According to those who're paid to have their finger on the pulse of the Zeitgeist there is a trend emerging in western culture of people returning to using analogue point and shoot cameras and film. The reasons given for this step back from digital vary: nostalgia for grainy film quality, full of charm and imperfections; mental health in that film helps them slow down (mindfulness); and more trust in photographs taken with a film camera more than a digital photo. with its increasing incorporation of AI.
Eliza Williams, the editor of Creative Review, says that people ( ie., gen Z ) "are looking for some release from the pressures of daily life and the addictive qualities of screens, cameras and taking photographs offers a sense of nostalgic pleasure, which feels wholesome and arty while also making you look cool”.
This is my recent embrace of nostalgic pleasure:
The details are: walking along Halls Creek Rd, Waitpinga on a late afternoon in winter, expired Fuji Velvia 50 film exposed at 20 ASA, a hand held Zeiss-Ikon Contaflex Super SLR with its inbuilt light meter from the 1960s, and film processed in E-6 chemistry by a lab. The process involves a detachment of the process of taking a photo and the actual photo itself.