If you’re anything like me, your parents had albums and albums filled to the brim with photos that were sitting in a dark corner collecting dust.

I used to think “Why would you take hundreds of photos and only look at them once every two years? Also why do you have photo of a person you met once 30 years ago?”.

With the influx of digital cameras and phones, film cameras were tossed to the side….or so I thought. 

I recently found myself down a rabbit hole on TikTok (my classic Friday night) where people were showing their photo dumps that were taken with film or disposable cameras. It’s no secret that the 90s/early 2000’s is making a comeback so it makes sense that the film and disposable cameras have made their way back too.

Whilst you can get thousands of filters on a phone for your shots, it’s hard to recreate the grainy, moody vibes of photos on film.

So why are they making a comeback? Here are my thoughts:

1. Unique

These photos are one of a kind making them valuable treasured memories. No two photos are the same. 

2. Aesthetic

Cottage Core, 90’s Core, Grunge Core anyone? The grainy low-light aesthetic is very on brand right now and can add ‘a little bit of spice’ to your photos.

3. Simplicity

Point and click. That’s literally it. You don’t have to worry about filters, aperture, or playing around with random dials hoping for the best. Anyone can use a basic film or disposable camera.

4. Creativity

Being able to see how light, focus and movement affects your photos without the auto-adjustment of a phone camera, gives you more flexibility in being creative while you shoot. Plus, double exposure looks awesome!

5. The Experience

It’s a genuine experience to pick the right film, load it in, being present in lining up the shots and then to receive your photos and seeing how they came out. It’s a challenge to take photos and not see what they are like until after you get them developed.

Or if instant gratification is your thing, checkout the Fujifilm Instax range or Polaroids.

So why not grab a disposable camera the next time you and your friends are hanging out and try it out for yourself!

P.S. Camera houses can now give you digital copies of your photos so you can up your Instagram game!