People are always predicting the end of things. Books, analogue cameras, the world. Companies go bust, books turn into pixels, people raise up their arms in despair.
This isn’t the end, of course. There will always be people wanting psychical books, film, albums recorded onto tape. And as long as there is a demand there will be a product.
More and more photographers are going back to 35mm and photo labs in London are processing between ‘10 per cent and 15 per cent more traditional pictures than a year ago’ with ‘traditional film outstripping digital prints by a ration of 25 to one’.
This reminded me of a few documentaries I have seen recently on YouTube, particularly this one of Weegee narrating over a set of his photographs.
What really touched me was the way he ended the video. In a thick New York accent he urges the viewer to stop photographing friends. He says, “Go out and photograph strangers. I know you’re afraid to do it at first, I was scared stiff myself, but you have to do it.” And it’s true, you do.
