50 outstanding film photographers on Instagram to follow and get you into shooting analog

Film has a certain magic, a sense of atmosphere, depth, texture, and realness that can’t be emulated with digital. The imperfections, the snapshots of real life, the way one must slow down to properly capture the shot—in the same way an e-reader will never replace the feeling of opening a hardcover book, digital can never truly take the place of film.

We’ve found 50 photographers who will make you want to go pick up your old film camera and rediscover the forgotten art.

"I’ve nothing against digital, it’s my bread and butter, but there is something about film that I adore. I love the risk, the loading and unloading, the excitement of trying a new stock, the wait for the negatives, but most of all, I love it for its imperfections." - Ian Howorth

Ryan isn't just a photographer. He's an inspirational human who captures real emotion—real connection—and puts himself into his work. His portraits taken with film reflect a deep connection created through slowing down and really getting to know the subject.

Niklas explores his home country Sweden in the peaceful, empty moments of the night. He captures lights and colors of the night in a way that looks more like a painting rather than a photo. Street lights, empty streets, retro churches—everything on Niklas's feed is magical.

Master of the surreal, Reuben transforms landscapes into another planet. With impeccable composition, his photos feel less like photos and more like paintings. Creator of the beautiful feature account @imaginarymagnitude where he curates and edits photos by other artists, Reuben shows his amazing eye for art.

Based in Prague, this photographer lives a semi-nomadic life exploring the far reaches of the globe. Using only analog, he captures the raw and dreamy state of the world. From landscapes, portraits, to documentaries, Michael inspires viewers to step out and find the beauty around them.

Born in 1945, Wayne mastered the art of film before digital photography was even a concept. His underwater scenes are legendary, and his love of the ocean is profound and deeply rooted in the scenes he captures.

Louis's style emulates a 1980s science fiction film—the orange and blues, double exposures, and lines of light separating the images give a cinematic quality to his work. His photos evoke feelings of melancholy and seduction.

Before a fatal hit and run accident in 2013, Pierre spent his last years capturing the people and places whose story needed to be told throughout South Africa. Today, his sister Jeannine shares Pierre's photos—which are still exhibited around the world, published in books, and posted on Instagram. Notes written on his photos reveal the relationship he has developed with his subjects.

Forgotten places and liminal spaces, Ian captures the in-between moments—the chair in a waiting room, a woman in the laundromat, a half empty swimming pool. Life slows down looking at this photographer's feed.

Based in Portugal, André has explored many lesser-photographed places within Europe from the Faroe Islands to Greenland. His travel and landscape photography evoke a very intimate and personal feeling. One can feel the love of nature within his images.

Ben's feed takes viewers back in time with black-and-white street photography from a seemingly lost era. From intimate street scenes to well-crafted architecture, his feed brings out a love for the city with its interesting characters and spaces.

Santiago first wanted to be a cinematographer but ended up becoming a photographer because he wanted to capture life in a meaningful and personal way. His initial love for film shows in the stories behind the portraits he captures.

Patrick's feed feels like an old movie. He discovers new places in a nostalgic and slow-moving way. His love for vintage is apparent with the cars, neon signs, and spaces he captures.

Katharina doesn't just capture landscapes—she captures feelings. Katharina's photos evoke that indescribable feeling one experiences in the early moments of the day, watching rolling fog spread through treetops and mountains.

Imperfectly perfect. That's what makes film so unique. Edie captures this so well—out of focus, odd lights and shadows—it's not the technical composition but the feeling it inspires that matters. But that is not to say her perfect composition isn't equally as powerful.

Simon's bio reads "not your average spaceman," which is the perfect introduction to his work. Although he captures seemingly normal street scenes, they have an otherworldly look to them due to his use of color and light.

This photographer's love for the female form, retro beach scenes, grain, and color scheme all feel very 1970s French vogue. However, he's created his own distinct style through the intimacy between his camera and his models.

Fashion photographer Tom Mitchell captures portraits with an openness that leaves one remembering the faces and expressions of the models he captures long after walking away from instagram.

London-based photographer, Vicki, explores light, texture, desire, and loss with her emotionally-charged photography. Shooting conceptual pieces and portraits, each image shares a story and is an absolute treat for the eyes and the soul.

Half Iranian, half Irish photographer based in London, Nima Elm hopes he never has to get a "real" job. He shoots a mixture of portraits and snapshots of life that let viewers into his life. He gladly shares how each shot is taken including the type of film he uses, favoring the Kodak Portra, and he's always happy to give tips and answer questions about analog photography.

Justin's film photography gives a mystical look to his landscapes. The way he captures light and colors feels like escaping from reality and stepping in to a painting.

When Maya isn't sciencing in the lab, she's sharing images from her adventures. Her work focuses on mood, color, and surreal moments in nature. Her use of color is cotton candy for the eyes, and one can't help but be filled with a love of nature after looking at her photos.

