Film Photography News — September 2019 Recap

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This month’s Letter covers the upcoming changes to the photography industry, lists five events and open submissions, and concludes with a brief focus on social/world issues.

The Future of Photography.

Sales are falling sharply; customers are opting to spend on their mobile devices in favour of yet another sensor upgrade. Have you seen the triple-barrel unit Apple has mounted on their iPhone? It’s now “officially a camera.” You can even get studio-quality portable lights for it.

Could we actually use an iPhone as working photographers? At a wedding? Probably. Still, a glazed brick that looks remarkably similar to everyone else’s isn’t as fun as, say, Vitessa.

Meanwhile, shifting market interests are swinging back at the businesses that banked on the new thing when the film came crashing down.

In other news, a new type of lens, similar to what we’ve got living in our eyes was recently tested. Its flexible design allows shape-shifting, illuminating the need for multiple elements to focus light.

The future of photography is looking wild. Yet film is (stubbornly) intending to be a part of it. Did you know there’s now a way to process Kodachrome? (Link to podcast episode.)

Events and calls for submission: online and offline.

London, UK. The lovely folks at Bright Rooms, the community darkroom in south London, are hosting a print and zine fair with an open call to participants. This event is dedicated to showcasing the works of emerging artists, photographers, and publishers. On the day, expect workshops, a pop-up shop from Film Bros, and free self-publishing consultation from Folium Press.

That’s on Saturday, October 5th 10:30AM until 8PM — details.

Barcelona, Spain. #FilmSwapWorldwide will hold The International Festival on Experimental Photography EXP.20. That’s from January 17th to 19th, 2020 — details.

Film Photo Award from Kodak is now open, taking submissions up to October 15th, 2019 at precisely 11:59PM Mountain Standard Time. The prize is film. Lots of it.

F-Stop Magazine is taking submissions for issue #98. Deadline is November 15th, 2019.

Your photo essays and articles are also welcome on Analog.Cafe, where we’ve been running open submissions continuously for over two years.

Social issues.

Last week I closed Analog.Cafe and my dad’s contractor website for a day in support of Global Climate Strike. It’s no secret that our environment is in terrible shape and our governments are not doing their part.

My recent revelation happened when I moved to Canada after living as an expat in Thailand. After experiencing the profusion of plastic waste in Asia, I expected great things from a wealthy western country. Unfortunately, the recycling industry here isn’t able to deal any better, and the manufacturers are not doing their part when it comes to reducing plastic packaging.

Thankfully, the world is full of decent people working hard on bettering the lives of our children. Kosmo Foto has recently interviewed Serbest Salih, a Syrian photographer who dedicates his time and effort teaching refugee kids how to shoot film.

Serbest’s work is uplifting and relatable. You can contribute to his mission here.