Photography is a Top Driver in Silver Demand, Showing Film's Resurgence
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Loading... - Fabian Blanco
- 07 Sep 2022
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A new report from the World Silver Survey found that demand for silver increased 19% last year achieving its highest levels since 2015. Part of this increase is being attributed to the rising demand and surging popularity of film.
As explained in the Silver Institute News, silver-halide photography was the predominant form of photo technology for more than a century before the advent and growth of digital photography. As digital photography became the standard, the use of film fell off and therefore so did the demand for silver.
But in 2021, the use of silver for the purposes of photography actually rose 3% over the previous year, a sign that the once fading practice is experiencing a revival notable enough to appear as a factor in global demand for silver. In fact, the demand was enough of an increase to mark photography as one of the largest consumers of silver after industrial use, jewelry, investment, and silverware as the overall demand for silver rebounds.
Those paying attention in the photography space no doubt have seen the popularity of film photography grow over the last few years, but discerning if that popularity was actually large enough to be more than a talking point outside the enthusiast space was still unclear. This data may be pointed to as hard evidence that the revival is more than just a niche phenomenon.
That said, there may be other factors at play here that are skewing the results. It is important to note that hobbyist photography and X-ray photography are grouped together in the Silver Survey’s report, which says that the main reason there was such a notable uptick was the medical sector. Read More...
