Is Film making a comeback?
Film Photography - In or Out??
September 2015
#film #filmphotography #retrophotography
I remember when digital cameras first came into the industry, it was the old Digital V Analogue debate for a while, before it reverted back to the Canon V Nikon, once again.
Of course digital was going to win that one, it just took some time, after all, it meant purchasing a new body, our main tool of trade, and in some cases, lenses too, especially if you were jumping ship from one brand to another.
This is a huge expense, so the reluctance was there.
There are many out there still shooting only with film, or combining film with their digital range, AND there are the new hipster breed of film lovers on the horizon, making it their point of difference, and learning and experiencing a new type of photography all over again.
Shooting with film only, if you were a beginner, is a great way to learn the trade. Yes every click and roll of film cost $$ but because of that you would soon learn that every shot counts and your ability to understand exposure and your cameras settings would benefit exponentially.
You can pick up what we called "expensive professional" film cameras, back in the day, from as little as 1-3 thousand upon Ebay now, and yes you can also get a great digital camera in that price range as well, but I'm talking Leica and Hasselblad, the "BMW and Rolls Royce" of camera gear, that we all drooled over in the shop windows.
Some young photographers of today are snatching these up and "rebelling" against the digital movement that they have grown up with. Analogue is retro and kind of cool. Look at the Lomography business with their crappy plastic Holga cameras, the Dianna, the build your own pinhole camera movement...teenagers love them!
I was perched atop a hill a few months ago, in the dark waiting for the moon to rise, and a young lady pulled up and asked if she and her tripod could join me. Of course they could, so much more fun sharing a shoot with someone. I offered her some of my shooting stash (beer, cheese and crackers) and away we went. The one thing I love the most about shooting long exposures at night is waiting for the image to write to the card, checking it out, getting all excited about it, and repeat.
I wondered why she wasn't doing the same. She was shooting film! I had instant admiration for her, and thought of the excitement of her getting her film back from the lab, or processing it herself. It would be like unwrapping presents at Christmas time, but better!!
She was in her twenties.
I wagged many a Maths lesson to sneak down to the school darkroom to process our work. Watching the images appear on the immersed paper was very cool. Even just loading a fresh roll of film, especially a more professional brand, into your camera, matching up the sprockets and winding it on ready to go. I don't get that feeling when I put in a card in my digital. When my sister left home I moved into her room and converted my old room into a darkroom, much to my mothers dismay. My black and white enlarger cost me $100 second hand. Fixer, developer and paper were not cheap and it was cheaper to just put your roll of film in at the chemist, but I did it for the fun. Learning little things like dodging and burning, vignetting edges, and having the control on how your images turned out was very cool.
Film has not lost its charm. How often we introduce grain or add filters to get that "film" look.
I was one of the first photographers here in Cairns to go digital with Canons D30 back in year 2000,will I be the first to go back to film?? Nah, as I'm sure there already is someone that has!
September 2015
#film #filmphotography #retrophotography
I remember when digital cameras first came into the industry, it was the old Digital V Analogue debate for a while, before it reverted back to the Canon V Nikon, once again.
Of course digital was going to win that one, it just took some time, after all, it meant purchasing a new body, our main tool of trade, and in some cases, lenses too, especially if you were jumping ship from one brand to another.
This is a huge expense, so the reluctance was there.
There are many out there still shooting only with film, or combining film with their digital range, AND there are the new hipster breed of film lovers on the horizon, making it their point of difference, and learning and experiencing a new type of photography all over again.
Shooting with film only, if you were a beginner, is a great way to learn the trade. Yes every click and roll of film cost $$ but because of that you would soon learn that every shot counts and your ability to understand exposure and your cameras settings would benefit exponentially.
You can pick up what we called "expensive professional" film cameras, back in the day, from as little as 1-3 thousand upon Ebay now, and yes you can also get a great digital camera in that price range as well, but I'm talking Leica and Hasselblad, the "BMW and Rolls Royce" of camera gear, that we all drooled over in the shop windows.
Some young photographers of today are snatching these up and "rebelling" against the digital movement that they have grown up with. Analogue is retro and kind of cool. Look at the Lomography business with their crappy plastic Holga cameras, the Dianna, the build your own pinhole camera movement...teenagers love them!
I was perched atop a hill a few months ago, in the dark waiting for the moon to rise, and a young lady pulled up and asked if she and her tripod could join me. Of course they could, so much more fun sharing a shoot with someone. I offered her some of my shooting stash (beer, cheese and crackers) and away we went. The one thing I love the most about shooting long exposures at night is waiting for the image to write to the card, checking it out, getting all excited about it, and repeat.
I wondered why she wasn't doing the same. She was shooting film! I had instant admiration for her, and thought of the excitement of her getting her film back from the lab, or processing it herself. It would be like unwrapping presents at Christmas time, but better!!
She was in her twenties.
I wagged many a Maths lesson to sneak down to the school darkroom to process our work. Watching the images appear on the immersed paper was very cool. Even just loading a fresh roll of film, especially a more professional brand, into your camera, matching up the sprockets and winding it on ready to go. I don't get that feeling when I put in a card in my digital. When my sister left home I moved into her room and converted my old room into a darkroom, much to my mothers dismay. My black and white enlarger cost me $100 second hand. Fixer, developer and paper were not cheap and it was cheaper to just put your roll of film in at the chemist, but I did it for the fun. Learning little things like dodging and burning, vignetting edges, and having the control on how your images turned out was very cool.
Film has not lost its charm. How often we introduce grain or add filters to get that "film" look.
I was one of the first photographers here in Cairns to go digital with Canons D30 back in year 2000,will I be the first to go back to film?? Nah, as I'm sure there already is someone that has!
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