There are days when I feel that I am simply a gatherer of images whose sole mission is to run out and gather as many images as possible on a given day, come back, give a cursory look at some of them, judge them, show one or two, then on to the next crop. Never looking back. Never stopping to consider the ‘why’.
Anymore, I don’t ask why things happen. When I purchased this film camera, I had no intention of it being my sole-use camera for any period of time. Sure, I thought, it would be a nice trip to “back in the day”, nothing more. Yet, it has become more. Lately, there have been a few posts about film either directly or indirectly. Paul Butzi talked about why he wouldn’t use film to do his theater project, more specifically, large format. His points, of course, were all valid. The other day on T.O.P (The Online Photographer), Mike talked about shooting film and using Leica for a year to become a better photographer and to be able to ‘see’ better. I think that there is some merit in his idea, though not necessarily that you ‘need’ a Leica.
So far, I’ve shot 5 rolls of film, processed 4. The final finished roll I will process this evening. All told, 75 shots. In my bag sits another 6 rolls of film, ready to go. From what I can see, my success ratio seems to be a bit higher. To be sure, I am aware that there is cost involved with each exposure and I’m not prone to shooting, shooting, shooting … even though I advocate this approach. I think that, early on, the shoot/feedback loop is very important … if you take the time to analyze the feedback. It never looses its importance, but with the lower cost of digital, and higher shoot rates, the number of shots to analyze can be overwhelming. Now, I find myself moving, looking, moving, looking, waiting, and feeling things out before even taking a shot. It’s a relaxing way to shoot.
I’m rediscovering my ‘tone vision’, if you will. Not all things photograph well in B&W and, when shooting B&W film, one must make a choice. There is no shooting it in color, then converting to B&W to see which one you like best. You get what you get. Also, the digital perfection is gone. Film has its own characteristics, like grain and tonality, and I’m finding that I really like the grain on some of the film. It adds a beauty all of its own.
So! Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Am I more contemplative because I am shooting film or am I shooting film, because I am more contemplative. It is, I believe, the latter. The photography just followed, I think. When I shot film when I was younger, I ran through many rolls of film, to be sure. Back then, I bought expired film almost exclusively and developed it myself, so it was still relatively cheap.
Though I never fully intended to do the one camera, one lens, one film thing, I think that it is happening. Will I shun digital and run back into the arms of film? Doubtful. However, I am enjoying this medium format film and the developing. As with all things in life, we’ll just have to see where it leads. Thanks for riding along.
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7 Responses to “Unintended consequences”
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Wait… it gets deeper.
It’s getting weird/funny, but I am noticing this resurgeance more and more each day across the web. New films are being released in both 35mm and MF. I have a feeling this will be a trend and grow as most would have not guessed.
My only suggestion to the masses would be is to figure out if they want film equipment, processing, printing etc., because the prices are still very low but, I’m thinking not for long. Cycles……
I’ll be right next to you soon, as I’m getting better. I really miss posting and writing.
@Tom: I wonder which group this is that is making the change. I wonder if it is the older group, such as myself, or the younger crowd wondering what all the hubbub is about with film.
Certainly things do cycle. There has been a tremendous push in digital technology over the past 5 years since I became involved with digital photography. Cameras are doing more and more and more. Manufacturers are selling the idea that anyone can be ‘pro’ with the right camera, etc. This doesn’t really bother me, but sometimes I think that all of the bells and whistles just get in the way. It’s nice to have a clean, unencumbered display. It has been a nice step backwards.
I’ll be looking forward to having you there, too!
I feel lucky to be able to follow you on this trip. It will be a pleasure to see the photos and read your thoughts on the adventure. While I confess to being so busy with other photographic adventures that I haven’t the curiousity to send me looking for a film camera, I will enjoy a vicarious return to the past. By the way, I am betting you will convince some fans to join in on the film-fun.Enjoy!
As long as you’re enjoying it and making great photos…heck, why not. There’s not “one” right-path. I believe film will be around for a long time and I appreciate it’s attributes, but then digital certainly has it’s own attractions.
Film or digital, which one’s better–in the moment, it depends on the artist (photographer) using it.
Paul, I don’t ask why anymore. Like you, the camera is taken out and photos seem to get taken. I don’t try to find a reason or justification for this. My film camera and lenses are sitting in cases in a closet in my office. I take my digital camera out with me because it is lighter, newer and … well, just because. One thing about using the digital has been a sense of freedom to take more and more photos. I have had to invest in an external hard drive to store the damn things. Will I use them? I don’t know. They exist and for now, that is enough.
Having missed some of your posts (I was saving them up to read all at once) I REALLY like doing this, reading them as you explore. Great post, and great image.
Film is fun…and I thought I would miss it, but to be honest, I have only shot 2 rolls of film since 2005 and that was in 2006 and I haven’t looked back.
When I shoot digital though I usually don’t shoot that many frames. I can go all day and only shoot 5 frames, usually an entire day will yield far less than 50 frames. In the beginning I could not say that. I shot until my cards were full and then said dang!!! Now I do have times when I will shoot 100 images during one shoot but that is very rare for me.
I think film forces people to be more discerning about each frame, but you don’t need to be a film shooter to do that. You can do that with digital with a little discipline. On the other hand shooting ton’s of frames is a great learning tool. I think it speeds the learning curve when a photographer is just starting out.
When I was in my youth learning with 35mm and 120mm film I shot entire rolls by the dozen. I learned more from my failures than my successes but with digital I learn even more since I have the EXIF data to review. Unless you write it down for each film shot there is no EXIF with film…well at least not that I know of but hey my film camera is so old it was pre-autofocus, so for all I know there are film cameras that can record EXIF data…??? Hmmm that would be cool. I have not kept up at all with the latest film technologies.
Film is great fun but I think I will still stick with digital. I’m not so enamored with film like I used to be. I got my first digital in 2005…I think I was a little late coming to the party…lol.