Why Shoot Film?

Why film?

Many people ask me why I still shoot film. Indeed, people still ask me if film can still be bought as if I like to carry around unusually large cameras with no film in them for exercise. Unnecessary sarcasm aside though, my first thought is usually to punch them in the face but that feeling usually gives over to the urge to share my love and passion for film and wax lyrical about the joys of photography in general. These are conversations I usually deliberately steer towards talk of film in particular and ones that often descend fully into a dogmatic approach to film photography evangelising and why I think the whole World would be better off if we all just shot more film. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with this. I genuinely think film is an important part of human culture and should be preserved.

The truth is that I learnt photography on film. When I learnt photography, photography meant shooting film. Photography was film. But why continue to use film? My photography has come full circle in terms of medium. I started off with film and briefly switched to digital during the late 00’s and then returned to film.

It wasn’t a conscious decision to start shooting digital it was more circumstantial. My camera gear was stolen in Vietnam during my backpacking days and during this time I started working on a small independent travel magazine in Thailand. The next camera I bought was digital but at the time I really wasn’t thinking in terms of media – I was just shooting and loving it.

Nikon FM2 / Kodak Portra 160 / Nikkor 85mm

Despite this I soon discovered my photography wasn’t progressing the way I wanted it to and the rate at which I was learning was slowing – I had plateaued. I was amassing a huge number of photos and spending more and more time editing and post-processing. I was becoming less connected to the subject and making photos and more connected to gear and the computer screen

In retrospect I can put this down to experience. The slow and often frustrating experience of mastering an art (or attempting to at least) can also be a humbling one and I’m glad to have worked through this facet of photography but at the time I felt I was going backwards and that the digital workflow was to blame. Even if it wasn’t, I was enjoying photography less than I used to and above else I have to enjoy what I’m doing.

During my film days I’d been used to dealing with a small number of photos, my ‘keeper’ rate was fairly high and it steadily grew with experience. Now I was lost in a sea of what can only be described as digital crap – dozens of photos that looked the same and I was wasting precious time trying to figure out which were the keepers. Instead of thinking about the picture I was trying to make, I just shot photo after photo in the hope of getting the one I wanted instead of thinking about the design process. I was getting lost. I longed for film and for the darkroom.

Nikon FM2 / Kodak Ektar 100

When I returned to England I new I needed to get back to my photography roots, so to speak. I bought a second hand film camera – a fully mechanical and manual one. No bells or whistles, just a shutter speed dial, an ISO dial and a manual focus lens with a manual aperture ring. I went back to basics and started to enjoy the process of making a photograph once again. I’d never had so much fun. By this time though, the entire industry had moved to digital and many of the films I had used in the past had been discontinued or were disappearing but it didn’t matter, I new I wanted to shoot film from then on.

Design and Process

There are times when I just want to shoot from the hip – walking around busy towns and cities, shooting in crowds or on the street or in markets etc, but most of the time I consider every shot; the design process that I’d neglected is now at the forefront of my mind whenever I take a photo – well, almost every time.

I think film photography can be enriched by a Zen-mind approach. Apart from the photographic design process – orientation, focus point, what to place where in the scene, what to leave out, colour, light, shape, texture, balance, dynamism, juxtaposition, movement, content, narrative etc, etc which are relevant to photography regardless of equipment or medium, using film requires an extra set of decisions. Selecting the right film, taking weather and light into consideration, metering, thinking ahead to processing and printing (and/or scanning) etc. Older film cameras are less automated and some have no automation whatsoever or even light meters which means you might have to remember dark slides and lens caps and learning to use an external light meter or another method of metering, sunny 16 or the zone system for example. After that you’re still only a third of the way through the process. Now the fun really starts – development and printing.

But it’s not just the process that I love. The main reason for using film is the look. It just looks nice to my eye. It has real beauty. It’s tangible, it has character, it can be described.

I love the way film handles the transition from shadows to highlights. It’s smooth and gradual and I love the fact it has so much dynamic range and exposure latitude. Instead of wasting time processing photos I just select the film that gives me the look I want. That being said, I don’t like being distracted by talk of pixels, resolution, sharpness etc. Pixel-peeping is a waste of time. I just prefer the look of film.

