Film is Not Dead

Film is Not Dead Founded by Jonathan Canlas. http://filmisnotdead.com
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Oh la la.
09/06/2026

Oh la la.

Kentmere 400 pushed to 3200 at the Rawk Show. I kid you not there isn’t a film out there that can hold a candle to this ...
09/05/2026

Kentmere 400 pushed to 3200 at the Rawk Show. I kid you not there isn’t a film out there that can hold a candle to this film in low light. HP5 comes close but I’d argue Kentmere out performs it.

Here’s to next year including a lot more bands with women in them. Schedules just didn’t line up and this whole thing came about from me wanting to have The Player Piano get back together and play a show and I host it and reaching out to Provo in the 2000s to make it a reality.

Come to the Rawk Show.There was a roll I accidentally double exposed. I think when I was reloading I didn’t wait till it...
09/04/2026

Come to the Rawk Show.

There was a roll I accidentally double exposed. I think when I was reloading I didn’t wait till it rewound all the way so there was a leader hanging out and I threw it in my bag of shot and unshot film. But the results are pretty badass. Like frame 3 are 2 different bands but the same guitarist. Whoopsie turned art.

It was rad to see some of these guys parents and kids mingled in the crowd moshing to their kids or parents music respectively. I literally watched in real time my friend John Wollenzien kids change from thinking “whatever there’s my dad…🫩😑🥱” to “holy s**t that’s my dad!!!😍😍😍” when he started outputting the most sonic wall of sound with Brilliant Stereo Mob.

Wild to think this space is now production for theFINDlab — Official and not some 4k sq ft venue for Rawk.

kodakultramax400

Have you shot the new Lucky Film aka Lucky Color 200?I hadn’t before this shoot. Tons of peeps who work at theFINDlab — ...
09/03/2026

Have you shot the new Lucky Film aka Lucky Color 200?

I hadn’t before this shoot. Tons of peeps who work at theFINDlab — Official had made some really great images that had some wild color so I decided to go out on a limb and try it in the studio.

These feel like late 90’s early 2000’s color you’d find in cd inlet picts. Like the outtakes of the cover shoot.

It feels like the album cover of that one Luna album that should have been the B-side version of Bewitched but Dean Warwham scratched because of artistic differences with the label. Allegedly.

I have NOT had the same luck with this film since shooting it for Provo in the 2000s. Wildly red and yellow results which I get little hints of here but not like some of the results that I’ve gotten that look worse than that Phoenix film.

Anyone else have hit or miss results? Just me?

25-28 year old me would have killed to take these photos back in 2000-2003. Before I shot weddings, I shot bands. Or at ...
09/02/2026

25-28 year old me would have killed to take these photos back in 2000-2003.

Before I shot weddings, I shot bands. Or at least I wanted to. I had big dreams of doing editorial work, and I was going to Kilby Court 3-4x a week armed with my Canon AE-1 or Pentax KX. I had a fisheye lens and a nifty 50mm 1.4. I shot nothing but Kodak TMAX P3200 that I’d develop in the replenisher 👀.

Provo in the 2000s made making these images a reality, just 25-26 years later.

Each band that played over those 2 days agreed to come into the studio and let me photograph them.

The Player Piano Audio Armada Brilliant Stereo Mob Return To Sender The Handcart Company Indiana Speedway Maya Shore Star No Star Provo in the 2000s

July might have been the best month of my life.I’ve been holding off sharing these. Over Pie & Beer day weekend AKA Pion...
09/01/2026

July might have been the best month of my life.

I’ve been holding off sharing these.

Over Pie & Beer day weekend AKA Pioneer Day here in Utah I hosted Provo in the 2000s where 14 bands played over 2 days.

These bands were the scene of Provo back in 2000-2003. They were incredible then and mind-blowing now. They came in from all over as far as Astonia (thanks Dirk Lloyd).

Most of us hadn’t been back to Provo in quite some time especially in this iteration. Back in 00-03, Provo Police & BYU were cracking down on gatherings, parties, & house shows. They’d shut us down & said it was illegal to gather unless it was religious.

So with that Mormon ingenuity, Gian Pierotti became an online pastor & we continued throwing parties because now we legally could.

But this time around it was different. No one was here to tell us no. No one was here telling us to stop, or we were too loud, or too anything.

I’ve done a lot of things in my life & this event is the one I’m most proud of. I created a safe space where anyone could come, feel accepted, & reclaim a space regardless of your belief system, as the person you are now. We are all wildly different from 23-26 years ago. To be able to come together without egos or drama & reclaim this space meant more to me & a lot of the peeps shown in this post than we’ll ever know.

I saw more grown men cry that weekend, myself included, than I have in a long time. I saw in real time kids who thought their dads were lame instantly change their mind as soon as their faces melted from the sonic walls of sound coming from their dad’s guitars.

The space in the back was perfect for the show with just under 4k sq ft to host this event. As soon as the show was over the back got converted to our production area for theFINDlab — Official.

But after that weekend wrapped I made the commitment to continue to provide a safe space for events like this. We’re hoping to expand upstairs to the upstairs so we can host again next year. Or for any other events that allow people to know not only do we believe in them, but support them & will continue to provide a safe space to gather & connect.

