ISO50

Don’t forget Scott, there’s a Photoshop filter than can take care of that sweet grain on it’s own…

Hello,
I completely agree with you about the irreplaceability of film.
I do however, have something spontaneous that i have discovered about digital…

Last year, my friend was taking a photo of my wife and I, attempting to stand on a paddle board together, while she was knee deep in the water. Balance was the main issue in getting a successful shot. At the last second, even with the delay of a a Fugi s-3100, she was able to get the shot. Right after she took it, We fell off the board, sending it flying into my friends upper thigh, causing her to fall into the salty sea, with the camera.

(This is the actual image)

For weeks after this event, the camera was not working. I aired it out and set it aside for about 2 months. One day, i picked it up and thought about throwing it away, but decided to give it one more chance. The results were stunning. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that it renewed my faith in digital.

In still camera mode, unless I was lucky I came out with some pretty abstract or non-existent images. In video mode however, it was full of so much life and spontaneity, and one year later, i am still surprised by the results.

(Still Photo Ex.)

This is the first edit i made using my “digged” camera.

maui digged out 01 – cheralee and morgan – west maui 08

There are a few other edits on my myspace Video page, but the first one has a special place for me. I picked that Iron and Wine song without knowing the words, and edited the whole thing without ever previewing a render (until it was finished.)

What I love more about analogue photography is the wider range of cameras, all with different technical details. A Canon AE-1 is nice, for sure, but try an Ensign Ful Vue, nothing but a box with glass, primitive shutter but a gigantic viewer. Or an Agfa Jgestar, 6×9 medium format, that’s eight shots a film, more than enough. Or the new Voigländer Bessa III if you don’t know what to spend money on: A brand new product based on cameras from when my grandparents where young.
http://www.voigtlaender.de/cms/voigtlaender/voigtlaender_cms.nsf/id/pa_fdih7jzjul.html

I wish digital cameras would find back to the experimental stage they had at the very beginning, then maybe there would be one for me…

Thanks Navis,
I do have some on Youtube as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXmuXeGRogg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffTX-9rWjN0

Here is the most recent footage.

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=54893317

I made this one wondering why i make them. Just to post online for friends to see? Or, so my Wife and i can remember our lives if my hard drive crashes again. It’s all so fragile.

I’m not sure why this glitch occurs, but it has made shooting alot more interesting. I wonder if there are any sites dedicated to glitched out digital cameras. Anyone know?

@zanzanon: Yeah, you are right. It really feels good to carry the negatives around with you. I think the tangible aspect was the major reason so many photographers waited so long with switching to digital.

It’s funny, because I was thinking about film last couple of weeks. I was thinking about buying a scanner with a filmstrip scan function. It’s more expensive in use and it’s far less handy, but the image quality – that’s what it’s all about, not all those camera features – is just begging to be exploited.

My dad has an old Ricoh with Pentax lenses lying around somewhere. I don’t think it was in the time a superb camera, just a good one, I guess.
But I really like it. A couple of years ago, when I was 17, I was really into photography. I made a couple of shots the old way then. This was the one I liked the most:
http://basw.gfxartist.com/artworks/123288

I already planned to grab that Ricoh camera when I’m at my parents this weekend, can’t wait.

Most labs these days print their digital pictures the same way as film pictures. None of the places around me do c-prints.
I started out with digital, then moved onto film shooting both about equally, and now my digital camera hasn’t been used in close to a year. I might as well sell it while its still worth something.

Scott: Any idea what film those were shot with? It looks like fantastic film.

Being a child of the digital era, I really don’t have much of a clue of analog photography (or photography an sich, really) but I just have to ask:

How do you even get effects like that? Is it based purely on the type of film? Are they manually produced, or just sent to the shop? Lenses, even settings on the camera (can you even edit a lot of settings on an ancient thing like that?) ?

Great photographs, just great. They do shout “enlarge me and hang me on your wall” if you ask me, damn

Hannes

My father is an architect and photographer and I grew up surrounded by his passion for photography.

