Film photography is here to stay; in fact, the visual arts medium is thriving and has a resounding presence in the Central Florida area. It has, however, faced its fair share of trials. Whether it’s with the advent of digital photography via a DSLR (digital single-lens reflex camera) or a smartphone, or equipment prices dramatically increasing over recent decades, film photography has oftentimes been pushed to the wayside.

Thanks to local shops, labs and photographers, though, a local movement is keeping the art form alive.

Jacob Rausch is the general manager at Colonial Photo & Hobby, one of the few bastions for film-photography enthusiasts in Orlando. When he first started as a seasonal employee in 2003, he noticed the popularity of film photography was waning. In 2023, he has seen film-photography sales double each year for the last few years.

“It’s hard to say for sure what really is motivating [increased sales],” Rausch said. “I think, largely, it’s that film photography, in general, gives you a more limited set of pictures to work with, right? So, you have to stop and think about what you’re doing with each shot in a world where either your phone or even your digital camera creates a situation where you can kinda just take as many pictures as you want. It actually gives you something that you get a little bit more of a sense of worth out of it.”

For Hector Soto Molina, who works at Colonial Photo & Hobby in the film department, Orlando and its galleries can enhance the film-photography community by taking more risks.

“We got a lot of places that are sponsored by Orlando, so they’re limited on what they’re allowed to show,” Molina said. “… I think we do need more independent art galleries. Like, show a little bit more international, local — just a whole mixture … They need a fire [lit under them].”

That fire could be coming in the form of a new generation of film photographers who are starting the hobby at a time when film photography is undergoing its own renaissance. Photographer James Hand is encouraged by seeing new photographers opt for the more mechanical approach, as they carry the proverbial film-photography torch.

For Hand, who was born and raised in Orlando, the Central Florida photography scene is different from other cities. There’s a community that has served as a foundation for some of his friendships.

“I think Orlando is definitely growing, and everyone kinda supports each other, which is good because I think a lot of other cities may not be as supportive of other people’s work,” Hand said. “I have friends that I’ve known for six years or so that I wouldn’t have known them without dropping off my film [at Colonial Photo & Hobby] or just happened to run into them when we both had cameras.”