Here We Are

It has been one year since I decided to pursue film photography. This past year has been a very eye-opening learning experience for me. Film photography has forced me to completely reconfigure how I shoot photos, forcing me to plan and think through things even more than I had in the past. I know many photographers out there have strong opinions about film, especially since we live in the era of digital, and I personally didn't think pursuing film photography was a good idea. After thinking about and debating the pros and cons for a few weeks, I decided to try it, thought that I would use what I had available, and determine if this would be worthwhile.

What I discovered was that I absolutely loved film photography. There was something refreshing going out with a camera, metering manually based off the film's ISO, and taking my time to get the exposure. Film has been a breath of fresh air in my pursuit of photography, providing me a new challenge by making me slow down and be more deliberate with my shot taking. What I have learned while doing film has really influenced my style, as well as process with my digital photography as well.

Kodak Ultramax

Kodak Gold

Kodak Ultramax

The Film Aesthetic

Say what you will, but I love the aesthetic and look of film. Some people talk about how sharp and clear digital photos are, but I argue that perfect clarity is not always a good thing. Depending on what you're shooting, the pros of digital is definitely superior. Sports photography definitely being one of those specific examples. However, when it comes to a most subject matter, clarity sometimes detracts from the memory permanently attached to that photo. The grain gives it a bit of crunch and character that I never thought I would appreciate so much until I was older.

Kentmere Pan 400

Ilford Hp5

Reformed Day Shots

The Cost

One thing you had to adjust to with using film is the cost. Inflation was already pretty bad this year, and film is still very niche, so spending 30 dollars on average per roll to acquire and develop could really eat away at the finances. I believe if under different circumstances, I probably would have been able to do more if the cost had not been so high. However, I still got quite a bit taken and developed, and I think the cost was worth it. The pros definitely outweighed the cons on this adventure.

Fuji 400

Kodak gold

Stay Tuned

So I have to break this here, there's still so much to share, I just can't fit it all in one post. Be on the lookout for Part 2 here soon. In the meantime, go check out my print gallery and order a print, that would really help me in my pursuits here in photography.