The Future Of Film Photography Culture In the UAE

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by Sophie She

The Future Of Film Photography Culture In the UAE

19 Jun 2024

We all have seen these cute Kodak vending machines with “point and shoot” one-time cameras at the 2024 Bred Festival or Alserkal Avenue in Gulf Photo. But with all that modern technology can offer, how did humanity become so obsessed with stylish film cameras? Let’s explore.

Brief History

The Rise of Film took place at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries. First, Dry Plates came around in 1871. Richard Leach Maddox introduced dry gelatin plates, which were more convenient than the wet collodion process and could be stored for a longer time before use.

Then Roll Film took over in 1889, when George Eastman revolutionised photography with the introduction of flexible roll film and the Kodak camera, making photography accessible to the general public. The slogan "You press the button, we do the rest" captured this democratisation.

Finally, the 35mm Film emerged in 1925 and remained a hit since then. The Leica I, the first commercially successful 35mm camera, was introduced by Oskar Barnack of Leitz, standardising the 35mm film format that became popular for both still photography and motion pictures.

The Golden Age of Film Photography (1930s–1980s) marked important inventions like Colour Film (1935) — Kodachrome, the first successful colour film, was introduced by Kodak, offering vibrant and stable colours.

Later in 1948, Edwin Land invented the Polaroid instant camera and Instant Photography marked its beginning, allowing users to develop photographs within minutes of taking them.

Single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras became popular in the 1950s–1960s, providing photographers with greater control over their compositions and focus.

And then, with the rise of Digital Photography and technological advancement in the 1990s, began to overshadow traditional film photography due to the convenience and instant results of digital imaging.

Modern Trends

Despite the decline of interest after digitisation came on board, in recent years, there has been a resurgence of curiosity in film photography, driven by a desire for the tactile and aesthetic qualities of film, as well as a counterculture reaction to the ubiquity of digital images. New companies have emerged to produce film, and old brands have reintroduced classic film stocks.

But why, if the digital exists? To investigate, we have asked for a commentary from one of the photographers in the Dubai event landscape, Fedya Ronzhin, a reportage photographer (but we call him Fed).

“In the last couple of years, interest in film photography has waned compared to the blast of film photos three years ago. The fluctuating interest in film is due to the desire to get away from the typical photography of our days, such as iPhone photos and digital.

From what I hear and see on the market, the initial interest in film was driven by this desire to differentiate, and that is why we saw a surge of interest in film photography three years ago. A year of intense popularity was followed by two years of people realising that film photography is inherently complex.

Even though, in the modern world, we were able to optimise the whole photo development process, film pictures don’t produce immediate interesting results without knowledge and patience. You have to have the infrastructure to get the results.

To be fair, for interesting results in film photography, people need to spend a huge amount of time and be super knowledgeable in many aspects. But nowadays, everyone is running, and no one has time to be patient and knowledgeable about one’s hobby, so the interest dropped quickly, and today we can see influencers loving old digital cameras that we used to call soap boxes.”

Photo: Fedya Ro

Respectively to Fed, in order for you to make a golden film photograph, you have to:

1. Buy good quality film that actually costs money.

2. Store this good-quality film in good-quality conditions (you are supposed to store film reels in the fridge).

3. Then, the most important thing is to scan and develop the photo correctly on good scanners and with the right technicians. He notes that different scanners will give you polar results, and it is crucial to find excellent quality machinery for good pictures.

4. Last but not least, one has to know how to alter and edit the final image for film to give you the best possible results.

“I love film photography as I believe film gives you better, more lively results in comparison to digital images. Simply because the size of the film is greater than the size of the sensor on modern cameras. But here the challenge is to find your guy for development,” says Fed. So, here he recommended only one name — Lab Al Awal, film development and scanning lab in Dubai.

Photo: @lyutovich.kostya

Initially a boutique scan and development laboratory for photo professionals, Lab Al Awal now serves the needs of every photo enthusiast. After Fed recommended it, we couldn’t resist chatting with Simon Kurkov, the founding partner at Lab Al Awal.

— Why did you open a lab in Dubai?

— After moving to Dubai, I met other film photographers, and we agreed that there was no place in the city to develop and scan photos for advanced amateurs and professionals, no place that would provide predictable and consistent results within a rapid timeframe. For almost a year, the lab worked in a closed-boutique format as a place for developing and scanning only for a few very demanding photographers. Over time, we decided that we could be of use to other film photography enthusiasts, both beginners and those with many years of experience, and we decided to open our doors to all comers. We named ourselves Lab al Awal in a bid to be the first in film photography in Dubai and the whole region.

— Do you see interest in film photography culture these days?

— Like in many cities around the world, film photography is making a comeback in terms of culture and art. Shooting on film is becoming fashionable. The culture of shooting on digital cameras for 20 years has become quite boring for photographers. Many people switch to film not only for a more lively and interesting result but also for detoxification from digital photography, which, with all its simplicity and accessibility, has many disadvantages. Death of this magic of waiting to develop and understand whether it worked or not is less of a creative component, as nowadays, the customer manages a professional photographer. They no longer decide how to shoot; they just fulfill the instructions. Perhaps it is convenient, but it is not about creativity — it kills the chance to create a miracle.

