Very interesting topic Ari. After thinking about your discussion, I would classify myself as an old timer coming back to film. However, when I shot film from 1970 to 2003, I was very interested in the quality of the images. Did I nail the focus? We’re the components of composition all there? And so on. I sent out all my film for developing and I shot Kodak slide film almost exclusively and had prints made from those. I briefly had a landscape photography business as well. Then I started digitizing my slides, used early versions of Photoshop and printed my photos on an Epson photo printer. I then switched to digital until your first series of videos. Your videos inspired me to get back into film photography. I now shoot almost exclusively on black and white film. I develop the film myself, but I edit with Lightroom and Photoshop because I don’t have a home darkroom. But now I’m a process junkie. I do look for quality of the image but not to a great extent. I take photos that please me and nobody else. I share them with friends and family but their opinions of the photos are not really that important to me. I love the process! Thank you Ari for encouraging me through your videos to get back into film!
You have no clue how proud this makes me: "Your videos inspired me to get back into film photography. I now shoot almost exclusively on black and white film." Simply awesome. Thanks for sharing!!
The process is everything. It is not the destination. It is the journey. Like vinyl records. It is not the music. It is the process. The collection. Playing them on a turntable. We are human beings. We enjoy the processes. ❤
Also, the old gear is addictive with such a wide range of different mechanical approaches and mechanisms. Combining old and new technology is also very cool…
Great insight! In 2006, I gave up film photography for digital photography in search of image quality and speed. It took 15 years of digital play for me to finally realize that I had given up the joy of slow shooting and of darkroom work for “digital image quality”. So, in 2021, I returned to 35mm, medium format and 4x5 film photography. What joy it is to focus on process rather than to obsess on final image quality! Your video speaks for many of us “old timers”.
Great topic and discussion. I did my first print in a darkroom at at age 9, at 17 I started as a darkroom printer at a newspaper. That was at the end of 70’s. Then worked as a photographer until the digital came along. 10 years ago I went back to the darkroom and I am back where I belong. The process and everything you talk about is so important to me.
I was talking to someone I met at a Film meetup a few days ago, I started talking about my favorite part of the entire process. And I told him my favorite part is 1. The actual process of taking the picture, holding the camera, manually focusing, choosing my film stock, etc. 2. My work flow of taking my film to my lab and WAITING for the negatives and the scans. and then 3. Actually seeing the final photo. Something about that whole process is actually better than the photo itself (even if the photo is killer)
I think we all have our favorites. For some weird reason, I like to develop film and then pull it out from the spiral and seeing the images for the first time -- as negatives. And, btw, I also like to plan in advance and just THINK about which camera/film/developer combination would be ideal for a photo session at hand.
I always have thought that if I couldnt do the process of shooting film, developing it and printing, I would probably pickup woodworking. I have always liked using my hands and head, I see the value of other processes in photography but they dont seem to fit my needs. Great video Ari and thanks for the mention!
Hi Nico. Sorry, I didn't give you a heads-up. I thought you might say no :-) The same reason I didn't tell my daughter ... yeah, I'd probably do more music myself. Or maybe a vintage car -- I used to have a -72 Jaguar ....
I still shoot 3-4 rolls a year, mostly BW. I find it extremely rewarding, especially now that I’ve found a lab nearby that develops and scans with consistent high quality (Wilson camera for anyone in Phoenix AZ area of USA). I shoot digital as well, but I can’t seem to quit film; I’ve tried, but I’ve now given up, surrendered, and no longer apply logic to it. I just enjoy it.
If the cambridge dictionary is to be believed, you're an artist in the truest sense of the word. "someone who creates things with great skill and imagination". Kudos to your work. Always beautiful, always inspiring.
Ari I am an old timer , I shot weddings in the 70's through to the 90's. on film with a Bronica 6x6, I also had my own darkroom in a spare room, color and B/W. I stopped when digital came along but kept all my gear being stored in my attic for about 30 years. Since retiring from being an engineer I have now got back fully in to my Photography, I have now have a nice collection of old camera's, folders and 4x5. Some I bought as non working and managed to fix them and use them. I was out with my Micro Technical 4x5 the other day and a young guy came over to me, he was festinated with my camera. I got talking to him and he shoots wedding with digital, sometimes shooting up to a 1,000 images on one wedding. He was amazed when I told him that when I shot weddings with film we had 12 shots per roll and every shot had to count, at most 5 rolls per wedding. He could not believe thats how we did it then. I am like you now I love the technical side, and from buying the film to making my own prints is so satisfying as its a slow process and even slower with large format. Great video.
