My oldest son started school at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) this fall. My wife and I were able to take him to Savannah and get him settled. We spent a few days hanging out in, and around, Savannah. I have to say, wow. What a great old town! The locals are so patient with the tourists it is amazing. Such nice people.  And the Historic District of Savannah is just awesome. It has some amazing architecture along with some great parks and squares to just hang out in and look at the old oak trees covered in spanish moss.

Nikon F4, Nikkor 35-135 F3.5, Kodak Tri-X 400

There is such a variety of things to see in the Savannah area that it kept our days full. We went to the beach at Tybee Island and had some great sea food there. We got to explore the antique shops and eat on the river front at some great places. Everywhere I looked there was a picture to be taken. This shot is taken at Tybee Island. Right now it's a work print that I am playing with in the darkroom. I am playing with some toning techniques to see where I can take this one. So far so good. 

Okay, not to brag but Money Magazine has named Louisville the best small town to live in (or something like that) again. Louisville, Colorado is a great community for sure. I have loved living here ever since we moved in 10 years ago. For a little bedroom community we have some pretty swank places to eat and shop. There are really nice people here too. Here are some shots I took just bumming around the neighborhood last summer, Friday night street fair, walking trails and old town.

Mamiya 645 80mm, F2.8 Kodak Portra 400

If you ever get a chance to come to town make sure you hit the old town main street and grab some great tacos, burgers or a nice cold one.

I have been covering Team Anomaly, a local paintball team, over the summer. When I tell people I photograph paintball tournaments they always look at me a little funny. They sort of cock their head to the side and say "You photograph paintball tournaments?". Most people think of paintball as some sort of game for young kids or middle aged men who run around the back woods shooting each other. While there is that side to it, Team Anomaly was in an Xball tournament series this summer. Xball is very different than the stereo type of paintball that most people think of. It is more like a sport than most people realize. There are rules, referees, positions, strategies, sponsorships, and even bleachers for spectators to watch. It is a real x-games type sport.

Nikon F4, Sigma 70-300, Kodak Portra 400

It is quite a challenge to photograph a paintball tournament for sure. I have to wear all the protective gear the players are wearing and try to look through a viewfinder while dodging paintballs. Very exciting! Nothing like a family portrait session. Team Anomaly ended up taking 2nd place overall for the whole tournament series, these photographs were taken of their first place win for the 5 man game.

Mamiya 645, 80mm F2.8, Kodak TRI-X400 

Disclaimer: This is not a scientific test, my results may be different than yours and results may vary.

I have ordered some of the new Kodak Portra 400 film and can't wait to give it a spin. I have seen some posts on a few other blogs that have shown how wide the exposure latitude of the new film is. You can see some good examples over at Twin Lens Life. They are some great film shooters in the Riverside area. I have also seen a test of Fuji X-tra 400 consumer film that showed how much exposure latitude it has over at Figital Revolution. All films are different and behave differently, that's the beauty of film. Knowing what you want to get right out of the camera and knowing what film will get you there instead of working for hours in photoshop to get there is a great way to work.

For my example I chose to shoot with some Kodak Ultramax 400. It's easy to get your hands on and I figure that if someone wanted to start shooting film for the first time, or go back to it for kicks, they would be likely to pick some of this up and start shooting. It breaks down to about $2.50 a roll, not expensive and easy on the wallet.

What I did on my first roll is to expose the first frame at 50 iso and then move each frame after that up one stop, all the way to 6400 iso. I did this so I could find the "sweet spot" to set my iso on my camera. You might be saying "But the box says 400 iso, don't you set it at 400?". The short answer is maybe. Just because the box speed says 400 doesn't mean that you get the best results at 400. In the other examples from Twin Lens Life and Figital Revolution you can see that the films performed really well at just about all speeds. That's right, you can shoot those films like you can with digital and move the iso around! The Kodak Ultramax however, doesn't perform so great at 400 or higher (again these are my results, yours may be different). You can see my examples below.

 

All shot with a Nikon F4 and 50mm F 1.4 lens. 1 hour minilab at walgreens.

