This post for is for anyone who may be interested in film photography and particularly those who may be coming back to try it once again after a long break away. Equally, it may be of use to someone totally new to the art. Please understand that I'm not an expert - far from it and if you're looking for technical advice there are better blogs to read. (I'll list a few at the end of this post that cover both technical and more artistic approaches including alternative techniques as well a good solid film photography).
This series of posts is more of an attempt to put into words my distinctly amateur and personal journey back to embracing old cameras and film. I hope you find it interesting and that it helps you in some way with your own journey into film photography.
First a little background:
Back when I was a college student in the 1970s I learned to use a film camera (Praktica Nova 1), develop film and make prints as part of my art course but I chose graphic design for my career path and only used my camera mainly for snapshots and holiday photos after the course. I did remain interested in cameras though and later bought both an Olympus Trip 35 and an Olympus MJU-1 when they became available and I still have both of those cameras today.
Many years later as cameras went digital I began to use them as a part of our design practice buying a Sony Mavica, a Canon G5 and Canon EOS 300 then 450 and 500 over a period of time. These digital cameras helped renew my interest in photography but the move back to film took many more years.
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| My Olympus Trip 35 with Kentmere 400 and Ilford HP5+ |
How it all started - sort of...
It began back on 20 February 2020. I was sorting through a lot of things in the home studio attempting (and failing) to get everything in order, when I came across my old Olympus Trip 35. It was still in surprisingly good condition and I was tempted to try it out.
I bought some Kentmere 400 from a local photography shop loaded the Trip and took it along with me to meet friends on a day out. I shot a few frames but then went back to digital and forgot about the Trip. Then Covid-19 hit the UK. Normal life stopped...
Around that time I was mostly using Flickr while dropping in and out of Twitter.
In 2021 I began posting square format images to my Twitter account in black and white, made with my new iPhone SE (2nd Gen) and I started getting likes and a few favourable comments from film photographers on the platform. I looked at their work and the enthusiasm they all had for film photography inspired me. By coincidence I had also recently found my father's vintage Mayfair box camera in the loft. (More sorting 'stuff'). I serviced the Mayfair and sent for some 120 film. I just wanted to give it go.
My journey back into film had begun...
The Mayfair Box camera and Olympus Trip 35
The first photo-walk with the Mayfair was back in May 2022. I found it very difficult to compose an image through the tiny Watson-style viewfinders. Needless to say the results were mixed. But I enjoyed the process, the limitations and the uncertainty. Using film with a vintage camera was a totally different experience to digital. Hard to put into words; my concentration was greater, I looked far longer and made fewer images and the process made me much more aware of the light and the limitations that light may have for the image I was attempting to make with such an old camera. I couldn't just press the shutter and check the back plate. I had to trust my eyes and my senses more. My awareness of what was around me, the weather conditions, where the light was coming from, how it fell across and image. Of course I was always aware of these factors when composing a photograph but not as acutely and that was the difference. It made me a better photographer.
Once I had the 120 film processed by a lab I looked with renewed wonder at what this ancient box camera, which was over 90 years old, could actually achieve. Ok, to be fair not pin sharp, not always composed quite how I thought on the day but pretty acceptable. I returned to the Trip 35 and finding the film still in the camera from 2020 resolved to shoot the rest and have it processed.
Once again the results were mixed but one or two really stood out for me and the Trip 35 was a joy to use. A lightweight rangefinder style camera that was almost as easy as a point-and-shoot. I was beginning to get hooked on shooting with film cameras. At this stage it wasn't the results but the process I enjoyed. The limitations became strengths and I think it improved my digital photography.
Limitations are strengths when it comes to film photography - slow down...
The best way for me to explain this is to go back to a drawing class at college in the 70s. A lecturer had all the students stop working with pencils and and pens close the surface of the paper and instead had us tie charcoal sticks to long 4 foot canes. As we were now further away from the surface of the paper we had to really concentrate on where we put the marks. The limitations and this technique loosened your approach. It made you think. It slowed you down. You accepted mistakes. Shooting with film was like that for me.
And here in no particular order are several excellent blogs/websites that may be of interest:
https://davewhenhamphotography.wordpress.com
https://andrewbartram.wordpress.com
https://photieplace.wordpress.com/2022/09/26/dancing-with-myself/
https://www.temporallightimages.com
http://www.ggcreativeimages.co.uk
https://www.maureenbond.com/index
https://deborahparkinphotography.blogspot.com/2022/03/the-piece-below-was-written-for-project.html