Another upside to returning to film photography at this time was the cost of used cameras. The cameras I’d lusted over during my formative years were now mostly affordable. I decided that as part of my continued photography education I would try as many as I could. Medium format cameras I used briefly at college I could now own, old 35mm compacts I remember my parents using were now being sold off in huge numbers for just a few pounds.

Mamiya C220 / Fuji Pro 160NS

Now I love film more than ever. I still own a digital camera but I never use it. I’m only interested in film.

All this being said, I haven’t written any of this in order to criticise digital photographers or compare film favourably to digital. I’m not really interested in film vs digital debates (unless there’s something useful to be learnt from one). I understand why others want to use digital and the arguments for using digital in certain situations are sound. These are just some of my personal reasons for continuing to shoot film.

Expired Film

On this blog I only tag film with the “expired film” tag if it’s a least 2 years out of date. In my experience nothing much happens to film in terms of colour or quality unless it’s significantly out of date except for a loss of sensitivity. Film, especially high-end professional film lasts very well and performs normally even when expired. Only when it’s significantly expired will the user experience colour shifts and the like. Normally though the film becomes grainy and muddy and isn’t particularly interesting from a photographic perspective.

Nikon FM2 / Kodak ProFoto XL

I’m not interested in film because it’s expired. I use expired film in spite of the fact it’s expired. Either because I’ve been holding onto it for too long and haven’t got around to using it or I’ve found some discontinued film that I like and want to use and it happens to be expired.

Film Rebranding

All of the films I use I refer to on this website exactly as they are described on the box. Throughout the history of film photography different films have been rebranded and sold as other films. There’s a great deal of discussion on this subject online and I’m sure some of the film I use is actually rebranded.

I haven’t really got the time or the inclination to figure out for certain exactly which films have been rebranded. There seems to be a general consensus among netizens in the film photography community on the origin of certain films whilst the origins of others appear hotly debated still. I have come across some discussion on the subject in the ‘real world’ but not a great deal.

For anyone who’s interested in the subject – to find the greatest number of people interested in the same thing one should probably look to the Internet – online forums and film photography blogs will probably offer the most answers. Retail staff don’t seem to know much and I’m not aware of any books on the subject.

To keep things simple I just refer to them as they are sold.

Which Films?

These days I believe any film stock is a good one simply because I believe any action taken towards helping keep film alive is a good thing.

Photographic film has always come and gone. In the past film manufacturers have marketed many different kinds of film sometimes even in different versions i.e. a vivid colour version and a natural colour version, multiple speeds, tungsten balanced, negative, reversal, motion picture, infrared etc. Just fifteen years ago the list seemed endless and as photographers we were spoilt for choice.

Now we are down to the bare minimum, often having to look to different manufacturers to find a particular kind of film in a particular speed. These days I shoot pretty much whatever I can get my hands on wether it’s expired or not and pretty much regardless of the price, within reason. I want to shoot as much film as I possibly can.

Nikon F801-s / Boots 200

There are two main manufacturers you should know about. The first is Kodak. Kodak have done more for the photographic medium than any other company in history. They brought photography to the masses when the medium was in its infancy and George Eastman pioneered the use of celluloid film. Their decision to re-introduce Ektachrome has had film photographers rejoicing the world over. I believe buying Kodak film is one of the most beneficial things a person can do for the industry.

The other big name in film is Fujifilm. While they’ve produced a number of superb films over the years their apparent disdain for the medium is disheartening and their discontinuations of their film lineup continues to sadden photographers.

If I had to recommend any film I would say get the best ones you can afford. I try to stay away from the very low end; Fuji C200, Kodak Colorplus etc. I once used a roll of expired Kodak Ultramax and it was horrible and haven’t used it since.

Kodak Gold and Fuji Superia are mid-range films and are perfect for general photography and are relatively inexpensive.

On the higher end Kodak Portra is arguably the best film ever made in terms of exposure latitude and dynamic range and it’s easy to use. It was the last professional film to be introduced and uses the latest technology. Ektar has the finest grain of all films but is trickier to use. Fuji Pro is lovely also but in my experience needs to be over-exposed in most circumstances.

