Why I Miss Film Photography

I love digital photography. It's great being able to immediately review your photos and it's very cool how you can edit them with a computer. I also like how I can take hundreds of pictures on a trip and not have to worry about buying another roll of film. But I've noticed that there are two byproducts of using film that I can't experience through digital photography (and I'm not referring to any issues of film vs. digital quality).

The Film Canisters: These plastic cases had so many uses after you'd used your roll of film. These ranged from organizing lose objects like screws to holding liquids like salad dressing in a lunch you'd take to work. Yes, I know that it's a good thing for the environment that we're not producing so many of these plastic containers. But their uses were only limited by your imagination.

The Last Shots: Imagine that you've taken your trip and you have a couple of remaining shots left on your roll of film. You could process the film without using them but often I'd try to think of some creative ways to use those final shots. As a result I have a very random collection of photos which cover such things as the view outside an in flight airplane, wacky shots of my family or my house, and action shots of my Star Wars action figures. Now with digital photography, there really isn't a, "last shot," that you need to use up. I miss that chance to think creatively.

It's not unusual to have a new process that is easier and better than the old one. But think if there is some byproduct of the old process that people might miss and see if there's a way to duplicate it with the new one.