Analog Forever

Analog Forever is an annual magazine that collects works, stories, and interviews of select film photographers. It is a well-put-together, superbly designed, and meticulously curated publication that undoubtedly gives film photography a good name.

The magazine is fairly priced at $30 for around 150 pages of quality colour print though the shipping, being $20 to Canada, adds a bit of a strain on the wallet. Still, I found it worth every penny.

The paper and inks are photobook quality. Perfect-bound, ~100lb cover with coated pages around 30lb. Printed in California. There are no frills in this package — no extra-fancy coatings, no intricate paper folding techniques, and no hand-binding. Not that’s needed, considering the content of the reviewed edition of Analog Forever magazine is undeniably outstanding.

Edition 2 tackles a variety of themes, from philosophy to addiction, mental health, gender, and cultural perceptions, with the focus always set on the artist being interviewed or telling the story. The photography is so good that you may be excused never to have read a word (though you should) — the images alone are captivating enough to keep even the skeptics mesmerized.

Analog Forever’s focus is art and photographers. Though there are odd ads, I counted four that focus on photography equipment, like CineStill and CatLabs; the entirety of the issue is focused on making and appreciating images with a minimal amount of technique or industry news discussed. If that’s what you desire, Silvergrain Classis is probably a better choice for you.

My only criticism for the issue is the packaging — a simple plastic wrap — which I think can be improved with a cardboard sleeve. Other than that, it’s a perfect table book, made by a small team of people who truly care about the art and aren’t afraid to say no to submissions that do not fit well with their perfectionist view of a truly inspiring publication.