As you might be able to see 400 iso is about the max this film can shoot at. It seems that the film starts to flatten out in contrast and the grain starts to get bigger at 400 iso. If a person didn't know this and was excited to "try film" and shot this at box speed they might be a bit disappointed and think that all film looks like this. Now that I know how this film behaves with my shooting style and camera system I will be shooting this film at 100 iso not 400. The grain structure, color saturation and the blacks seem to be real nice at 100 iso and it still gives me about 2 stops + or - for error and I will still get a nice exposure. If you want to get into shooting film and you chose this film just for "testing it out" you would probably be better off setting your iso at 100 or 200 to start out. I think you will like your photographs more and it wouldn't discourage you from shooting some more.

No, I am not going out to drop some crazy amount of cash on the next best camera that came out. If you know me, I am not the kind of guy who chases the latest expensive piece of gear. I will use the best proven tool for the job. So what am I upgrading too you may ask. Well, I'll tell you. Kodak has announced a new color negative film. That's right a NEW film. I am excited to see this. It is not just another film, it's a new film with new technology. Finer grain, smoother color and tones and better latitude. That's what Kodak is saying anyway so I will upgrade to the new film when it hits the shelves. 

Nikon F4, Sigma 70-200, Portra 400VC

So guess what this new upgrade is going to cost. Go ahead, guess. I'm not sure, but it will be about $5-$6 bucks. Yup, that's it. Not $1,200 or $3,500 bucks. Actually, now that I think about it, the upgrade isn't costing me anything. I buy Portra 400nc now anyway, so buying the new film instead is a wash. A free upgrade. Not bad.

Now, for all my digital friends out there if they want to upgrade they have to buy a whole new camera body. That isn't cheap. I get to keep my lovely Nikon F4 and Mamiya 645, stick a new upgrade IN the camera, and I get a new look. I love that. I will be using the new film for all of my upcoming family portait shoots.

One of the most common questions I get from people when they see me shooting film is "How do you know you got the shot?". It makes me wonder why people think that just because they may photograph with a digital camera they won't miss the shot? I mean, just because there is a little screen on the back doesn't mean that you won't get people with their eyes closed, or out of focus, or a wrong exposure. It happens just as often as with a film camera as it does with a digital one. What it boils down to is practice, and knowing a few things about shooting film that sets the good film shooter apart.

In the case of the eye blinks and out of focus shots the digital shooter makes just as many of those as a film shooter does. The film shooter would have the same issues as the digital shooter. I get eye blinks and the random pole from the top of someone's head too. the point I am trying to make is that bad shots are made just as easily with digital as they are with film. It's not the camera that fixes that. Pay attention to what you are shooting. Look around the view finder, look into the back ground and inspect the photo before you press the shutter. It makes a huge difference in the photographs you will make.

 
Olympus XA, Fuji 200 straight out of the camera from the lab, no digital adjustment

What about that nice little screen on the back of the digital camera that shows you missed the shot you may ask? True a digital camera shows you right away that you missed. Okay, fine then what do you do? Take another one? well let's hope it isn't a 5 year old kid running around, because you aren't going to get another chance at that one. And how many other shots are you going to miss because your chimping at that screen every time you trip the shutter? When I shoot film I make a lot of photographs to ensure that a few will be on the money. I'm not distracted with a screen on the back either.

So here are some tips if you want to shoot some film and not miss the shot:

• Shoot color negative film at half the box speed. That means setting your camera at 200 iso when you shoot 400 iso film. Trust me, you won't miss on exposures when you do this.
• Set your camera to manual and spot meter a shadow area in the environment you are in, like the shadow of a tree, or dark corner of a room. Leave your settings there and shoot away.
• Shoot a couple more photos than you think you need. 
  
• Look at the photograph in the view finder before you press the shutter. Is the background distracting, etc.?
• Think ahead.
  
• Have fun interacting with the subject or surroundings your in because you don't have to keep looking at the screen.
• Practice. Do it more than one time.

If you keep it up and use these tips you will be amazed at how often you don't miss that shot.

 

I have been posting about shooting film lately and I realized when someone asked me "where do I get it?" that it isn't as easy to just go buy a roll anymore. So I thought I better post some resources for you to be able to find a camera, film and processing stuff if you need any. For a camera you may only have to go as far as your closet to find one. But if you need to buy one you can always go the ebay. The place I love to buy from is KEH.com. All of my images are made with cameras I bought from them. Another place to check out is freestylephoto.biz, what a great photo retailer. They are in L.A. and have a great selection of film, chemicals, and paper. Just about everything you need you can get from them at great prices. The image below was shot on their legacy pro film, and all of my black and white portfolio uses supplies I have gotten from them. You may even want to explore the toy cameras like the holga. Those are so simple and so fun to use. They make those really artsy images that look sort of dreamy and funky.

