Film Photography

Man, I really miss film photography. It's been nearly a year since I last popped in a roll of film into a camera and hit the streets to find aesthetic shots like this one. I've done a lot of street photography with my digital cameras, but I really do miss using film.

Focus. That's one of the things I get when I use film. Depending on the roll, each shot costs between 30 pence to 1 pound. Film photography can be very expensive. Nothing focusses your intentions like cost.

Commitment. That's another thing I get from using film. Once you hit the shutter release, you're committed. Your ISO if fixed, as is your exposure. Sure, if you're developing the thing yourself in the dark room, there's a little room for messing around with temperatures and exposure times to compensate, but that isn't an easy thing to do. You've basically got to get it right first time, or it's wrong.

Colours. There are still some hues that are not yet accurately captured by the digital sensor. Shades of red are particularly difficult for digital cameras to capture well. I don't know why, but red just never looks right for me, especially red flowers. They always look perfect on film. I don't know if it's the dynamic range of film or the infinitely smooth transitions between colours in the analogue process that's responsible for this.

Vintage. That's the other one. Apart from the actual film and the photography itself, there's also the vintage cameras I love to use. The clunky ones with the strange film advance levers. The ones that require the shutter to be cocked before changing the shutter speed setting, otherwise they're damaged. The ones nobody knows how to use, so I have to experiment to see what happens. I love all that stuff.

Hopefully this month I'm going to get a chance to go shooting with one of my old cameras. I may even make a video about it.

Peace & Love,

Adé