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.

So Last week we had a little Bar-B-Q at the Hillside School in Boulder. My youngest went there for a few years and I can't say enough good things about it. Anyway, while I was following the kids around the grounds I had my TLR with me. I was shooting some Kodak Portra NC in this beautiful light as the evening sun went down and I was blown away with how every shot came out fantastic straight out of the camera. I mean I didn't have to do a thing to the images on the roll. I love this stuff! I mean, compared to shooting chrome this stuff is fool proof. Anyone can shoot this film and have fantastic images without have to do any post processing.

It got me wondering, since when did having to do post processing become a must? I mean, Formula 1 drivers don't work on the cars, they leave that to the professionals. There is nothing wrong with wanting to do post processing on your images. If you enjoy it great, but I shoot a lot and I can't imagine having to spend tons of time working on an image after I shoot it that I could have gotten right in camera and not spent any time at all on it. After all these were only meant to be snap shots, and they look awesome without any work.

So, my challenge to you if you are a photo enthusiast or pro is to see how close you can get to your final image in camera. Good luck.

Yashica 12 TLR, 1/500th @ F3.5, Kodak Portra NC 160

Yashica 12 TLR, 1/500th @ F3.5, Kodak Portra NC 160

I was thinking about how the digital revolution in photography has impacted our world on a sustainable point of view. There are two things in particular that I have thought about. The first is, a sustainable business in photography today. With cameras that come out every 6 months that level the field "technically". Less and less technical skill is needed to achieve a decent level of photography resulting in a flood of mediocre photographic images. ""Good enough" has become the standard. Ironically, I think that is the key to standing out today. It is easier to stand out among the flood today, than say 10 years ago when you had to be a fantastic photographer to stand out. If you can bring a higher level of vision and creativity to your photographs today then your work will be a stark contrast to the ordinary stuff out there.

 

Patio Fireplace at the Renaissance Orlando at SearWorld Nikon F4, Tokina 24-70, Kodak E200

The other part of the sustainability thing is what happens to all the gear every time you have to upgrade to the next best camera? Where do all the raw materials come from when new gear is made at such a rapid pace? And how much money really needs to be spent on upgrading a camera that could have otherwise been put to a better use like feeding or clothing someone? I mean $4,000 - $8,000 or more every year or two on camera bodies? Wow, that's a lot. Remember about the standing out above the sea of ordinary photographs? The camera won't make you stand out, it's your vision and creativity, not the camera. Don't fall into the upgrade trap if you can avoid it. Rent gear if you must, but you don't always have to buy that gear because you think it will give you the edge. Your creativity will give you the edge. Shoot with a Holga, if it fits your creativity, and you get the upgrade with what you put in the camera... the film. Film technology is fantastic and is an affordable upgrade, environmentally, and economically. Some would say that film is not a green tech, but I beg to differ. It has been around for over a 100 years and we are doing just fine with it. I mean, the plastic is what we want to keep right? And it doesn’t take a battery to keep the image on some device once it’s taken, it’s just there..

Think about this. A Hasselblad H3 or H4 system costs up to $30,000 or an H1 system for $1,200 (that stays out of a land fill and not producing a new H3/4). That leaves enough money left over to buy 8,500+ rolls of the latest greatest, highest tech film around. That's a heck of a lot of film, and the greatest thing is, you only pay for the film when you use it. Not in one big chunk. Creative imagery + using film = sustainable photography.

Nikon F4, Tokina 28-70, 2 sec @ f8 TRI-X 400 pushed two stops (1600 iso)

In my last post I confessed how much I like to shoot film. One of the reasons I like to shoot it so much is that I can stay engaged with what/who I am photographing. That little screen on the back of digital cameras distracts me so much that I stop interacting with my subjects. I stop thinking of what the next shot could be. I love to work in a stream of thought that is a constant flow from shot to shot. I just can’t get that mojo going when I am looking at the back of a camera after every shot. Sure I can put tape over the screen but I’m not the only one who wants to look at that screen.  My clients and models always want to see that last shot. So, there goes that magic feeling and the creative stream.

I was reading the March issue of PDN and there is an article in it called “Art and Commerce”, by Coner Risch. Turns out Joanna Ewing, the Art Director in charge of Urban Outfitters catalog department, thinks shooting digital takes the creative flow out of the process too. She requires all photographers to shoot film. Her reason for this, is that, she feels the process of shooting film is more fluid. She says the digital shoot had a “stilting” effect. Mostly because of the instant feedback that makes everyone want to look at that last shot, even the model.  I read that and said to myself “that’s it, that’s why I enjoy the film shoot so much more.”

The article goes on to discuss how film isn’t really any more expensive because there are added costs do a digital shoot that a film shoot doesn’t have. It really is about the same cost when you boil it all down. Joanna also talked about using mood boards and how she tries to get the “look” down before proceeding. It’s a really good article. If you subscribe you can check it out online at pdnonline.com or just go buy the issue. It’s worth it.

 Nikon F4, sigma 70-300mm lens and Kodak TX400, devloped in Xtol. 

I hate following the herd. Period. That's just the kind of guy I am. I don't buy the next thing that comes out just because someone else did. One thing that has come with the digital age that I have been thinking about lately is waist. More on that in another post. With photography it's easy for someone to think that the next piece of gear is going to make them a better photographer and I just don't belive that. The best tool a photographer has is his/her mind and eyes. The gear is just an extension of the artists vision. So with that said, I love to shoot film. There, I said it. I don't usually mention my methods of capture because it really shouldn't matter. But in this day and age of better, faster gear coming out every week (it seems like it anyway) it's hard to say "I love to shoot film" without getting a weird look from someone. Don't get me wrong, I shoot digital if I have to, and there are plenty of times wehn I do. But my heart is with film. It's sort of like a secret club with us film shooters now a days. Like when Harley riders wave the peace sign at each other when they pass on the road. "It's a film thing". Anyway, I want to encourage anyone out there who used to shoot film to go out and shoot a roll just for kicks. If you have never shot a roll in your life then by all means, go shoot some. You will be so supprised at the results. You may think of film as "Old Technology" but it's not. It's just different technology. So, zig every once and a while, be a rebel and shoot some film. 

All but 3 images on my website are shot with film. See if you can guess what ones were shot with a digital camera. If you think you can tell, let me know what your guess is, and I will tell you if you are right or not.