crisp detail needed for landscape work.
The Art of Deliberate Documentation
Modern travel photography often falls into the trap of quantity over quality. Spend an hour at any tourist hotspot, and you'll witness dozens of tourists machine-gunning hundreds of nearly identical digital shots. Film forces a different approach—one that's simultaneously more thoughtful and more rewarding.
The Dance of Medium Format
The Contax 645 transforms ordinary scenes into cinematic moments. In Kyoto's Gion district, I once spent an entire evening with just three frames left on a roll of Portra 160. The pressure of limitation forced me to really see—to wait for perfect moments rather than spray and pray. When a maiko (apprentice geisha) emerged from a tea house, the 80mm f/2 rendered her with such three-dimensional depth that the final image felt more like a painting than a photograph.
Helpful Tip: The Contax 645's metering can be tricky in contrasty situations. I've learned to overexpose Portra by about 2/3 of a stop—it loves light, and those highlights hold detail beautifully.
Street Level With the contax G1
While the 645 excels at considered compositions, the Contax G1 becomes an extension of my eye in fluid situations. Its autofocus—revolutionary for its time—still nails focus more consistently than many modern digital cameras. Through Bangkok's Chinatown, the 28mm f/2.8 lens captures the chaos while maintaining that distinctive Zeiss micro-contrast that makes images pop.
The Technical Backbone
Understanding these tools intimately transforms the way I approach travel documentation. The 645's waist-level finder forces me to slow down, to compose more thoughtfully. I've found that shooting from hip height often creates more engaging portraits—people feel less confronted, more natural.
Helpful Tip: The Contax 645's infamous sticky shutter issue means I always carry backup batteries and keep the camera wound between shots. Nothing worse than missing a moment to mechanical failure.
Light Metering and Exposure
Those yellowing sodium vapor lamps in Bangkok's Chinatown? They'll fool your camera's built-in meter every time. Learning to read light independently of technology connects you more deeply with your environment. The chrome dials of a vintage light meter become a touchstone, grounding your practice in physics rather than algorithms.
Film Stock Selection
Every film stock tells stories differently. Fuji Pro 400H renders Southeast Asian jungle greens with supernatural vibrancy. Kodak Portra 400 captures the subtle skin tones of portrait subjects with painterly grace. Ilford HP5+ turns Mediterranean midday harsh light into dramatic shadow play.
Helpful Tip: Always carry one roll of black and white film—it forces you to see composition and light rather than being distracted by color, particularly useful in chaotic market scenes or architectural studies.
The Darkroom Connection
Digital workflows often end with a click of the upload button. Film demands more—much more. The physical nature of film creates an archive that future generations can access without worrying about outdated file formats or corrupted hard drives. My contact sheets from assignments become physical maps of experience, telling stories beyond the final selected images.
Breaking from the Digital Deluge
These manual tools create natural boundaries between myself and the instant gratification of digital. Recently in Vietnam, I watched dozens of tourists frantically checking their LCD screens while a stunning sunset painted the sky. Meanwhile, I had to trust my meter, my experience, and my film's latitude. This forced presence leads to better images and, more importantly, richer experiences.
Helpful Tip: When traveling with both the 645 and G1, I keep them loaded with different film stocks—usually color in the 645 for its gorgeous rendering of subtle tones, and black and white in the G1 for its more documentary feel.
The Future of Analog Travel Documentation
As digital technology races forward, film photography's deliberate pace becomes increasingly valuable. It offers a way to slow down, to see more deeply, to create images that feel increasingly rare in their thoughtfulness and technical execution.
This isn't about rejecting digital technology—it's about understanding when analog processes serve the story better. Some moments demand immediate feedback and high ISO capabilities of digital. Others benefit from the film's forced contemplation and unique rendering of light and color.
The future of travel photography lies not in choosing between digital and analog but in understanding how to use both in service of deeper storytelling. Film photography's constraints become creative advantages when approached with intention and technical understanding.
Remember: Every frame costs money and time. This investment transforms casual documentation into considered art, turning travel photography from a reflexive action into a deliberate practice of seeing, feeling, and sharing the world's endless stories.
The Technical Evolution
A decade behind the viewfinder has taught me that technical mastery is just the beginning. Understanding how film stocks respond to different light, knowing when to push process, recognizing which scenes demand which tools—these skills become instinctive.
The Contax system has been my constant through this evolution. The 645 for considered work, the G1 for street photography, each camera teaching its own lessons about light and timing. They're not tools for every photographer—their quirks demand patience, their limitations require understanding.
Looking Forward
The future of film photography isn't about choosing sides in the analog versus digital debate. It's about understanding that these are different tools for different purposes. My Contax cameras capture something that can't be replicated with ones and zeros—a certain quality of light, a relationship with time, a mechanical connection to the craft.
For those just discovering film in 2024—welcome to the party. You're not late; you're right on time. This medium has survived the digital revolution because it offers something timeless: the ability to capture moments with soul.
Remember: Film photography isn't a trend—it's a continuation of a tradition that's been telling stories for over a century. Those of us who kept shooting through the digital transition weren't holding onto the past; we were preserving something precious for the future.