Miles found a huge audience with his striking pictures, and clubs, including his beloved Manchester United and the even the New York Jets of the NFL, have asked him to photograph their games. In an age of advanced digital cameras, the widespread recognition of his work shows how the charm of film endures.
“I am just completely in love with the entire medium and how tactile it is. The fact that you physically have to be so involved in the whole process; from getting the film out of the box, loading into the camera, winding it on after every frame and even just composing a photo,” Miles says. “With digital cameras you can kind of get away with snapping a hundred photos at the moment and there’ll be one in there that is good. With film, you have to be so in tune.”
“And there’s just a look to film that you can’t replicate,” he adds. “You get loads of really good film presets on photo editing programs, but it just doesn’t beat the real thing. With film photography, it just feels like you’re pouring a bit more of yourself into every photo.” It is no surprise then, when so much hands-on effort goes into every single picture, the results look so good and have so much depth to them.
His film photography is also a reminder to be present in the moment. Life moves quickly, and for better or worse, technology has sped it up even more. As Miles says about film cameras and even vinyl records: “It’s not just ones and zeros on the screen or an algorithm, you know? This is a physical thing; it exists in the world.” That presence alone warrants attention. Stop and smell the roses, and while you’re at it, why not break out your film camera to remember them by?