Very interesting video, thank you. Im 52yrs and I grew up with a film camera always having it with me. Then digital cameras came to light so I had many of them with a very top models and then I came in my mind that I miss my film photography. Now Im shooting on 35mm film with all its magic around it. Choosing film, the whole magic of light streaming on film and painting my frame, and then waiting for my film getting developed and scannend. Its all kind of beauty and magic, sort of art to me :)
This video is very informative and engaging on the film photography revival and the questions it raises. I can relate to this topic as I have been shooting on film for years. I love the analog process and the vintage cameras, but I also face many challenges and frustrations. Why do we shoot on film when digital is easier and faster? Is it nostalgia or creativity? Film photography is hard, it demands skill, patience and luck. But maybe that’s the beauty of it, the joy of capturing a unique moment that can never be duplicated. I would love to see more videos on this subject: digital vs analog, hybrid vs pure, slow vs fast, chemical vs electronic, vision vs pixel, crystal vs grain… Thank you for sharing your insights and passion with us!
Thanks for your feedback. I'd love to discuss more about this. However, I do not want to raise controversy or this-against-that. Digital and film to me do not compete. They are absolutely different things -- to me. Also, easy --once again to me -- is not good. Easy is not worth doing, difficult is. But above all, to me, the process impacts the results. And with film, I often get results that please my eyes more than with the processes. Your suggestions on possible topics is very interesting. Thanks! And let me think a bit now .... ;-)
Great video. Love your musings and ramblings. There are all types. I'm an old guy that never stopped using film. Like you, for me its always been about the process. But now I've discovered digital! When I bought a used Fuji Xe1 finally I had a digital camera I enjoyed using.
Excellent. I recently bought myself a Sony a6000. Didn't like it. Bought an adapter ring for it so now I can use vintage lenses, like Helios 44 with it. Still, not interested :-) But hey, we are different, and I think you should follow your instincts and what makes you happy. Life is too short to do things you don't like :-)
I grew up in the days of vinyl records and film photography. Digital was still a ways away. I shot film for many years before moving to digital. I still shoot digital but I have returned to film. I love the process. I still play vinyl records because I love the process. Both digital and analog have something to offer and I do not compare the two. I love each for what they offer me. I'm happy to see so many young folks embracing film photography.
Oldtimer here but also a process junkie. I started digital only 5 years ago when I learned how to adapt my beautiful old lenses and I do not own any modern AF lens. However I returned to film just 2 years later but without giving up digital. But I never use my cell phone for taking pictures. I think my film photography has influenced how I shoot digital and vice versa. When I was young I never dared to shoot wide open which I love to do now, even when shooting portraits in 5x7. And I think I will never leave film photography behind. When I was allowed to help my dad in the darkroom as a kid and seeing appear a picture out of nothing was pure magic and I am sure that this fascination will never go away.
"I think my film photography has influenced how I shoot digital and vice versa." -- I hear people often say that. It also goes along with my thinking of rather shooting with a variety of different cameras, lenses, processes, and whatnot instead of sticking to one. That is not only more fun but also makes you a better photographer.
I find the film look I get from film to be more satisfying than the film look I get from processing my digital photos. For most things in our lives we say that it is the end result that matters. For film, it's how I got there that matters.
I feel the same. I also feel like emulating film in digital is like a Chrysler PT cruiser was 20 years ago. It tried to look like a -30s Chrysler, but it was an utterly ridiculous attempt. However, I remember in 2000 or in that ballpark they sold it new 25% over the sticker price because for a minute people thought it was a cool idea. It wasn't!
