Ilford Press Room: The Future of Film Photography 14th May 2007
Comment on the future of film by Howard Hopwood, marketing director of Ilford Photo.
Over recent times, the demand and usage of both digital and film-based imaging have settled into more discernable levels, with film very much holding its own. Howard Hopwood, marketing director of black-and-white photographic materials
manufacturer ILFORD PHOTO, sees a very positive future
for the traditional medium.
The Future Of Film
Although the mainstream digital imaging manufacturers and suppliers seemed to have ceased their alarmist, some would say desperate, predictions of a speedy demise for film-based photography, it is obvious that the market mix of media has continued to change dramatically.
Film, the wonder of the photographic age, survived numerous incursions over recent decades as digital has done battle to hold the high ground in the field of image capture. Now that the extremist conflict has abated, just about everyone involved in photography recognizes that both film and digital have established individual strongholds while also working together in many instances to provide the best of both worlds.
Those strongholds are not fixed, however, as market and technological advances ensure that developments in both fields constantly move their relationship with each other. As colour photography has become more versatile, and the films more stable over the last half-century, black-and-white photography has become a specialist and much sought-after application in the field of creative imaging, capitalising on its ability to produce subtlety in contrast and tonal quality which colour photography has never been able to replicate.
Ironically, it has been in recognizing its true positioning in today’s marketplace that has enabled black-and-white photography and its associated products and services to carve a defined niche for itself. Fortunately, for those who prefer the purity and textural quality of monochrome, this niche remains vibrant, and is clearly of sufficient interest to support a large and increasingly viable sector of the imaging industry.
Most photographic film, paper and chemistry manufacturers have been involved in the black-and-white sector at one time or another, but many dropped out as the popular market declined, leaving ILFORD PHOTO as the world’s leading manufacturer of this genre.
The company does not, though, take anything for granted. A great deal of research and development has been, and continues to be, invested in not just maintaining the status quo of black-and-white film, but in taking it further to meet ever-increasing demands from its dedicated customers around the world for greater flexibility of application to enable them to face the challenges of an integrated and constantly advancing technological market.
Because of this ongoing innovation, the global belief is that film will not disappear – indeed, it is already enjoying a renaissance – although the rate of consumption will maintain at moderate levels compared to its ‘golden age’. It will be less popular with amateur photographers en masse, though a strong band of enthusiasts and professionals around the world still prefer to use film and analogue processing.
The sale of all formats of film has been stable for the last 9 to 12 months, though the brand mix has been undergoing some noticeable shifts. Agfa Photo and Konica films are no longer available, and the statements made by Kodak are causing concern amongst users of black-and-white film. All of these factors have strengthened |LFORD PHOTO’s resolve to continue to not only serve, but to also develop, the market for premium quality black-and-white films.
An ILFORD PHOTO equivalents list for Kodak, Agfa and Forte products is available on the ilfordphoto.com website.
An indicator of ILFORD PHOTO’s commitment to its customers is its willingness to provide products which manufacturers catering to the mass markets would not even consider due to their relatively low demand. A good example of this attitude can be seen in ILFORD SFX 200 film which is an extended red sensitivity product.
This line was discontinued during ILFORD PHOTO’s restructuring in 2005. However, the company has been receiving numerous requests for its SFX 200 to be re-introduced, and so has been looking at ways of producing a small quantity of the product once or twice a year to meet the needs of those seeking it. A route to achieve this was created, and the film was recently re-introduced worldwide.
The infrastructure required to ensure that the black-and-white market thrives is clearly very important to ILFORD PHOTO. To provide support for non-professional photographers using black-and-white film, the company has established a process and print service in the UK, which has been very successful and ensures that real black-and-white photography, black-and-white films printed on black-and-white photographic paper, continues to be available.
In addition to using ILFORD PHOTO’s prepaid processing services, there are still a number of enthusiasts and photography students who process their own films and print in their own darkrooms. There are also hire darkrooms available, and ILFORD PHOTO is gradually making a list of the available facilities on its website (www.ilfordphoto.com).
As for professional photographers, there is still a good number of high quality professional labs offering excellent film processing and printing, including toning, etc, for those who do not operate darkrooms.
Given all of which, there is every reason to view the future of film with optimism, albeit on a different scale to that which it enjoyed just a few years back. Now that the industry has recognised that rather than competing for market share, digital and film have each settled into their separate, though often complementary, niches, they can be viewed as parallel markets.
As far as anyone can anticipate future market trends, it seems that film in general will be with us for some time yet, with black-and-white maintaining its own dedicated following.
rebus project