Film Is Not Dead
Committing even further to the print project
The newsletter today is more of a call to action, to find out if anyone in the audience maybe has some interesting photos captured on film that would be at home on the pages of Advanture, and to see if you can help me find out what is on my rolls of undeveloped film.
Yes you read that correctly. Film. Beautiful celluloid, expensive to shoot, expensive to develop film.
I’ve been working on Issue 10 of Advanture since the latest one (09) went off to the printer. And since issue 07, I’ve been actively seeking out more film photography to publish. I love the aesthetics of film and to be able to include such imagery in my own print magazine in 2023 is incredibly fulfilling.
I have a pile of undeveloped film
Personally, I’ve been shooting film for about seven years on-and-off now lately it seems like my rolls just keep on stacking up, rather than being developed due to the extortionate cost of processing. Less of a hobby and more like a part of me, I’ve been taking photos on digital cameras however for around 20-years.
All of my digital photography that has been published on the pages of Advanture has been captured with the Canon 5D II and IV. Some of my older images that have crept in, from when I lived in Australia and New Zealand, were shot on an old Canon 7D. All remarkable cameras, producing tack sharp images when paired with the corresponding professional lenses.
As I get deeper into the creation of Advanture Magazine I find myself rejecting photography, of both mine and contributors, more and more upon each new issue. I think the underlaying reason for this is how much I want to differentiate the print magazine from what you can freely find available on the internet.
I never got to sit in a single editorial office, but I did contribute to magazines from all over the world while I travelled and produced stories as a professional kiteboarder. This was back in 2004-2009 and way before the world got saturated, literally, in colourful digital photography through platforms like Instagram.
But, there is a alluring side to IG that I firmly keep my eyes on. Hashtags such as #filmisnotdead #kodakfilm and #35mmfilm. Ignore the obvious digital shots that creep in and you are left with some beautiful lo-fi, grainy and raw photographs.
My ask of you
SO, to wrap up. Three asks from you today.
If you would be kind enough to purchase any issue of Advanture Magazine or the bumper sticker using the following 30% discount code, it will allow me to put the proceeds directly into developing my pile of film which I will include some scans of in issue 10! The code: 30%substack
Please have a look through your old albums, I’d love to see any old photos of camper van holidays your parents or relatives may have taken you on, or road trips you’ve taken and shot on film. That window into the past definitely has space on the pages of the mag.
If you don’t already have a film camera, try asking friends/family if they have an old body kicking around and shoot some film on your next camping trip. Let’s fill the #advanturemagazine pool of imagery with some more meaningful photography this summer.
And to conclude with, I want to share some film photography from van lifers that I have been enjoying lately. Be sure to go visit them and give them a follow, they go on some fantastic adventures.
Cheers, Alex
Editor@advanturemagazine.com
Thank you so much to the few orders placed from this newsletter. I am half-way there on raising the money needed to process the films! I really appreciate all of your support. Thank you, Alex.