I tend to over-expose film as a general rule. More if I’m shooting outside and the sky is overcast or if I’m shooting indoors. I’m not saying it’s right, it just gets me results I like.

 

Notes on cameras.

Why Gear is Important and Why it Doesn’t Matter

One question photographers, teachers etc get asked is “What camera?” First up I want to say that to make photographs it doesn’t matter one little bit what camera you use. Film, digital, compact, 35mm, medium format, large format, phone, pinhole, it doesn’t matter. Just pick it up and use it. Having the latest and greatest won’t make you a better photographer, nor will it help you with creativity. It won’t make you a better story teller and it won’t help you create narrative, or see light or any of those things. Cameras don’t make photographs, people do. However, we live in complicated times, it’s a topsy-turvy World we live in, money is tight and I think it’s worthwhile to arm yourself with as much knowledge as possible.

Over the years I’ve heard photographers say that they don’t care about cameras, only photography itself. I accept that. It sounds good. The medium itself is the most important thing not the camera but really there’s no excuse – we live in an information age. This sentiment may earn you brownie points among purists or hipsters but really, it’s just waffle. It’s a good way for the speaker to get some approving nods.

I once spoke to a photographer who proclaimed quite proudly to not know the model of her camera as she said – it isn’t important. Well, to take photographs it isn’t. But to make the right camera-buying choice, taking into account your budget, your commitments etc you probably should know. Despite the relatively low cost of film cameras these days, I simply couldn’t throw money at a cameras who’s name or model I couldn’t even remember or didn’t know in the first place.

Mamiya C220 [Nikon FM2 / Fuji Reala]

Buying a camera, regardless of how little it might cost requires an important decision-making process. You will use it to make photographs, the act of which will take up hundreds if not thousands of hours of your precious time. For this to be worthwhile undertaking you’ll need to understand what you’ll be making those photographs with. As with anything else, you’ll want to use the right tool for the job.

Knowing Your Equipment

I think knowing your equipment is important. To get the most out of your camera and the 100 plus years of technological evolution that went into making the film you put in it you need to be aware of what your camera can and can’t do well.

For instance, let’s say you’ve heard all about the legendary Hasselblad and the amazing Zeiss glass or you love the idea of using the Rolleiflex and you’re interested in taking photos on crowded streets and busy market places, in bustling sub-ways or at protest marches. If you plan to combine either of these two cameras with this style of shooting it’s important to know that the image through the ground glass focussing screens of these cameras will be ‘flopped’ – that is, inverted on a vertical axis and that the Hasselblad Zeiss glass has a long focus throw making it relatively slow to work with.

Nikon FM2 [Mamiya C220 / Fuji Superia X-TRA 400]

None of the above would be strictly prohibitive but surely these are things you’d need to be aware of and knowledge that goes far beyond the make and model of a camera.

Lenses

Lenses too have idiosyncrasies that make them job specific. For example the Nikkor 85mm ƒ/1.8 AF-D is horrible shot anywhere near its minimum focussing distance. It’s soft and exhibits low contrast – generally pretty awful. Double the distance to the subject however and it comes into its own. This lens is clearly optimised for portraiture.

The Nikkor 24mm ƒ/2.8 AF-D flares horribly when shot into the sun. Small, sharp and harsh flare, but if you already know this you can try to use it creatively or at least you won’t get any surprises when you develop your negs. It also distorts quite badly – complex or barrel distortion that’s hard to correct. Apparently the corners are soft wide open and there’s significant light fall-off as well. But then I’ve never been one for pixel-peeping. I’m usually having too much fun shooting.

Nikon FE2 | Agfa Vista 200 | Nikkor 24mm ƒ/2.8 AF-D

I shoot into the sun quite a lot. I like the dreamy, backlit ‘contre-jour’ look (I apologise to any native French speakers who are miffed at my containing some of your perfectly suitable words in commas). The 80mm Seiko for the Mamiya C220 produces a very distinctive circular, ‘rainbow’ flare when shot into the sun. The kind of flair that will have your Photo Editor throwing your prints into the bin. But I know this and I work with it, I even quite like it. Whenever I shoot into the sun using this camera and lense I’m aware of that fact I’ll likely get some lense flair. Lots and lots of it.

