As a veteran of an anlogue film camera photographer, my first personal owned camera is a Nikon FM2 film camera with 3 manuel lens: 24mm, 50mm and 85mm-200mm. Shooting film demanded patience, precision, and intention. Every roll had 36 exposures. Every frame mattered.
When people talk about “vintage film style,” they often think of black and white images with heavy grain. Others imagine the surreal colors created by cross processing, where negative film is developed in slide chemicals, or the reverse. The results can be unpredictable, dramatic, even beautifully imperfect.
But to me, vintage film style is not simply about grain or unusual color shifts.
There is no absolute good or bad between a clean, sharp, high resolution image and one that is soft with visible texture. What truly matters is how we use our skills to reveal the essence of a single photograph.
The idea of vintage film style has resurfaced many times. I remember around 2007 when it became popular again. At that time, digital cameras were still limited in resolution and low light performance. JPEG files created instant results but often lacked depth compared to RAW files that required careful post production. Many photographers began introducing film inspired tones and textures to bring character back into their images. Today we live in a different era. Cameras produce extremely high resolution files. AI can generate images that look hyper real or surreal. And once again, vintage film style has returned.
I have lived through both the analog and digital worlds. I have used Photoshop since its early single digit versions. I understand how digital manipulation can sometimes distract a creator from the true essence of photography, which is capturing the moment and using composition to tell a story.
I also understand the strange feeling of seeing an AI generated portrait that is technically perfect but somehow missing spirit. Still, cameras and software are tools. For a photographer who captures once in a lifetime memories, tools matter. Personally, I prefer to capture the highest quality image possible with correct exposure in the moment. A strong original file gives me the flexibility to shape the mood later if needed. Vintage style, for me, is one way to guide the viewer’s attention toward the emotional purpose of the image.
In the analog world, choices were permanent. If I loaded black and white film, the entire roll was black and white. If I wanted cross processing, the whole roll carried that look. Thirty six frames shared the same treatment, whether it suited every image or not. Digital photography gives me freedom. Each image can be treated individually based on the story it carries. Nothing needs to be sacrificed. In the end, vintage style is not about copying the past. It is about intention. It is about using texture, tone, and light to support the emotional truth of a photograph.
