Is learning to shoot film really needed in school?

On some photography boards this topic is rearing it’s ugly head again. It seems that topic keeps coming up every so often.

Here’s the basic question: should a school require a student to learn to shoot film (with a manual camera) and process the images as part of a Photography Degree?

Here is one side of the coin. In the real world what are the chances that someone will work with film rather than shoot digital? Unless you are working on certain fine art projects, the chances are quite remote. The quality of digital is so good now, it has effectively eliminated film in nearly all applications. Learning to shoot/process film wastes a student’s time and money that could be used to learn something more productive.

Here’s the other side. Learning to shoot film teaches you certain basic skills that are difficult to learn when shooting digital. For instance, when you shoot with a manual camera (one where you have to set the ISO, shutter speed, and aperture manually) you are forced to learn the relationship between settings and how they impact the quality of your images. Also, shooting film requires you to invest your time in creating an image. Since you only have a limited number of exposures on a roll of film and film costs money, you have to take your time to make sure your composition, lighting, and exposure is set correctly before you take your first picture. This requires you to think and rethink about what you are doing. Working in a darkroom can teach you the basics of what Photoshop does. Most of the tools and filters in Photoshop are based on real world darkroom techniques. In the darkroom you have to be purposeful of what you are doing because you aren’t just pushing sliders around to see what happens, your actions have mostly irreversible consequences. Again, it forces you to be more thoughtful.

Now you’ve heard the arguments, what is the right answer? I don’t think there is a simple right answer. Learning to shoot film is a valuable education for anyone aspiring to be a better photographer. However, you can learn the craft having never touched a film camera.

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Thanks again for reading!!

-Ken