7 Film Photography YouTube Channels

In the timeworn trial of digital vs. analog, let's finally have that (tiny) piece of cake and eat it too: film photographers are not only actively embedding their work on Instagram, blogs, and other online platforms, they are also quite generously sharing their process and educating fellow amateur photographers on youtube.

You might have already entered that virtual world yourself. You might just be barely starting: the shiny surface of 35mm has the appeal of fresh licorice to a five years old, but you are chewing on how nice it would be to imprint some actual visual memories on that sweet candy. You might be re-starting: born and raised in the golden area of analog, you have recently decided to step out of your digital infatuation to go back to the attic's glowing box of treasures. But you're feeling a little lost: which path is that roll supposed to follow in this camera when that other camera guided you into a complete opposite direction? Twisted negatives, positive unpredictability. Or… you might be a true maven: you already own more vintage cameras than your rental surface can allow, you spend more money on film than your bank account can tolerate, you are on a hunt for gas stations, vintage cars, and diners' signs, and you speak in tongues: "I'm going to push my film [like now]," "today is a sunny 16 kind of day", "let me meter this for a sec [or 15 minutes]". If you don't, good for you, you are better than many of us. Whatever your background and where you are coming from, surely you have one (or 27 and counting) youtube playlists dealing in one way or another with film photography: gear reviews feeding your commute fantasies, film stock textures nourishing your dreams, tutorials quenching your nightmares. Here are a few channels to bring to the top of that subscription list.

Film Photographers' Youtube

Over the years (and even more over that one year of we-are-all-stuck-at-home-what-next), Youtube has seen exponential growth in film photography dedicated channels. A decade ago, the field was mainly occupied by uncle like figures. To them, a message of love: thanks for holding the fort at a time when film stocks and cameras were being discontinued and abandoned by the minute. Twenty years ago, it took stamina, stubbornness, and a sense of resistance to keep any analog community alive. But soon enough, a new generation took over the stage: as passionate as their predecessors, they were not only growing their analog muscles but also their digital bones. The result is a visually strong, video savvy community that, helped by the last decade of technological developments, crafts each video with audiovisual prodigies' care and talent. No doubt youtube already suggested some of the most prolific, long-lasting, and famous film photography youtube channels to you: with tens of thousands of subscribers, Matt Day, Kyle MacDougall, King JVpes are just a few of the most popular channels out there.

But other committed youtube analog photographers might have passed your algorithmic radar. This is me taking on a very authoritative voice and asserting my expertise: here are the seven best film photography youtube channels you should be following right now.

Rewind.

Again.

More me that is with more anxieties and a large format impostor syndrome: here are my personal favorite film photography youtube channels at the moment. Go follow them. If you want. Please.

1. Film Life Vlog

A true analog photography amateur (in the original sense of the word: love is at the roots), Film Life Vlog explores all corners of analog practice. His fantastic collection from thrift stores looks like a museum and will have you turn into a goodwill scavenger in no time. The channel also walks you through the process of making photographs from A to Z: from setting up your darkroom to getting your hands into film development, from best cameras for beginners to digital vs. film pros and cons. The most recent development seems to be an online film photography course of 4 weeks starting very soon.

2. Aly's Vintage Camera Alley

Whether you just want to look into some lesser-known shutter boxes or looking for fixes, Aly's Vintage Camera Alley is where you should head out. The channel is only one entry into her fabulous camera reviews, cleaning and repairing tutorials, or just tagging along a photo walk with her. AVCA also has a blog on which you can read about her experiences with films and cameras and snapshots of the film community through a series of detailed and personal interviews.

3. Joan Michel

Joan Michel's channel will have you covered with what makes YouTube YouTube: the never-stopping learning part and the strong hanging out part. Camera tests and film stock reviews and how-tos might get you there first. Still, you will be staying to simply spend good virtual time with her through her vlogs: documenting her photographic journey and life with New Jersey and New York, casually playing in the background (Taxi Driver not far in the visual imprint). Her Creative Juice series, in which she chats with other film photographers, is the only zoom meeting you won't be looking forward to skip.

4. Talya Adams

Crashing Talya Adams' videos of behind the scene shoots feels like a pro just handed you the pass to get backstage. Whether you are more interested in her street photography of L.A., her portraits in studio or outdoors, she takes you along with an eye on the practical and technical specifics of the moment. Her channel is very process-oriented, and following her often feels like joining an ongoing workshop. Her use of natural light for portraits is fantastic, and her camera reviews carry the energy she brings to her photography. And and and… she has a Cheap Series that no analog photographer worth their roll of film would skip.

5. Karin Majoka

In my (rather nerdy) imagination Karin Majoka and I are lockdown friends (along with Doing Film Things and T. Hopper (below), who also created their channels right in time to keep me company during the end of the world). Her channel even had lockdown segments that may have played a minuscule role in reuniting me with daily film photography practice. But the confinement panic and pandemic blues are not the only reasons for her channel to remain one of my absolute favorites: the aesthetics, the humorous tone, and the casual know-how just embark you as a viewer (and yes, I will stay for yet another Leica review, who would have thought!). You might want to tag along for her photo walks across Berlin, if not for the trip, for the light lessons of street photography.

6. Doing Film Things

If film photography is a craft, Doing Film Things is your guide into that craft. While the channel does offer a great set of camera reviews, it's the experimentation in all things pictures that makes it stand out. Filmstocks compared and expired, darkroom adventures with various potions and flares, and the actual printing of images from the bathroom corner (making images, the whole process, remains, to me, an absolute magic that we often take for granted. Like breathing underwater when you dive). Beware: Doing Film Things' detailed installing and processing from darkroom to scan will have you leave your favorite lab to sparkle your own. The latest developments include The New Classic Film Photography Podcast.

7. T. Hopper

If there is a binge-able version of youtube film photography, this is it. I await every single video from T. Hopper with something close to the excitement of back to school days (the good part, excitement, I said) and a new season of my favorite shows. And that's because her videos are both so educational and entertaining, cinematically crafted and incredibly documented. The film stock series were great, but the later videos are something else. (Which, I suspect, is why the channel grew from 300+ viewers to 12K in a few months). Each video is a short documentary that brings her personal touch to a very well structured approach; all timed perfectly with the right amount of archival footage. We are talking serious film photography analysis embedding here, with "early photographers you should know" brought into close kinship with cinematography and even painting (also basics we often overlook).

And more:

Additional film photography YouTubers that I am just starting to explore and look forward to continue include Andy Perez-Caba, Jess Hobbs, Ahza, Sanlee Snaps, Zain Riza and Ejatu Shaw. What are yours?