Edmonton Film Photography Craze
Jasmine Orr is one of those nostalgias. He prepares his monochrome photos himself in his bathroom, which he has turned into a dark room.
It’s a hobby I return to more or less regularly. [au fil des ans]. But this time I think it’s really more intense
he says.
To develop her black and white rolls, Jasmine uses a variety of chemicals and a special process for each type of film.
It depends on how we take the pictures
he explains. I have everything I need in a small trash can and I take it to the bathroom. I present this as a little science experiment.
Yasemin discovered his passion for cinema when he was in high school.
There are still old devices of that time.
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Jasmine Orr is one of those film photography fanatics who never gave up her analog cameras. However, she relies on digitization to preserve her memories.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Sofiane ASSOUS
” I am interested in shadows and lights in urban environments. »
For her color shots, Jasmine needs to find a development lab, but silver photo labs are rare in Edmonton. Many of them have left this mode of photography or completely closed it.
For his part, Rene Rodrigue, the owner of the McBain laboratory, saw an increase in demand for film development. He decided to dedicate a significant part of his store to it.
McBain’s photography store opened in Edmonton in 1949. Its owner, Rene Rodrigue, continues to offer a film development service and provides periodic training in film photography to the public.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Sofiane ASSOUS
Young photographers are interested in cinema
bobines par jour, En réalité, nous recevons plus de demandes que ça, mais malheureusement, nous ne pouvons pas en faire plus”,”text”:”Nous traitons 60bobines par jour, En réalité, nous recevons plus de demandes que ça, mais malheureusement, nous ne pouvons pas en faire plus”}}”>We process 60 reels per day, we actually get more requests than that, but unfortunately we can’t do more.
– says Rene Rodrigue, who observes young people’s interest in cinema with interest.
ans”,”text”:”Les personnes qui ont grandi avec la pellicule reviennent un peu, mais c’est surtout leurs enfants et petits-enfants qui découvrent la photo argentique qui viennent nous voir, des jeunes de moins de 25ans”}}”>People who grew up with cinema are coming back a little bit, but the people who come to see us are mostly their children and grandchildren, young people under the age of 25.
observes. In fact, actually. They are our biggest customer.
René Rodrigue adds that the relationship with photographic paper and the process of film development also appeals to young people because of its somewhat period character.
” Just as people like to cook from scratch because of the cooking process, they don’t need instant results. They can enjoy the photography development process more. »
He noted that during the COVID-19 pandemic, interest in cinematography has increased again. People had a lot of time, so there was an opportunity to explore this method of photography
he said.
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Noting that many people leave their negatives behind, Rene Rodrigue encourages people to collect their negatives for future printing or enlarging.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Sofiane ASSOUS
However, the cost of development and cost of the film also increased. A reel now costs $20-30, against $10-11 before.
Film development is not very profitable, but customers are loyal and demand continues to grow. But we cannot fulfill the request, Rene Rodriguen regrets. Many [de magasins de photographie] closed during the pandemic.
Stratus Photo offers a film processing and scanning service that works with a drop box system. Its co-founder Kasun Medagedara launched the idea in 2020 after several Edmonton labs closed.
Photo: Radio-Canada
Emergence of new players
To keep costs down and meet growing demand, an Edmonton resident offers a low-cost filmmaking service.
We’re trying to fill a void and inspire people to continue using film
says Kasun Medagedara, co-founder of Stratus Photo Laboffers a film development service that operates through a drop box.
The young entrepreneur believes that the community has felt somewhat orphaned after several film photo development labs closed in Edmonton.
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Movie camera.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Sofiane ASSOUS
We are trying to help our community by filling a void
Kasun says to Medagedara.
We want to let everyone enjoy film photography for as long as possible.
With information from Charles Delis