 

Pentax *ist 35mm, 50mm f2.0, 1/60th sec @ f2.0, Freestyle legacy pro 100 film

Now for some lab advice. I encourage anyone who wants to shoot film to develop their own film. I know it can be a bother but it is so much fun to pull the film off the real. To develop your own film you will need:

• A dark closet or changing bag.
• A developing tank and reels.
• Chemical. I would start with a liquid developer and fixer. That way your not having to mix powders and such.
• Extra plastic bottles and a way to measure your chemicals. Glass measuring cups work but don't use them for cooking too!
• A thermometer.
  
• A place to hang your film dry. I use the shower stall in the extra bathroom.
• A scanner is good to have so you can scan the negs when you're done.
  

A great place to go to get info on how to develop your own film is apug.org or you could always search youtube. If you don't want to do it yourself then you will most likely have to have your black and white film sent to a "pro" lab. Mini labs don't do traditional black and white film. Check your area for a pro lab or you can use mail order services if you want. For color negative film I recommend using a pro lab but be careful. Some labs call themselves pro but they are so far from pro it's laughable. To be honest, places like Costco can give a pro lab a run for their money with 35mm color film. I mean Costco can give you a developed roll scanned to an 8-9 megapixel resolution file for under $2 a roll. The pro lab will run you almost $20. Make sure your getting more from your pro lab than you could get at Costco.

Well, I hope that helps you get your feet wet in the world of film photography. It's a blast.

So, when I was at the Denver Chalk Art Festival last month I was walking around with my Mamiya 645. It's a manual camera that is pretty big. Anyway, I was snapping away... well "thwaking" away really. This thing has the loudest mirror slap, it's music to my ears. I was shooting the artists and all around me were hundreds, it seemed, of folks with DSLRs. But it seemed that every time I pressed the shutter release, every bodies head turned to see what in the world kind of camera I was shooting. One guy even walked up to me and just stared at the camera in my hand. Funny.

 

Mamiya 645 S1000, 80mm F2.8 @ 1/1000 Fuji 160C

The thing that I kept seeing at the festival, was folks walking around the crowd with their nose in the screen on the back of their camera. I had a blast. I got to talk to the artists, hang out with my wife, AND take some nice photos. But my nose wasn't in the back of the camera. My wife appreciates that. I guess that's what I am trying to say, is that when you shoot, you should keep an awareness of the things around you. It makes the people your with much happier and you won't miss the next shot because you nose is in the back of your camera.

I was in the airport in Salt Lake City headed back home after a great week at Sundance Resort. I was going through the security line and had my camera gear hand checked and they asked if they could inspect and swab the bag etc. The officer was a great guy and we chatted a bit about the weather and our visit. Then he opened my bag and saw all of my film gear and film. His reaction was pretty cool, "Oh, nice camera. So, you still shoot film? You must really know what you're doing."

 

Mamiya 645 1000S, 80mm f2.8, 45 sec @ F16, Kodak Portra 160NC

That made me wonder, has the art and craft of photography been cheapened and viewed as "easy" by the masses because of the digital revolution? Has the safety net of that little screen on the back of a digital camera given people the sense that good photography is just as easy as pushing that button? I think it has. People ask me how I know that I am getting what I want when I shoot. The simple answer is I know because I know my gear, and I am shooting film. When I shoot film I tend to over shoot so I usually get some great surprises along with what I planned to get. I hardly get anything unexpected other than the usual eye blinks etc. 

The funny thing is I get just as many "bad" shots when I shoot digital as when I shoot film. To be honest, negative film is so forgiving that I can get more "keepers" out of a roll of film because of the films latitude. Now, any digital shooter worth his/her salt will tell you that the only way to shoot is with digital RAW file format. It's true there is a lot of latitude with that format but you have to spend time in front of the computer to actually pull it all out into the image. The film today is so forgiving that it is like an analog version of the RAW format. Without the computer work. Very nice.