It is the process that interests me too. But there is one more thing film can do and digital can not. I realized it when one day I went to the attic and took a bag of old slides. Nothing fancy, just family photos taken by a friend of my grandma. What made me thinking was the date on some rolls: 1968-69... Think about it! Where will my digital photos be in 2078? By that time the world will use a different technology and the computers of the time probably won't be able to read my archives even if the drives are working. But anybody can see a roll of film just holding it to the light with that strange excitement, similar to what I feel when I open the tank after developing a roll.
I agree that storing our digital images will be an issue. But it is not because we could not open or read them in the future. I believe that through possible conversions and whatnot, we can always view our digital photos. But the problem will be that the files themselves will not be anywhere to be found. When I'm gone, nobody will go to my iDrive backups and find my photos there. And nobody will go through my computer's cryptic file system and find the pictures. So you found your granma's friend's photos. They are in a simple box. There is no possibility that my grandkids (I do not have any yet :-) ) friends would go through some 50 year old cloud services managed by a company that had gone bust 40 years earlier and find my photos. That is impossible -- the photos, if they could find them, would very well be viewable.
I'm one of those 20 somethings and the photograph process of both sides and is something I love, I have a mirrorless camera that I brought for recreational use and use it for work on sometimes for covering like behind the scenes for things my boss/friend covers and some work for theatre companies. I recently went to Canada for a university program and only took 4 rolls of film and with my semi-broken slr and took no photos on my phone, it felt really rewarding being able to get 3 rolls worth of good photos. Since I've never touched film before and started on digital it is more of romanticising of what people have done before me and rediscovering what flaws people had to go through and the different thinking. I have had older people around me tell me "I dont miss those days" and parents not understanding why I do it. Physical prints are one of my favourite parts no matter which format, I have a wall of prints, aswell as showing friends my physical and seeing their faces light up. Its all just fun. Just one day need to save up for a devoloping kit and muck around with it.
What an awesome comment! Thanks! I've also met a lot of people who say they don't miss those old analog days. But like you, to me, it's all brand new and exciting!
Here in the US, there are two sayings related to shooting film, back in those days: "Speed, Quality or Price-Choose any Two." That's what you kicked off this video with! Anyway, thanks for these videos, I'm a new subscriber and have enjoyed all of them.
It sounds akin to not worrying about leaving some legacy, but rather focusing on your experience of life. The journey, not the destination! Love your videos, thank you always!
great outro. love the topic. i started shooting 2 years ago (22M) on film but had shot digital for maybe 5 years prior to that. Like you said the process is what makes it. Variety of shooting devices, mediums, developing processes, post-processes - scanning, printing, direct positives. Never-ending. Digital is quite samey and lacks variety. I think the youth tend to shoot on point-and-shoots because they're not too fussed with the process or image quality. However they do appreciate the imperfections film can bring, and the also the idea of having to be selective, intentional, clinical. Most iPhone photoshoots are spraying the shutter for 20 seconds and picking the best one. Shooting on film, knowing that each frame is 20p, 50p, up to 10 pounds/4x5 colour shot, is a completely different story!
This imperfect image seems to be, indeed, a positive thing for many of them. As I just gave the two rolls of pictures back to my daughter she was especially happy with fuzzy focus pictures that had a certain action and chaos in them. You are absolutely right!
Great video, Ari. I am very much like you. DIdn't shoot much film back in the day - I was never really interested in it. Had a DSLR when my kids were growing up and took photos with that until starting to use the phone for photos. But I never thought about how I was shooting or what it meant , it was just to have a memory of that particular person or place. It wasn't until I was 55 years old, on a trip to Budapest with my 20 year old son - who had just gotten interested in film cameras - that I got interested myself. There are a few great little photo shops in Budapest and talking with the people there, handling the old cameras and seeing the different types of film somehow appealed to me. Perhaps it was a safe way to have my mid-life crisis and express myself. I started with an old East German made Biere Bierette camera, and I was hooked. I now do all my own developing and scanning and printing myself at home, and it has really enriched my life beyond my expectations.