Zooms or Primes

I use primes. I owned a zoom lens once that I used during my backpacking days as I thought it would save weight/space etc. I should have just taken a 24mm and 35mm. It was stolen in Vietnam and not replaced.

I use primes for a number of reasons. They’re cheaper than zooms, they are nearly all fast – ƒ/2.8 at least except for some medium format lenses, and they’re lighter. I have never missed having a zoom lens. I think using primes takes away another mostly unnecessary decision you have to make when making a photograph, simplifying the process. It also forces you to learn about the perspective of standard focal lengths. I can’t really think of any good reasons for me to shoot with zooms other than some added convenience.

Gear Acquisition Syndrome

Everyone suffers from bouts of GAS (gear acquisition syndrome) at some point. We’re only human and it’s understandable. But I think buying up cameras for the sake of it or for the purpose of collecting isn’t the best thing to do – buying cameras in order to learn from the experience of using them is a really great thing to do.

There are no 35mm SLR cameras currently in production except for the Nikon F6 which is still listed by Nikon (although no one seems to know if it’s actually still made or not) and the Cosina-made Nikon FM10. Neither of which are readily available and are possibly old stock, almost certainly in the case of the F6.

Mamiya Universal Press / Nikon FM2 / Nikkor 24mm ƒ/2.8 AF-D / Fuji X-TRA 400

With no new cameras being made at some point all cameras at some time in the future will stop working. If you own a particular system it’s worthwhile to invest in redundancy to safeguard your film photography future. I use Nikons and I own the following: FM2, FE2, F801s, F90X, F-100. The FM2 was my first, the FE2 I saw on ebay and just wanted it and all the rest I got for good prices and are ideal back-up bodies should any of the others fail. The Nikon F90X  (+grip) I bought for 900HKD with an SB-26 speedlight and a Ricoh TF-500 thrown in for good measure. Honestly, I bought it for the flash but was happy to have a spare body especially one as good as the F90X.

Buying these just to have a set or to build a collection is pretty pointless but having back-up bodies puts my mind at ease.

Up until a few years ago I’d only used 35mm SLRs and compacts with any regularity. Moat of the other systems – medium format SLRs, TLRs, rangefinders, press cameras, as well as 6×4.5, 6×6, 6×7, 6×9 formats were fairly mysterious to me. Over the last ten years or so I’ve systematically and deliberately  built a ‘collection’ in order to advance my knowledge of cameras and thus photography. It’s not GAS, honestly. Ok, I suffer from GAS but as long as you’re not robbing from your mother like Zammo from Grange Hill to pay for it you’re all right. As film photographers why shouldn’t we benefit from the mess that digital has created.

Mamiya Universal Press / Fuji FP-100C / 100mm ƒ/2.8 / Polaroid Back

The marketing departments of camera companies do a remarkable job of convincing their customers of the need to upgrade their cameras. It started probably during the 70’s and 80’s with the competition between Nikon and Canon although major advances in technology were being made at the time that allowed photographers more luxuries – autofocus, matrix metering, automatic film advance etc were all major developments in their day but probably didn’t require the average shooter to rush out and buy a new model. Similarly, a bigger sensor, more megapixels, faster AF, more AF points, extra metering modes and the ability to shoot 10 frames per second are not good reasons to upgrade a perfectly good camera.

Owning a Mamiya or a Hasselblad was just a dream for me 15 years ago, now it’s become a reality. Anyway, enough about GAS – this is how I justify my camera purchases, so there.

Which Cameras?

There are few things in this World that excite me more than shooting film. Trying out a new film or camera for the first time adds another layer of excitement. I’m always on the lookout for films and cameras I haven’t used. Ideally I would like to try every camera at least once, realistically this isn’t going to happen and I’ve no intention of making it happen.

