I’m off to a talk at my pro-lab–Aitkens Technicolour —on the state of film, namely:
Is film still an option?
Can you get the look and feel of film using digital?
How do the megapixels equate?
Why is film use growing?
Most of the people who turn up to these talks are commercial (ie., wedding) photographers. I’m usually the odd one out. There are few amateurs, hobbyists or art photographers present.
Update
Nothing much came out of the talk. What I discerned was that the commercial photographers felt threatened and were on the defensive. They have switched from film to digital because of the economics.However their business (cash flow) is being squeezed. PR companies can provide images for free,instead of commissioning a photographer. Everyone can take digital photos these days . Digital has meant that their identity has gone. They are no longer looked up to as professionals.
They didn’t talk about their personal work—they don’t do any? Only the “hobbyists” on Flickr do that. I was the only one present who was shooting 5×4 sheet film. Wow!, was the response.