I’m still shooting films on 2023 wife hate it do, most people don’t have the patience, I do ask the people before I shoot .nice collection of cameras you have. Thanks for sharing
Well, hera I was wrinting on my notebook my thoughts on "my" photography, and I came to soem conclusions similar to yours. I'm not a photographer but an enthusiast that between wanting to buy a better camera in 2014, led me to a Fuji x-e1 with physical controlls and no menus, and soon after discovering a Canonet QL19 in a drawer to shooting film again. I want quality in the pictures I take, but I'm OK with grain, and in B&W sometimes even prefer grain. Another lure for me was the attraction of these beautiful cameras I couldn't buy back then, that are now relatively cheap. I love using these mechanical cameras, but after I developed my first print all changed. I was hooked on printing. I still love using my cameras, but the print is something else. I don't shoot or print for anyone to see, I do this for my very shelfish reasons, because I love the process, I love using these cameras, and I love the results. Cutting the rumbling short, great insight on your journey, keep them coming.
This is an interesting video. Glad it popped up on my feed. I have been getting back into film over the past couple years along with a variety of digital cameras. I started out 20 years ago on film, took a photography class to learn a bit more about the art, and spent a lot of money on developing. I resisted digital until I found myself gravitating to posting images online. Eventually, I jumped into the DSLR world and love it, but there is always something about the process and anticipation of shooting film that I thoroughly enjoy. Thanks for sharing your experiences and thoughts.
Thanks for watching. Yeah, it is really not one against the other. It's not an OR but rather an AND, and having a film process in your arsenal might widen your perspective -- no pun intended :-).
I work with a digital camera. It's part of my job. When I first started delving seriously into digital photography I carried it everywhere. And I took some pretty okay images. But after years of this I stopped trying to create "artistic" photos with the dslr. It was a work tool. Occasionally I would pull it out to get "better quality" images of family gatherings or what have you. When I started shooting and processing my own film I began to fully appreciated the quality of the film photograph. Using a 40 or 70 or 100 year old camera with all it's glorious limitations and then handling the film from exposure to chemistry to scan to print is so immensely satisfying. (Throw in making your own pinhole cameras and OH BOY!) And I swear: the photographs created this way are more impactful, better distilled and just plain old more interesting. It feels to me now that the digital camera captures imagery but the film camera facilitates the creation of art. This bias is entirely dependent on my extreme limitations, but that's how I see it.
Totally agreed. One of my friends said: "Digital cameras have liberated film cameras from tedious and laborious work, professional work, all shoot-for-money, all that -- an now film cameras can concentrate on art, having fun, and just creating beauty. They are free. They do not need to work but they can enjoy life."
Very interesting perspective. I hardly consider myself an artist, at most a "self-expressionist" maybe. But I definitely qualify as a process junkie. Very thoughtful video. Andy
really enjoyed this. i recently decided to get back into shooting film on a casual level. about to finish my first test roll to make sure camera is functional, which it seems to be, and i'm realizing that it's the process of shooting that really drew me back to film. with digital, i can take countless images, and even if i take my time to try and compose a shot, i know i can re-shoot it that instance (unless it's wildlife, street, action). with film, there's a certain immersion that takes place that really focuses me on what i'm doing. granted, with the cost of film and processing, it's a factor in slowing down, but i feel that there's more taking place when i compose an image. anyways, thanks for sharing your thoughts. i agree, you just put more eloquently than i did lol
Great episode Ari. I too am a process junkie and being a chemist I love the chemistry of picking developers and choosing the conditions to do the developing. And I appreciate the old cameras of course.
:-). I wish I'd know the basics of chemistry. Would be much better to understand many aspects. Like experimenting with self-made developers or just simply understanding how, say, a fixer works. Chemically. But -- anyway, thanks for watching and commenting!
Hi Ari. That's food for thought. I'm with you all the way regarding the analogue process, the joy of using a film camera etc, but the end result is just as important for me. I shoot almost exclusively b&w (I think I already mentioned that previously), and print in the darkroom. I also dry mount and frame my photos and enjoy that part too. So the end result for me is a b&w fibre print hanging on my wall at home, and the process wouldn't feel complete without that.
