I am taking a Photography class, and learned today that Gelatin is used in the paper; is it still used today?

Question

My teacher was unsure whether or not Gelatin is still used in photography products today or whether there are alternatives, I will be taking Photo class and developing my own photos. I am a vegetarian and really want to be in the class, are there any alternatives?

Thank you so much, best answer will recieve 10pts!

Answer 1

No alternatives.

Photography is what it is.  

Since you are not eating the film or paper, being a vegetarian should not effect your diet.

Once you learn how to use your camera to produce perfect images, you can always buy a nice digital SLR that matches your existing lenses and do all your work using a sensor and printing using an Inkjet printer ... Do you know what they make ink from?  I don't ... soy is used in newspapers and some magazines, but archival photos require certain ingredients.

Answer 2

As far as I know, yes it still is used for both film and for printing paper. There's really no alternative.

The amount used is miniscule, though-it's coated on film and paper in a layer that's only a couple of microns thick. Homebrew paper formulas which use the equivalent of gelatin as a single box of Jello can coat several hundred sheets of paper even when done by hand-modern coating machines use significantly less.  

Answer 3

Actually gelatin is used in film.  It is the base on which the silver halide crystals rest.  

Answer 4

I don't know if it is or not, but thank you for asking.

I'm going to guess the other guy is right, it probably does have it. This link says the same thing:

http://www.vegetarian-restaurants.net/Ot...

But if it makes you feel better, I'm a vegetarian and took photography. I really enjoyed the courses. I still enjoy taking photos. Honestly I don't know if many vegetarians or vegans think twice about it. As a vegetarian you're given a little more wiggle room than a vegan, who would likely give up photography over this.

It's really up to your own ethics. Two suggestions:

1- Volunteer to do photography for some animal groups as penance (I've noticed that photos of adoptees online are not always so great, and I'm thinking that better photos may improve some animals chance of being adopted).  Or anything that benefits them.

2-If you really cannot justify this to yourself, try a digital photography class. Digital is more popular than ever and the cameras are getting excellent in quality. You can work with the shutter and aperture just like a regular camera. I know some people say you should try regular B&W film first, so you understand the basic theory behind everything, but if you're passionate about this issue, I don't see why you couldn't just go into digital right away.