4 Ways to Save Money in Film Photography

Practical hacks for the film shooters

If you’re anything like me, the satisfaction of firing the shutter and advancing the film in your favorite film camera is merely unrivaled by any digital camera, no matter how top of the line it may be.

For several years, film shooters have been getting away with cost-effective steals by continuing to shoot film. Heck, three years ago, I could walk into a thrift store on any given day of the week and find a quality 35mm slr camera. In fact, in 2017, I purchased five Canon AE-1 Program cameras for under $40 and managed to flip them on eBay for superior profit margins. Sadly, those days are over now.

Not only have the cost of film cameras gone up in thrift stores, online, and at garage sales of all places, but the cost of film rolls have also skyrocketed in 2020. In January, all Kodak products rose thirty percent in price. Why do you ask?

Well, the secret got out. Film shooters around the world started sharing the joys of shooting analog. Whether it was a catchy hashtag on Instagram, or your favorite Youtuber singing the gospel of their newly acquired Contax G2, word got out.

I had a field day when I switched over to primarily doing film photography. I became a film camera collector overnight, and a through and through #staypoorshootfilm…