Like many everyday consumers from the digital generation, photographer and studio art major Brandi Roach prefers to use a digital camera rather than a film camera because of convenience and affordability.
When she found out major department and drug stores in California, like Target, CVS, Walgreens and Costco, are going to stop developing film in their onsite photo labs, she said that it does not make a difference to her photography.
“I’m more digital anyway,” Roach said. “It doesn’t affect me.”
Even though Roach said she prefers to use digital, she still enjoys processing film on campus and working with traditional analog cameras.
“I just really like photography and being able to develop film,” she said while pulling out her negatives in the Cal State Long Beach darkroom. “[Film] makes you learn camera controls. It makes you appreciate [photography] more.”
According to Target Spokesperson Kristy Welker, Target will be eliminating in-store film development in different locations nationwide this year because of the lower number of customer demands for film development. Customers, however, will still be able to order digital prints from the photo kiosks.
“Guests can still drop their film off at Target photo labs, and Target will have it developed at an off-site location,” she said via email.
CVS Drugstore has already removed film development from its photo labs at the beginning of 2012, according to CVS Spokesman Mike DeAngelis. CVS will also offer “send-out” film development in addition to producing digital prints. DeAngelis said the decision was part of an environmental waste minimization agreement with the state.
According to CSULB lab technician Hong Seo, the chemicals used for color processing, including bleach and color developer, have to be disposed of if they are not used after a certain amount of time.
“[Going digital] is better for the environment,” Maya Pejovski, a senior photography student who also works in the photo lab on campus, said. “The chemicals used are not really healthy.”
The use of color processing on campus has also gone down, according to Pejovski. There have been talks of shutting down traditional color processing on campus because students have not been using it as often as in previous years, Seo said.
“It’s getting rare. A lot of people are using digital,” Seo said.
Although not as many students are producing color prints, also known as c-prints, Seo said that there are no plans to shut down the color-processing labs in the near future because there are still students who use the labs for projects.
“We are not stopping yet,” Seo said. “As long as we have those types of students, we cannot stop [color processing].”
Head of the CSULB photography program, Mark Ruwedel, also said that the use of film will not completely go away.
“It’s never going to come back the way it was,” he said. “There are people in Europe trying to preserve the Polaroid … In the near future, it will be more reserved for artists.”
Ruwedel said that he prefers the use of film for artistic purposes, but he agrees that digital photography is faster for other professions, like photojournalism.
“The photography industry is always driven by economic needs,” he said.
Photography senior Jonathan Castillo said that he prefers to get his film developed at professional photo labs, like Icon in Los Angeles, rather than going to convenience stores.
“If you really care about film, you wouldn’t go to Target anyway,” Castillo said. “[Film] has more of a niche market.”
