In a world where anyone can snap a thousand images in a minute and forget them just as quickly, 36FRAMES offers a quiet rebellion: less is more. This isn’t just a project — it’s an island of the analogue adrift in an ocean of digital saturation. Founded by visual artist and photographer Xenia Chetrar, 36FRAMES has become a home for those who choose film — despite its cost, complexity and complete disregard for instant gratification.

“My love affair with film began back in 2006, when I was 14,” says Chetrar. “Even then, I consciously decided to return to analogue photography — via lomography, old Soviet Zenits, and my earliest experiments with home developing.”

Image by Xenia Chetrar

Xenia Chetrar’s artistic vision is rooted in a profound reverence for the materiality of analogue photography. Her work emerges at the intersection of memory and temporality, where each frame — patiently composed and developed by hand — becomes an artefact of presence in an age of digital ephemerality. Through her lens, film is not merely a medium but a philosophy: a means of slowing down, of cultivating attention, of embracing imperfection as truth. In Chetrar’s fine art photography, the grain of the image becomes as vital as its content — a quiet resistance to the speed and gloss of contemporary image culture, and a tender invocation of photography’s alchemical origins.

Amid the digital boom, Chetrar became aware of a paradox: film was once again in demand, but increasingly out of reach. After the pandemic, the cost of film nearly doubled, pushing the format beyond the means of many emerging artists. Out of this contradiction came 36FRAMES — a community where every participant receives at least one roll of film per month, along with the right to support, recognition, and a place within the wider photographic conversation.

Image by Natalie Norris

What 36FRAMES Offers Its Photographers

– One roll of film each month

– A platform for promoting their work via the project’s website and social media

– Print sales, with revenues split equally among contributors

– Vouchers for free film and lab services via partner photo labs

– A network of like-minded peers and ongoing professional support

Xenia is emphatic: this is not about profit. It’s about preservation. About supporting visual artists for whom analogue photography is neither a hobby nor a hipster affectation, but a vital mode of seeing and feeling.

“The concept is very simple,” she says. “Every photographer deserves their 36 frames a month. At the very least. It’s a basic right — to creative breath.”

Voices from the Community

“I started shooting on film because I fell in love with printing by hand. There was something special about not knowing what you’d end up with. I chose film for the process. It’s expensive now, but I try to approach each frame with intention. I think analogue photography will become increasingly niche, but I hope it will find a rebirth.”

— Oliver Marshall, photographer, 36FRAMES member

“I love the element of surprise. It’s a slow process, and film teaches you to be present. You can’t just reshoot something. Yes, it’s become a luxury, but I prioritise it. It’s what truly matters. We’re losing the physical, and it’s vital we preserve it.”

— Natalie Norris, photographer, 36FRAMES member

Image by Oliver Marshall

More Than Just a Project

36FRAMES isn’t just about film — it’s a mission to reinstate the value of the analogue approach, of mindful image-making, creative labour and physical materiality. In a world where the camera is simply another source of fast dopamine, Chetrar and her team remind us: art takes time.

Now and Next

The project is based in the UK, where Xenia Chetrar and the majority of its members live, but the vision is international. Expansion is on the horizon — partnerships with new labs, and even discussions with platforms like Amazon for global distribution of film and printed matter. All of it in the name of ensuring analogue photography doesn’t become a museum relic.

“It’s not just about taking pictures,” Chetrar says. “It’s about preserving something. Not only the format, but the respect for the creative process itself.”

Want to Claim Your 36 Frames?

You can join the project via 36frames.co.uk—and begin to see, once again, not just an image in each frame, but meaning.

Image by Xenia Chetrar, “Sasha”