The end result -- of course is hugely important. But as I thought about it more, I would probably not shoot and definitely not print if it was not with analog gear and analog process. It's like if I was a violin player and suddenly violins were not available anymore -- would I play with a digital sampler :-). I don't think so.
absolutely agreed. and small thing, i absolutely am in the same passion and interest as you are, the photos are more of a secondary thing, sure i wanna have good photos if i can, but for me, it's the beauty of using such old piece of technology, where everything is mechanical and perfectly balanced for what they have to be, the developing and dark room printing aswell as a new thing for me, it made me fell in love with this process, and honestly, lucky for me, b&w film even by getting more expensive it's still the most cheap option to shoot on film, and i would still be shooting film for the time being. the process itself is just the most important thing as experience for me
It was worth sharing sir! And it's a fact, young people are interested in film! Like vinyl, it's making a come back and it's still here for all of us to enjoy the whole process. I think it's wonderful and I support it in every way. And let's talk about camera stores: look at the prices of a good old Canon or Nikon or whatever camera from 50 years old, it's way more expensive than the digital bodies. In short: Film is alive!!
I agree. It's wrong way of thinking that digital and film would be in any kind of competition. There is a space for them both and they are fundamentally very very different things.
Have really got back into film, using aelection of cameras from the 70's and 80's, loving the return to my younger days, (66 now) even using box brownies and Kodak bellows. My oldest camera which I restored is an 1888 detective camera with 9 falling plates, but they were glass with chemicals painted on so not really practical. Film has a certain depth and is easy to digitise with a cheap box and wire system. I'm also using reversal slide film as I have collected a number of slide projectors and a screen for mere pennies. It's just fun, I love it.
Great subject, again, Ari. I too am drawn by the 'magic' of the latent image and the 'slow process'. In a way it's a meditation. Additionally, I'm drawn to using really old cameras and imagining what and who was captured thru their lenses. A time transport and capture device of sorts to literally freeze a moment in time. Pinholes especially in this sense.
Hey Ari ! great vid as always. I am a 20- something and even though I don't process my own film/ make my own prints, I enjoy leaving my negatives at the same artisanal film lab as my father. The guy is very talented at developing and printing, so for now I'll keep doing that until I have the means ( partly financially but mostly spatially speaking) for it. I love using my father's rolleiflex or yashica 124G (which both malfunctioned and forced me to wrestle them a bit, they need good servicing so I am not using them till that gets done), but I also like the versatility of the nikon f5 that my father's photographer friend lent me. I love the process of taking pictures and doing the metering and focusing by myself. I deeply hate autofocus or any distracting new tech in newer cameras that prevent me from doing it by myself. It's quicker, but my eyes are good enough for me to focus on an eye etc quickly and precisely enough. So even if the F5 has autofocus I never use it, not even in digital cameras. I love the delayed nature of film, and the fact that it can take me 3 months before I finish shooting a roll of film. Film slows you down, and doesn't instantly reward you. In a world where everyone is addicted to social media, film allows me to see all this as unecessary movement, it pulls me back to earth and keeps me there. It's more difficult, more fun, and in my eyes, looks less bland than digital which always tries to be as perfect as possible and internet seems to reward overblown color editing than good photography. I shoot film because it's relaxing and full of an exclusive expression that reverberates your own : you make them for yourself and your friends, not for 'likes'. Staying 15 minutes trying to get the best focus and framing, and seeing it worked out when the photos come is lovely, just as rediscovering the adventure I had going out to take them. I use photography to picture and record my vagrancy and thoughts through the city and the world I go through. I get to discuss photography and shoot with my dad and benefit from his experience and generosity, photography has much deepened my link with him.
Let me talk to your dad! You deserve access to his Hasselblad!! But seriously, thanks for your feedback. I'm fascinated by how this film thing reaches over generations like few other things! Also, reading your marvelous comment something else comes to my mind: we often think that easy = good. We want instant gratification, easy usage, and no hassle. But when we truly love something or somebody, this turns upside down. We want thought-provoking discussions -- not easy chit-chat. We want to spend time with the one we love -- not fast. And we want delayed gratification and the feeling of waiting and expecting. So, whatever is valuable in life should not be easy or instant. It should be much more!