Photo: 13slvsl (colour — Mamiya RZ67, Kodak Gold 200; black and white — Mamiya 7ii (120), ilford Delta 100)

— Do you also see the interest in this culture developing in our region?

— Yes, I see a huge interest in film photography among Dubai locals and visitors. Enquiries, orders, congratulations on the opening of the darkroom and other messages from people from across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman and the GCC countries. People request to digitise their family or professional archives, send us their films to be developed, and come in asking for help to switch from digital to film photography.

My team and I are always there to help with anything — which camera to choose, what film to shoot on, and other technical and creative queries. There are clients who like photos that are published in our profile, and they ask either to contact the author or to recommend a photographer who could shoot them on film as well.

I love all such questions about our published materials as I believe this is one of the best ways to promote film photography and grow this culture in the region and the world as a whole.

— Do you think film culture will live forever? Why?

— The answer to this question has become part of our lab's philosophy, around which other film photography enthusiasts have rallied. The problem is that digital photography technology has reached extraordinary heights these days, allowing for incredibly sharp and detailed images that were previously unimaginable. Every pixel can be captured with precision, creating almost clinically perfect images.

But in this pursuit of technical perfection, something elusive is often lost — the "spark of life" as we call it. It is this spark that gives photography its soul and character. In our opinion, film photography brings life back into photography. Unlike the sterile perfection of digital images, film infuses images with a unique warmth and authenticity.

The small imperfections, the graininess and the way light plays on film all contribute to a sense of depth and emotion that digital photography often fails to replicate. Film photography has a magical, unpredictable quality of rawness and realism that gives the art of photography back its artistic heart.

Plus, film photography offers a tactile, physical connection to memories that digital photography often lacks. When you shoot on film, you create something you can hold in your hands — a printed photograph, not just a file on a screen. And these physical prints of things that exist in the world of things turn into precious memories that you can pass on to your grandchildren!

Of course, nothing is eternal. There is the cyclical nature of life. Digital and film photography are not really replacing each other — they are just different in their unique ways of expressing themselves.

I saw the statistics on the films shown at Cannes this year, broken down by the cameras they were shot on — more than a quarter of all were film cameras. Despite the complexity of the process, people continue to shoot on film. In my opinion, if you want to make a real masterpiece for centuries — only film, otherwise the magic is lost.

Photo: Maxim Marmur (Harman Ilford FP4, Leica MP (135))

— What scanners do you have, and what is your favourite?

— We use only the best equipment, including unique scanners that no other lab in the UAE has. Right now, the lab mainly runs on three items of scanners:

— Noritsu — Inline scanner for quick results/previews. Enough to use as final scans for the Internet and digitisation of personal archives. Budget-friendly and fast.

— Imacon (Hasselblad) X5 — The most advanced of the professional High-end film scanners. Uncompromising scans of very high quality, for printing large prints in polygraphic quality. The main purpose is scanning the final selection of work for Galleries, Outdoor Advertising, Prints, Magazines and Books. Excellent colours and very high sharpness. Very fast and quite expensive, but reasonable if you scan only clean final selected frames.

— 4Kodak Creo IQSmart 3 — Legendary professional flatbed scanner with amazing colours, sharpness and a lot of other advantages. Optimal for making Contact Scans, high-resolution single frame scans, opaque originals / Hand Prints, drawings, lithographs and other images. When scanning from film, the colours are very similar to hand prints.

— What is your favourite way of developing photographs?

— As I was told by our photography teacher in 1998 on my photography course — if you want to develop a photo well, then develop by yourself, by hand, in the kitchen, on a Jobo (the most famous manufacturer of developer machines for domestic and laboratory use). That is exactly how we approach everything — personally.

— How fast are the photos developed in your lab?

— Nowadays, we guarantee development and scanning within 24 hours, but in reality, for example, with the most popular process C-41 (for colour negative photos), we send our customers links to download their photos within 3–6 working hours. And can you imagine before we opened it usually took people no less than a week?

— How long has the studio been in existence and how many photos have been processed in all that time?

— We opened for everyone and developed the first film in December 2023. Now we have over 2000 films developed. Within my professional life over 20,000 films of various types have passed through my hands, and I believe we will be able to add tens of thousands more in the UAE. The current load is just the beginning!

— Is there a formula for a successful film photo?

— A photo taken on fresh (or properly stored and transported) film with a clear sensitivity, properly exposed, developed and scanned.

Film photography has significantly impacted both art and society, shaping how we document and perceive the world. From its early experimental stages to its heyday in the 20th century and its modern-day revival, film photography remains a beloved medium for its unique characteristics and nostalgic charm.

The last question to answer in this small exploration of the film photography culture would be: Is the spark-full and lively film photographs worth people preserving the technique and infrastructure for it within centuries? What do you think?

by Sophie She