White Imran Nuri personal logo svg
COntactpressBlog
My Themes
Public Speaking and StorytellingLeadershipPhilanthropyHobbiesImranismsArtwork
AboutHome
IntroWorksBlogAboutContact
IntroWorksBlogAboutContact
clickable black youtube logo linking to Imran -Nuri's youtube channelclickable black tiktok logo linking to Imran Nuri's tiktok accountclickable black linkedin logo linking to Imran Nuri's linkedin account

Advice From America

Life Advice and Photos of 1,000 Strangers from 48 States

Mockup of artist Imran Nuri's book "Advice from America"

Sign up to be the first to know when the book is available! Coming late 2023.

First Name
Email
Thanks so much for your interest in my book! I can't wait to notify you when it's ready!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
White Imran Nuri personal logo svg
HomeAbout
My Themes
Public Speaking and StorytellingLeadershipPhilanthropyHobbiesImranismsArtwork
BlogPress CoverageCOntact
IntroWorksBlogAboutContact
IntroWorksBlogAboutContact
clickable black linkedin logo linking to Imran Nuri's linkedin accountclickable black youtube logo linking to Imran -Nuri's youtube channelclickable black tiktok logo linking to Imran Nuri's tiktok account
Back to Blog
February 8, 2022
Photography

What One Year of Film Photography YouTube Taught Me

W

hen I started my film photography YouTube channel, the purpose was for me to have a reason to consistently make videos while consistently practicing photography, too. I learned so much more than I thought I would, including some of the major pitfalls of the film photography community.

To see some of the photos I took in the past year and to essentially listen to this article, watch the YouTube video below.

Let's first take a moment to appreciate the difference in lighting and backdrop from my first video of the channel in 2021 to my first video of 2022
screenshot collage comparing Imran Nuri's first YouTube video in 2021 to his first video of 2022
Is it just me, or am I aging in reverse? Just kidding... I was just insanely exhausted during the time that the first video was recorded.

By far, the best thing that came from starting a film photography YouTube channel in 2021 was the many friends I made across the globe. Yes, there has been a recent explosion in popularity for film photography (I'll admit it: I hopped on the bandwagon in 2020 as a digital native), but still, you have to go way out of your way to shoot film these days. I say that because even as an itty bitty channel, I've connected with dozens of others who are crazy enough to spend their money shooting film when it's truly easier in every way to shoot digital. I'm grateful for all you other crazies.

But we know better than most that we're not crazy, right? Film has a look that simply can't be beat and can't be 100% replicated with digital. More so than that, shooting film has a process that is so opposite of the way everything else in our modern society works. It slows you down at a time when everything else is speeding up. It's tangible when everything else is becoming virtual (ehem, *cough cough* NFTs *cough cough*). As someone who grew up shooting on digital point and shoots, it was an indescribable feeling to hold film negatives for the very first time. I became addicted to the process, and I sure am glad that I shared parts of my process and learnings along the way. While doing film photography YouTube and learning more from others doing the same, I noticed something: the vast majority of both creators and shooters on YouTube are white men.

My 2021 Viewers Gender Breakdown :(

The majority of people commenting on my videos were white men, and the majority of those I saw popping up on my YouTube feed were the same. It was exciting, but rare, to come across channels run by Black folks, women, and other minorities like myself (I would highly recommend checking out this video from Eclectachrome highlighting many of the women-run film photography YouTube channels). However, when I re-downloaded TikTok and the algorithm started feeding me photography content, that's when I really noticed this issue. There were hundreds of female, non-binary, Black, and POC photographers on TikTok who didn't even exist on YouTube. There are obvious advantages to sharing knowledge on YouTube instead of TikTok, but the already clear issue became clearer when comparing the platforms side-by-side.

To add to this, I've had the chance to hear about the demographic breakdown of a certain large format photographer YouTuber who happens to be based in my hometown of Columbus, Ohio, and he confirmed that about 99% of his viewers are white men. With his channel being above 10,000 subscribers, I had a realization: I don't want to grow that same audience for myself.

That's why in 2022, I'm trying a new approach: instead of just posting content that's helpful to other large format film photographers, I am going to mix in story-driven content that can be enjoyed by anyone in the world who enjoys a good story with great cinematography. Most likely, these will be essays that are helpful to others in their 20s. I still plan to post content that's specifically geared towards film photographers, but I'm hoping my audience will diversify by mixing in other content that still retains elements of film photography but isn't solely based on it.

Stick around with me in 2022 to be the first to see that content.

You might Also Like

Photography

Shooting Expired Film from 1969

After finding seven brand new (meaning brand new to the year 1969 and unopened since then) rolls of Kodak Tri-X Pan 400 120 film, I knew I had to shoot a roll.

Read More
Thought Leadership

The Five Keys to Being an Effective Leader

At its core, leadership is the ability to inspire the people around you to work towards a vision. Leadership isn't a title. Leadership doesn't have a single or "correct" style. It is nuanced and often subtle.

Read More
Photography

My One-Year Review of the Mamiya 645 1000s

As my first serious medium format film camera, the Mamiya 645 1000s served me extraordinarily well in the year that I owned it.

Read More
Green Imran Nuri personal logo and logotype svg
About This Site

I created this website to build upon my personal brand and to create a way for new people to get to know me before meeting me. This site reflects some of the most important pieces of me, but not everything. I tend to be an open book, so if there is something you're curious about that you can't find on here, just reach out and ask away!

Navigation
HomeAboutMy ThemesBlogContactMy Art Website
clickable white linkedin logo linking to Imran Nuri's linkedin account
clickable white youtube logo linking to Imran Nuri's youtube channel
clickable white tiktok logo linking to Imran Nuri's tiktok account