Interesting topic. I’ve asked myself many times why I do film, considering that it can be financially complicated some times. My conclusion was similar to yours: it is the process what drives me. The physical act of developing and printing to end up with a tangible image that you can frame or give to someone (even the smells!). I love Nico’s content, but I do love as well your musings about photography, sometimes well into phylosophy…
When i personally came to the conclusion that it is about the process, i immediately wondered if that’s somehow wrong? Shouldn’t it be only the end result that matters? But the more I think about it the more I realize it really is the process. And there is nothing wrong with that! 😊
Hi Ari, Again another interesting little chat. Analogue photography is a PROCESS the more you engage with the steps in it, the longer you are likely to stay with it. I like to think of it as an artisanal activity. The same as sculpting, pottery, cabinet making, clockmaking, model engineering or gardening, all engrossing processes requiring thoughtful engagement that may lead to a pleasing outcome. As you say, it is the process that keeps us going back to it, any satisfaction from the outcome is transitory. Great to see younger people getting involved, most will probably let it slip, like most did in the days of film only, some will stick with it, the artisans, and some who tasted it when young might return when they pass through the mill of middle life which squeezes everybody for time and money. These little philosophical asides of yours help us to re-consider why we do things and the benefits of deeper or underlying analysis of what we do. Regards Paul Gough.
Paul, thanks. Yes, there is craftsmanship in this, and it is hard --no, it is actually pointless -- to separate the process and the outcome. They are just different phases of the journey. There is this interesting book by John Allen: "Clapton's Guitar: Watching Wayne Henderson Build the Perfect Instrument ". There are a lot of similarities there in starting by building an instrument and then eventually delivering the music.
I'm very much in the middle... being 31, I remember film from my childhood, but, never had my own film camera, my first camera was a digital point and shoot, then DSLRs, now fuji xt10. (as an adult all used). Just started with film by taking a black & white darkroom class, using my fathers fm2 on loan. Absolutely amazing how slowing down makes me a better photographer... really like the darkroom process... and the process of see things as potential compositions... Can't even decide if I like being able to scan film- paper is expensive though, and it takes me a long time still to dial in print, so I have begun to scan a little, perhaps to weed out pictures not worth printing. Probably I am going to keep using my fuji for color though.
Some of us never left analogue photography. Yes, I dabbled with digital photography and do it every day, but when I'm doing something for myself, for fun, I shoot film! The ability to hold that negative in my hand and then take it into a darkroom or scanning it into Lightroom makes photography fun! Sometimes I spend too much time in front of the computer, but as long as I've got a negative in my hand, I'm a happy camper. The young people don't grasp the importance of the negative. Digital images can get lost and if they do, they may be gone forever. But with a negative, an image can live on indefinitely. When I'm out shooting, I'm often stopped by bystanders who want to ask about my camera. I like to shoot with Mamiya TLRs or Mamiya Press Cameras. People are fascinated by them and actually volunteer to be in a photo! And in the process, I hopefully spread my love of photography to them! That's what you do: You re spreading the love!
For me shooting on film were allmost all about dark room. Second time i got hit by depresseion/anxiety and a mental burn out i found sollitude and calmness in the dark room, just me, the chemicals and silence. It was just what i needed at that time in my life, unfortunately i don't have access to dark room anymore so i'm shooting digital but i miss that stress free process of developing film a lot.
I am old timer, began shooting film in the late 1980’s until 2012, then back to film in 2019. I shot digital from 2009-2019, and still shoot color digital. With the cost of color 35mm, I shoot Full Frame digital. I am using black and white 35mm, black and white medium and large format. I think we are seeing a renaissance, but it’s will taper off and level out to those that are die hard film photographers.
Interesting.. and I can see that many of us ask our self the same question.. Why do we start shooting film again? Sometimes I think I'm crazy for doing it considering the cost involved etc.. but at the end there's nothing like it.. I also develop my negatives at home and the excitement and joy (or disappointment) of seeing the end result when you take the film/s out of the tank just can't be replaced by shooting digital.. I love your shows! Keep it up - By the way, I used to be a repro-photographer and retoucher in the 70s-80s when retouching and everything involved was done by hand in and out of darkrooms..
Thanks, thanks. I have a huge respect for anybody who masters retouching and restoring. I've tried to fix some of my prints (hide dust particles and stuff), and failed miserably. That is a process I want to learn in the future!!
@@ShootOnFilm the process was interesting but I retouched beauty shots and for Life Magazine..that wasn't very enjoyable.. I quit all of it in '87 and turned pro musician instead..