Big shout out to Tim Koide & the Lasuer siblings for making this happen.

We did a photo walk with our friends up in Ogden at Lucky Slice Pizza. A couple months ago we installed the only film ve...
08/31/2026

We did a photo walk with our friends up in Ogden at Lucky Slice Pizza.

A couple months ago we installed the only film vending machine in the state of Utah and hopefully not the last.

If you’re ever in Ogden, go check it out. We are stocked with every film stock you’d ever want along with some disposable cameras, instax film, and even some cameras like the Kodak Ektar Half Frame!

It also doubles as a drop box and we pick up every Tuesday & Friday.

There just aren’t options north of Salt Lake if someone wants to buy film let alone get it processed.

Plus the pizza these guys are making is incredible!

Thanks to everyone who came out and let me shoot them in the face.

I’ve been saying for decades, photographers, whether they know it or not, you’re always saying something in your images....
08/30/2026

I’ve been saying for decades, photographers, whether they know it or not, you’re always saying something in your images. We all have a voice & there are 3 themes/emotions that show up consistently. The first 2 are you at your core. The 3rd thing/message/voice is your side that changes over time as you get older, wiser, or go through significant change as a human.

Right before I got on a plane home from Mexico last month I decided to getting to commemorate the 6 incredible days I spent there with ink. I didn’t research much. Jillian Mitchell suggested her friend Nicté who she’s known since she was 7, she’s 26 now. So I leaned in & trusted. She shared her work but I knew I’d just get there & know what I was about to put on my chest.

I already have a pretty significant piece on my chest regarding killing my anger. So to add to it was pretty bold. I got there, flipped through her flash book & chose 3 Mexican masks.

As I was getting inked she brought up how it was funny that she felt like she didn’t have a voice. I was pretty taken a back as it was clear she did to me.

Then she says “ya know everyone does & they’re saying 3 things always, whether they know it or not, & that third one is always changing”.

I had her stop & stood straight up & told her to expand as I’d never heard anyone else articulate this except me at my workshops.

She said her voice is grounded, open, & sarcastic. EXACTLY like the 3 masks I had picked out without knowing.

What are my 3 things I’m constantly saying in my work? 1 - connection, it is everything to me. I know people are curious how I get people to look at me the way they do and the answer is I connect with them even if for 1/1000th of a second. 2 - FOMO, this rules my life. I live like everyday is my birthday or Christmas, if you’re into that kind of thing. Fun is a close second to connection & I want my viewers to feel it. 3 - I used to think it was quiet strength & while that might be true the third thing is actually feeling safe. I’ve created safe spaces in my life, my work, my circles. That quiet strength is actually just the power people can step into because they feel safe.

Photography is just therapy guys.

Just out here flashing peeps. Taken by my good friend and colleague Duston Todd at FILMISNOTDEAD 2.0 last month out at t...
08/29/2026

Just out here flashing peeps. Taken by my good friend and colleague Duston Todd at FILMISNOTDEAD 2.0 last month out at the great Saltair.

We’re finalizing dates for the next FILMISNOTDEAD 2.0 workshop which will be at the Analog Community Center in Provo and since Orem has fully moved all production to Provo as well it is going to make it easier than ever to dev/scan your rolls after we shoot every day.

Helper, Kyve Point, Utah Lake are a handful of places we will be out shooting and making sure you know how to shoot film in any lighting situations.

Announcement for all dates & FILM SCHOOL ROAD TRIP for 2027 coming next week.

So what are the point of these FILM SCHOOL ROAD TRIP trips?1- to combat burnout and relight that fire under you that mak...
08/28/2026

So what are the point of these FILM SCHOOL ROAD TRIP trips?

1- to combat burnout and relight that fire under you that makes you want to pick up your camera. One of the things I love about shooting film is that it never feels like work. I know a lot of burnout follows peeps who shoot weddings/families/events. There’s no bride, mom, or anyone telling you what to do or what to shoot. Hell, you could come and shoot 1 roll of film if that is the level of presence you want to engage with. Either way, the itinerary is jam packed with things that should get you back to that space of loving shooting.

2- you don’t want to have to plan anything AND not feel guilty for bringing your camera along and shooting. All you gotta do is get to the Airbnb and we take care of the rest. All meals, lodging, and transportation is lined up by us. And as much as we love cool@locations we love good meals even more.

3- you want to be surrounded by like-minded folks. Time and time again it seems the feedback is folks are surprised to be going home with some new best friends from all over the world. Egos are checked at the door, everyone is there for the same thing on the same level.

4- leaning how to shoot film in any lighting situation in any location minus the classroom. The last thing we’d want to do is drag you to a location and throw you in a class room. Our classrooms are the actual locations and all questions are covered over meals, train rides, or during random convos on rooftops at the end of the day.

So if you’re looking to get inspired, not have to plan a damn thing, and do it with people who could potentially be your new bffs, FILM SCHOOL ROAD TRIP is right up your alley.

We’re headed to Tokyo this November 6th-9th and San Juan Puerto Rico in January (15th-18th).

Details or how to snag a spot in the link in profile.

Address

4151 West Red Clover Drive
Lehi, UT
84043

Telephone

(808) 589-8058

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