Magic of analogue film winning back growing numbers

Baby Ester's first moments were captured by her father using an analogue camera.

Photographing the birth of their first child was a no-brainer for Francis Sanders and his wife Naomi, as was their decision to use film.

"There wasn't even a conversation about it, we were just going to do it on film," said Francis.

"It gives that nostalgic effect and a sort of magic and character that you can't characterise with digital photography... you get photos that just have more feeling in them."

Francis, 34, is one of what appears to be a growing number of people embracing this more traditional method of photography.

On Instagram more than 44 million photos are listed under the hashtag #FilmPhotography.

Last year a study from research company Cognitive Market Research said the global film camera market value was set to reach some £303m by 2030, up from £223.2m in 2023.

Kodak, which produces film and cameras, said its film finishing department was currently running around the clock to keep up with demand.

Harman Technology, which makes ILFORD film, said it had seen a significant rise in the use of film over the past decade and recently announced a multi-million pound investment to ensure it could continue to meet demand.

Francis, who works as an eye surgeon, inherited film cameras from his father when he died in 2007.

But it wasn't until 2020 that he decided to have a go at using them himself and was pleased to discover a roll containing photos his dad had taken on a family trip the year before he died.

He began using the cameras to take photographs of family holidays and events and quickly became a fan of analogue film photography.

"It's that anticipation, the unknown and you don't have to worry about taking the perfect shot," he said.

On the day of his wife's elective caesarean section he was put in charge of the playlist and photography.

"I chose deliberately to shoot with a more automated camera to make life a lot easier," he said.

"I wanted to finish the roll so I just hammered it and it was great."

Shooting on film, Francis had no idea if he had managed to successfully capture the precious moments.

He took the camera roll to Ethan Fowler, a photographer who runs a photo lab from his home in Newport.

When he went to collect the black and white images he was left feeling both relieved and moved.

"That initial moment of seeing our first child for the very first time, we'll never lose that now," said Francis.

"Just knowing that it actually worked as well was just a thrill."

But film photography doesn't always go to plan.

In the three months since his daughter was born Francis has taken two other rolls of film to Ethan expecting images of his daughter only to discover they were blank.

"I don't tend to worry about that stuff too much because what will be will be," laughed Francis.

"I save my stress for work."

Ethan had been developing his own photos at home for some time before he set up Newport Film Lab after spotting a resurgence in film photography.

"It's a bit like vinyl, it is making a comeback," said the 27-year-old.

"It's like fashion as well, things do end up doing a complete cycle."

Working with film also takes him back to his childhood and the trips he would make to Boots to get photos developed with his grandmother.

"I remember those feelings of waiting to see pictures and the anticipation," he said.

"You'd have to wait a couple of weeks to get them back and there was a buzz because you didn't always remember what you'd taken."

These days he enjoys being able to create that anticipation for others, like Carol Hughes from Abergavenny.

Carol, 68, contacted Ethan after finding an old roll of film that had belonged to her late mother.

It had been in the back of a drawer for at least 40 years and she had no idea what was on it.

She was thrilled to discover photos of her late father, her brother and sister-in-law at home on their family farm with a litter of puppies.

"We were really pleased to find photos of family that we didn't know existed," she said.

"It was a trip down memory lane."

Ethan said he couldn't see people's love for film photography fading any time soon.

"It's the imperfections - the dust, the scratches just add character," he said.

"It captures emotion so well."

He is never happier than when in his darkroom.

"It's the water running, the chemistry, the smells," he said.

"And you're the first person to see the film and the pictures after development and that's really special."