He owns a Nikon FTn and a Rolleiflex T1 and since I was 9 or 10 I was intrigued why he loved these cameras so much. I even borrowed his Nikon for an assignment in college (DSLR cameras were not that affordable back then) and the results came out pretty ok but I became uninterested with film cameras after I got my first DSLR 3 years ago.

Then one day I just felt the urge to check his Rolleiflex again after many many years and oh boy I’m glad I did it. I fell in love instantly after checking a few pictures my dad took with it back in the 60’s and 70’s. Medium format is my new baby. No DSLR can beat the colour richness and charm medium format has.

Too bad developing 120mm film is a tad difficult around here in Brazil, specially in B&W and that’s a shame because I’m dying to buy some Ilfords :(

It’s a shame film is dying but I’m glad there are tons of us who struggle to keep it alive :)

The third picture’s Flickr page says it was taken with a Canon PowerShot S3 IS. Still very nice looking though. Love the grain on the film shots.

I wholeheartedly second Brian. Real photographers (also) shoot film. Sometimes I feel digital lacks emotion and depth.

Also, agreed on how analog captures something that digital misses out on…it’s a chemical reaction vs. a much more complex technical attempt at accomplishing the same thing. Film has an imperfect, organic feel to it that still looks equally if not more pleasing.

Scott, thanks so much for the post. I couldn’t agree more. I’ve only shot digital, but am almost always more affected and moved by images on film.

I have had my eye on the AE-1 for a while, and just grabbed one on eBay. So excited.

Thanks again.

You cannot replace the raw authenticity from using a SLR camera with expired film or current film. The amazing quality if you try and seek old AGFA 35mm film brings such a tremendous amount of satisfaction. But it’s really about mastering the technique of photographing that is the ultimate outcome whether your using film or digital. Just last week, I got my brand new prosumer Canon SLR to replace my first purchased EOS 300 (a standard consumer) and what it will give me cannot be compared to digital. It’s vitally important to have a good lens as well.

I think the only reason why photographers use digital is because of the instantaneous ability for photo feedback and convenience. With film, you will always have to get it developed. But with anything, I find a good photo developing shop who process their work using a Fujifilm photo machine and I can simply ask them to enlarge the negative for me to whatever pixel size and then on CD.

Fern,
Great shots! Love the colors.

Zenzanon,
Can you give me some advice about starting your own darkroom?

zenzanon: since it’s nearly impossible to have 6×6 B&W film developed here in southern Brazil the idea of setting my own darkroom is growing on me. I am even starting to sort my shopping list and I’m sort of aware that it’s not going to be easy.

There’s an ongoing discussion on digital x film with a group of photographer friends because people in America (and maybe in Europe) have easy access to film rolls, darkroom equipment and specially film developing labs. It’s not that easy down here.

Buying film from B&H it’s also a royal pain in the buttocks because the shipping costs are obscene and the few shops selling them hardly sell Ilford Delta or Portra or Astia or Kodachrome. Impossible :(

People are simply paying more to develop their 6×6 film rolls because it’s all about digital and there are a few of those who decided to develop BW at home… I’m about to include myself in the latter.

Unfortunately living here makes all the process 5 times harder: buying the darkroom equipment itself it’s a pain in the a**, Ilford papers are rarely seen in photography shops (and Ilford themselves are really eager to sell their products in South America but I don’t know why the government is giving us a hard time).

Being a medium format hobbyist and enthusiast in Brazil is a good excuse to switch to digital, unfortunately.

I’m not sure if I’m allowed to post links to websites without Scott’s approval but check out http://www.freestylephoto.biz for darkroom supplies.

If all you’re wanting to do is develop then supplies shouldn’t put that big of a dent in your pocket. Check out epson’s website for refurbished scanners. The v700 is apparently really great for the price and will pay itself off pretty quickly considering the cost of having a lab put your shots on CD. The scans you get from it will blow anything the lab gives you out of the water.

Thanks Zenzanon,
Exactly – I will only develop my negatives and will buy a scanner next to that.

http://www.richardnicholson.com/darkroom/ Interesting pictures of the remaining professional darkrooms in London

*sigh*