Analog.Cafe Turns 5! 🎈

A lot has changed since the first post went live on this website in 2017:

Kodak resurrected their line of premium slide emulsion, Ektachrome. Fujifilm brought back the legendary black and white film, Neopan Acros — only months after discontinuing Natura 1600. Many more films got cut, whereas some have morphed into new products, like the CineStill 400D and Santa Color. Adox took on the risk of producing new, original colour film chemistry — so did Lomography and ORWO. Meanwhile, hundreds of smaller manufacturers and individuals launched films of various origins, cameras, lenses, and photography projects.

For a creative medium that most strangers consider extinct, film shows clear signs of life. Yet there’s more to come.

All along, Analog.Cafe grew steadily to deliver over 400 articles, essays, apps, and learning resources — free and ad-free for all to enjoy. This could never happen without the help of 116 contributing writers and film photographers who agreed to share their vision and intellectual property on this blog.

A huge “Thank you!” and a round of applause to all who contributed content, financial support, and feedback to the Analog.Cafe project.

👏👏👏🙌🥳‼️

I got taken aback earlier this year when I learned that this blog is about to turn five. A new post each week (or more) — like clockwork — and no plans to alter the schedule.

Analog.Cafe launched in Thailand as a collaboration with Banana Coding. A year later, my wife and I packed our stuff and left our Southeast Asian home of five years to live in Canada. I swapped my entrepreneur life for a developer position, we got acquired, and I became a full-time code monkey at WebMD. COVID happened, George Floyd, and then the war. A few of my friends got married, we moved a few times, and we got dogs and a car to drive them to their favourite hiking spots. Meanwhile, my collection of cameras grew, and the articles on this website reflected that, as well as many other parts of my life, personality, and ideals.

The future of Analog.Cafe.

I love this website. I’ve dedicated more time to designing, building, and optimizing Analog.Cafe than any blogger I know. I am grateful for everything it’s become over the years. And I’ve got plans to make it a little bigger.

This, of course, means more reviews, guides, essays, and books.

But no ads: I don’t like the visuals, I think they are unfair to the writers and our work, and I am not happy with how the vendors swoop in to collect the readers’ private data for later resale.

Instead, I am looking to introduce premium content and apps for film photographers to help subsidize Analog.Cafe’s growth over the next five years.

I promise to keep the bulk of this site free while providing real value for those who opt for a paid membership with film-dedicated image manipulation tools, advanced photography lessons, and, of course, lots of film, cameras, and swag at the store.

One last thing: Analog.Cafe will soon become more social with an in-house commenting tool that’s been a long time coming.

Here’s to another five! ☕️