Thank you Ari for sharing your thoughs. Very to know himself to be able to enjoy What you're doing. I'm totally recognise me in your point of view I'm 50 + 😁 not a fan of photos in my young age but after a total digitalisation of my job, my environment I come back to analog film developping and printing by myself just in order to create something tangible from the beginning to the final point. Doesn't matter if the others appreciate or not what I'm producing Just to have produce something I'm happy This is not art this is Just essential Bravo for this again inspirating and full of sagesse vidéo Michel
Thanks for watching!! I believe it is important to sometime be selfish -- and do what you want and do it exactly the way you want. Ask nobody's permission or opinion :-)
So true. The only problem with me is, when I go for a trip, I can not choose what camera I am going to take with me... 35mm, medium or large format... panorama? It can take me a whole day to make a choice, and finally take the one I started with. I would like to take it all, but it is all so damn heavy
Hello Ari. Nice to hear you have had opportunity to visit Estonia*. I have an obsession for real photographic paper. I explore all ways of manipulating the emulsion and effects of light and chemistry. I use film too, but just to contribute to what I do on and with paper :). Thank you for your videos!
Thank you. I'm right there with ya. Old camera, process Junkie. I'm watching while developing some Delta 100 in Diafine from a Canon F-1 I restored. Wonderful day wonderful video. My Photography path is much like yours. I began in the mid 70-s when I was "volunteered" to be the Team Photographer in my USAF unit.
im an artist, sometimes, and i photograph things for the same nostalgia in the process... i love the sound of the shutter on medium format and than i would develop the film, pick and look at and can stay in a folder for months before I scan it but than im ready to load the film and go again.... process and process/ it's the experience that we like, making us slow down and think about things... life is to easy and fast these days with too much technology
As a teacher, and a teacher of film photography of 18 years... and before that a commercial film photographer from the early 90's into the death of commercial film usage. A core element of teaching is about the process, and film is all about that. That is what adds to the allure of the film revival, although I personally never gave up shooting film and kept my 18 enlarger darkroom continuously operating through the introduction of digital cameras and cellphones. Once the shooter understands the artistic advantages of the manual camera, they can easily see the advantages of the darkroom process. Too many hipsters are shooting film and going direct to scan. I say why bother, if you are eliminating half of the beauty from the process. Some people are more interested in being seen with an 8x10 field camera and a huge sheet of film, and then blow it by scanning it only because what really matters is the output on Instagram. Good luck obtaining an 8x10 enlarger anyway... But, it's all about the entire process, and that includes the exploration of the original "lightroom", the darkroom. There is so much fun to be had exploring new paper, dodging/burning, cropping, then processes like hand coloring... I can go on and on, but then again I guess at 50 years old and suppose I am an old timer. I consider myself a bit of a purist (which often is seen as snobbish) but that's not it, I believe in preserving the art of photography as Ansel Adams perfected it in such a scientific manner. So yes I enjoy shooting large format zone system, but I also love informal photography which for me is hand holding a press camera:) Cheers!!!!
I don't know where I fit in your description. Old timer! Yes, shooting film back in the 70's & 80's. Picked up a digital camera a few years back. Sony adapted old film lens to the digital camera. Now, what would the film look on these old lens. Buying old film cameras to shoot the film with the lens that I bought for the Sony cameras. I sent the film out to a lab. But, like the old days I get my roll of film printed. Also, started a photo album to put my pictures in. Starting the page by date camera and this is my journey with film. I just like the slowing down a thinking about the picture I am taking. The other thing is I not spending time editing a picture and keeping on a hard drive. I leave the photo album out in my computer room. I look at it the wife picks it up and looks at it the older kids will look at the photo album. So the photo album I would guess is why I am shooting film again.
I started in film, then I started digital in college. Digital ended up turning me into a 'machine gun' shooter. I still shoot digital for my color, but film for black and white. When I started shooting film again I had force myself to take my time and think about the shot before I take it. Film is so relaxing, for me anyway, And I love the darkroom process, Thank you for your videos!! Entertaining and informative. I use RC paper but after I tune my chops a bit I'll reprint some on FB paper for display.