Nothing says film photography like black-and-white images of naked girls. Brian Liston quintessentially captures it where many others have failed, using nudity to capture the essence of the person rather than showing gratuitious skin for an easy like. Whether the girl is climbing out a window or skating down the road with her bare bum, he captures the human form and emotion in a pure way.

Elsa Bleda is reworking the rules on color, making neon her main focus. Inspired by blade runner, David Lynch, or Dario Argentio's gothic cinema, Elsa captures the little details and moments in a supremely artful way.

Another lover of neon, Toby captures raw moments of people's lives. With a talent for scriptwriting, it's no wonder his images look like film stills.

Kellen's travel-filled feed settles a feeling of peace as it breathes fresh air over one's mind and body. Wide open spaces, mountains, hotsprings—all with a soft palette of color that soothes the soul.

Oli is a creative director and photographer, and this extra definition is evident in his feed. Whether it's portrait, street, editorial, or landscape photography, Oli is a master of light and composition.

Davis takes viewers back in time, touching the world with nostalgia. He experiments with color and light bleeds and double exposure, and his feed is just generally an intriguing place to be.

This photographer's work as a film maker has a strong influence over his photography. He creates cinematic portraits, where one can sense the story attached to every image.

Creative powerhouse Ta-ku (Reggie Matthews) started this photo project as an appreciation of the people, places, and ideas that inspire. "Thinking of you" is the description on Instagram, and it perfectly encapsulates the feeling shown through portraits, moments, and landscapes.

Whether it's a beautiful portrait of nature or the human body, Mary Parker connects to something deeper. The depth, textures, and light in her photography are something else.

Tanya shoots both digital and film, with her digital style perfectly emulating her film style. However, her film portraits are worth scrolling for as one can feel the love for film she shoots with. Working in the industry pushes her to use digital, but Tanya's supreme love of film, the way it makes her slow down and capture less, will always keep her picking up that trusty film camera.

Emmanuel is a documentary photographer from Harlem, New York. He captures the experience of life in all its glory. With uninhibited curiosity, he photographs the loud risk-taking and the quiet spontaneity of friends and strangers. In each state, one can see a life well lived.

Mexican photograph Tania Franco Klein is fascinated by social behavior in the current world, focusing on emotional disconnection, eternal youth, and "the American Dream" in her works.

It's easy to tell Bryan is a filmmaker as his images feel like movie stills. He's a master of capturing the forgotten moment and place and turning them into art.

Justin's portraits range from fashion to emotional. Whichever it is, he is a master of his craft, connecting to his models in each photo.

Nikki's earthy tones and film camera brings viewers into a retro world. Capturing moving portraits and breif snapshots into her life, her feed doesn't fail to inspire.

Adi Putra experiments with film to create dynamic portraits—a small but beautiful insight into how she sees the world and the human form.

Aidan chooses to stay broke, fill his backpack with film rather than clothes, and shoot. Photographs are obviously the most important part of travel—something one can feel taking a brief glimpse into this photographer's life and adventures through his snapshots.

Ryan has a style distinctly his own, creating timeless snapshots that capture the raw, honest moments of childhood. The images feel like they could have been taken at any moment in history. He uses a few subjects every year to capture the new persons they become, working with each one of them in a different way.

Bold and authentic, Lauren's photos focus on real moments among the youth in America. In an interview with Lomography Magazine, she says, "I became obsessed with shooting the now, there's always tomorrow but today only happens once."

Although analog photos comprise only part of Kelly's feed, they're worth waiting around for. Capturing a mix of portraits and landscapes, it's easy to sense which photos captured with film.

Jai began his life as a nomad, his family inhabiting tents, cars, and buses. He describes it as not the most ideal upbringing, but one that shaped his passion for non-material connections. You can feel an intense attachment in his portraits, connecting to something deeper within his models.

The nostalgic air of film blows out of Dave's images—the stillness of forgotten spaces; the decrepitude of forgotten places.

Joe captures it all: landscape, street, portrait, and documentary, his feed is a beautiful mix of life. He takes photos because he likes "making intentional memories and capturing moments normally gone unseen." This rings true looking at his photos.

Hollie's work is inspired by the pre-Raphaelite paintings of the 19th century. Her color scheme, connection with nature, and redefined concepts of beauty make her photographs a marvel.

Swedish photographer Simon captures a romantic melancholia with his work. It's hard to believe at only twenty years old, he manages to delve into a moment of time far past his years.

Delicate, mysterious, and sensual, Martina Matencio photographs the female form in all its beauty. Using natural, soft lighting, she captures an ethereal fragility from a timeless moment.

Cotton candy on instagram, Ashley's latest experiment using overlays and emulsion makes her feed look like every lava lamp one's ever seen. Her feed is full of moving portraits that use the medium to explore the human form in different ways.

Birdee provides intimate snapshots of life. Their portraits are less photos of humans and more photos of emotions. Broken up into small snapshots of life, whether it's a cactus or a sand dune, the framing makes viewers feel privvy to someone's internal life.

Fine art portrait photographer and father Jan captures the beauty of the human body connecting with the space around it. His intimate photos of men and women are so pure and filled with emotion.