Will the Return to Film Photography Make Silver Prices Soar?
As you probably know, members of Generations X and Y have started to buy turntables and vinyl LP records again. What you might not have noticed is that something similar is happening in the world of photography, where younger people have rediscovered the joys of taking pictures on film.
How big is the trend? According to “Film Photography Is Making a Stunning Comeback,” an article that Tamoor Iqbal wrote on the PetaPixel photography blog, sales of Kodak Professional film grew 5% worldwide between 2013 and 2015. Fuji is continuing to make film and photographic print paper too, for use in its Instax instant cameras. And the article mentions that Ilford, the British maker of photographic films, reports that 30% of the people who are now buying photographic film are 35 years old or younger.
Can you spot the silver in this photo of a photographer processing film and making prints? It’s everywhere: in the paper, the chemicals, and the film, and Specialty Metals can help you recycle it all profitably.
Even though film and other analog photo supplies are selling at a tiny fraction of what they were in the pre-digital age, those increases are significant. Since film photography is highly reliant on silver, does that increase mean that silver will be in greater demand, and trading prices will rise?
It could be. Whenever demand increases for a commodity that is in a fixed supply, prices for that commodity rise.
Where Silver Is Used in Film Photography
Silver is used in three ways…
- In photographic film, both for black and white and color pictures.
- Photographic paper contains silver – and by the way, so does x-ray paper.
- Chemicals that are used to develop film and print pictures on photographic paper contain silver too.
Incidentally, those same materials – film, paper and chemicals – are also sources of silver that can be recycled. If you can acquire a quantity of them from an old camera store or photo processing plant, give us a call at 800-426-2344. Our silver recycling consultants will be happy to discuss what you have and explain how you can send it to us for recycling and prompt payment.
And in the Meantime…
Visit our website daily to monitor silver trading prices. If the resurgence of interest in film photography causes silver prices to move up, you can be in a position to profit.
Related Posts:
Old Kodak Report Tells You How Much Silver Is in Your Photographic Films and Papers
Why It Pays to Recycle Silver in Old X-Ray Films and Supplies
It’s Time to Reclaim Silver that’s Hiding in Old Darkrooms and Film Processing Facilities
Lock in Future Silver Price Increases Today...Why a Specialty Metals Pool Account Could Be Your Best Investment Today