Mamiya Universal Press / Kodak Ektar 100 / 100mm ƒ/2.8 / 6×9 back

My interest in certain cameras has been piqued by various things. The work of  other photographers for instance. Some cameras come with a reputation but I try and avoid cameras that have a lot of street cred. The cool cameras. Cameras that come to mind that fit this bill – Contax T2, Yashica T, Fuji Klasse, Minolta TC-1, Leicas (all), Konica Hexar, Rolleiflex etc. All great cameras in their own right, but they’re very cool. Too cool for me.

35mm

My first ‘proper’ camera was a Nikon FM2. Mechanical – only the meter requires a battery – and manual. There are no automatic features whatsoever. I’ve used this camera ever since. I’ve since bought a number of Nikon bodies – cameras I used to lust after but could never afford but have since managed to acquire for reasonable prices and for the purpose of redundancy – they’re back-up bodies. They all get used. So, yes, I’m a Nikon user.

Nikon Vs Canon

It really doesn’t matter. Both companies make wonderful cameras and it was probably their rivalry that advanced camera technology at such a rate during the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. The main reason I chose to use Nikon is because Nikon lenses all the way back to the late 1950’s are compatible with varying degrees of functionality with every Nikon body ever made, film or digital – the lens mount hasn’t changed. Canon changed their lens mount from the FD to the EOS system in 1987. For me this is a compelling reason.

I also own a Pentax MX and a Minolta XD-7. Before I bought these cameras I’d only ever owned a Nikon SLR so I wanted to see for myself what else was going on. Both of these are great cameras in their own ways and I’m glad I bought them but there’s no good reason to switch from one brand to to another. It’s fun to use different camera and lens combinations though.

Compacts

I use a few 35mm compacts. They’re useful for walking around with in your hand and snapping on the street and for taking on holiday. I’ve bought a few from fleabay for as little as 1GBP. It’s fun to see how well (or not) I can do with them and they’re generally fun to use.

Olympus AF-10 Super / Fujicolor C200

Again, I’ve stayed away from the sought after cool cameras like the Ricoh GR1, Fuji Klasse, Yashica T3/4/5, Contax T1/2 etc. I’ll give anything ago. I’ve used the Olympus AF-10 Super the most which I bough from ebay for 1.04 GBP and the Olympus XA. I will add a complete list soon and will add a link here when it’s done.

Medium Format

I only started using medium format cameras regularly around 10 years ago. The first medium format camera I owned was a Kodak Brownie Reflex 20 inherited from my Grandad. It uses 620 film – it’s the same as 120 except the spool is a slightly different size requiring you to sand it down to make it fit. Anyway, it’s fun to use.

Next I bought a Mamiya C220, considered a workhorse and a rather unsexy camera. It’s fairly big and boxy and not as sexy or sought-after as the Rolleiflex and probably not even as sexy as the Yashicamat 124G or the Minolta Autocord but arguably as capable if not more so than any of the above. For me it was the obvious choice.

Mamiya C220 / Fuji Reala 100 / 80mm

I found a minty fresh version on ebay for about £200, I had the lens serviced and have been using it ever since. For the price of a mid-range digital compact I’ve had over 10 years of hassle-free medium format photography – great value.

I’ve since acquired a number of medium format cameras, a range finder, an SLR and a Holga. All for the purpose of my, ahem, continued education.

Toy Cameras

I don’t believe ‘Lomography’ is a thing. It’s a marketing gimmick. Making photographs on a Nikon isn’t called ‘Nikonography’, is it? Toy cameras are things though. Cheaply made, expensive to buy things.

The only toy camera I think is, or was (they’re no longer produced) worth the money was the Holga. I bought mine for around 200HKD. The Holga isn’t made by Lomography. I quite like the look of some Lomography-made cameras – the LC-A/W has distinctive look. I had one until recently. It was dropped once from below waist height and has stopped working. I bought a Diana mini but it malfunctioned through normal use.

I don’t really recommend any other Lomography cameras. I think they are poor quality, are likely to fail and are overpriced. But I think Lomography have a job to do. They are helping keep film alive and are introducing film photography to a new generation of photographers – great news.

So, there’s some waffle on why I use the cameras that I do.

I’d love to hear your reasons for using the cameras you do or any insights into this subject. Get in touch! If you’d like to comment on or correct anything I’ve written then please do.

Cheers, Matt