Old School Photography

There is a plethora of digital-camera how-to books on the market, but none that approach film cameras with the humor and knowledge that Kai Man Wong brings to his very popular, in-the-know YouTube channel. This same sensibility is translated into his first book, which taps into the current film-photography revival driven by young enthusiasts worldwide. Kodak and other film manufacturers are bringing back discontinued films, including Kodak's beloved Ektachrome slide film, re-released in 2019.

Old School Photography is a how-to manual for taking photographs with 35-millimeter and medium-format film cameras. Through writing, diagrams, and photographic examples, author Kai Wong explains all you need to know about owning and using the best film cameras available in the world. Like the resurgence of vinyl records, there is a huge renewed interest among camera and photography enthusiasts in collecting and using vintage film cameras. In fact, film manufacturers have started reselling out-of-print film stock?Kodak just re-released their beloved Ektachrome film in 2019. Old-school photography is new to many young photographers, and many of them are looking back at classic techniques with renewed creative interest. Unlike with digital photography, in film-based photography there is a sense of craft, skill, patience, technical knowledge, and a trial-and-error process that results in a greater sense of accomplishment. This growing trend is becoming a larger niche in the realm of photography in the digital age.

This book is both informative and humorous, and it looks back at the many available and easy-to-obtain film cameras from previous decades that are very collectible today. Authored by the popular and knowledgeable camera guru Kai Wong, Old School Photography provides information and anecdotes to a new generation of fans that are eager to experiment with film cameras. Ironically, in this digital age, film manufacturers are now re-releasing discontinued film stocks like Kodak's Ektachrome, and film labs are processing and scanning film for a new generation that then often posts film photographs online.