There’s something about having a piece of history in your hands. Using a Rolliflex, 64 Spotmatic or a Nikon F, that gives you that mechanical connection that digital can’t provide. You have to put some brain power into it to master, it’s a challenge. That’s a two fold win right there, satisfaction from the mastery, and using a well made usable and long living instrument your grandfather would have used, that provides you with memories you will have forever, events frozen in time. What could be better in life than that.
I want to come back to film, but not sure I can get back into the darkroom thing, not sure where to begin, but something is pulling me back. I like your video style, well done.
Hi, thanks for this. I have not yet processed it completely. Maybe I will add someting later. Not sure. If not, see you next time. Take care and regards, Martin in Austria
@@ShootOnFilm Thanks it's a Ferrania Zeta Duplex, a 2 Format box camera, 6x9 and 6x4,5. I bought it for the smile 😀 and it became my avatar almost everywhere on the 🕸.
@@ShootOnFilm It also works exactly like a Brownie. Same kind of shutter and aperture. I really love it. Maybe I'll do a mirror self-portrait some time.
Very interesting topic, I myself shot film (35mm) and switched too digital in the mid 2000's and now I want to get into shooting medium format. This topic is similar to the come back of vinyl lp's, I had read somewhere that the sales of lp's surpassed cd's in 2022 I think it was.
Vinyl is a small market, and so is analog photography. However, vinyl sales is the fastest-growing segment of music, and so is film photography in photography. A lot of similarities -- will always remain as an interesting alternative for many, I believe.
Only just found your videos and now spending hours catching up ! Some really interesting subject’s. You really have had some bad luck buying second hand equipment on line ! Still you use film cameras and enjoy the whole experience . Is it a RIVIVAL ? Well not for me ! My Brief Photographic History , Brought a Praktica MTL5 Brand New 1983 with second hand 35mm and 135mm lenses 2 colour film one fuji and the other Kodak , uv filters to protect the lenses , and a second hand case to put my acquired gear in from a Family run Camera shop in Birmingham England (sadly now gone ) The old man who sorted me out was the owner and dealt with him over a number of years during the 80”s . I still have and use that Praktica today infact only used it the other day ! Now as I got in to my new hobby so I got hooked ! 40 Years later and now as you said a ol’mon as we say (old man ) I now shoot and use depending on how I feel , weather, location and again new term creativity either a Asahi Pentax Spotmatic F, Mamiya 645 1000s, 645 Super , C330 tlr , RB67, (luv Mamiya) , Miranda RE, Olympus Om1N , Nikkormat, Canon FTB, Rolleiflex (Baby), Ensign Selfix B20 (English Camera ) , Kiev 6c , Lecia IIIa Lubitel 166 and 4 off good working Russian range finder cameras (for fun) never know whats going to happen with them ! I’ve now just acquired 2 off new old additions to my family A Hassleblad 500cm and Hassleblad SWC/M to replace my 2 kids that have left home !!! Shooting Film is what I enjoy with different tools for the job ! I DID UNFORTUNATELY BUY A DIGITAL CAMERA !!!! Pentax Kx with a number of lens as again media hype film is dead (Bull S$%T) I used it , yes not bad camera small compared to most DSLR of the time , results not bad however the buzz wasn’t there , BUT the Pentax found a place with in the family group of cameras a Pre View Camera ( I never used a Polaroid back ) which saved me no end of wasted frames on film and also a back up light meter as I think my westom light meter was seeing better days although I had it serviced twice in the years I used it , now use Sekonic L308B for speed or a L858D if I am in the zone ! Do they make me a better photgrapher NO! as the wife said more toys for the teenage ol’mon to play with and it keeps me out of trouble !!!!! Never developed a film in my life (admire those that do!) spend too much time taking the photo’s got a good film developer again in Birmingham dealing with them for a long as well! No smart phone with camera . Am I reliving the GOOD OLD DAY’S OF FILM ? NO !!!! INEVER LEFT THEM !!!!!!!❤😊
Very interesting musings . Were similar , I grew up with point n shoot cameras , I sent the films to labs and my photos were pretty crap ! Then I got into digital for a long time Then a few years ago I bought a Nikonos and started developing my films I had impressive results with my canon 5 d mk2 , my photos were in magazines etc but it wasn't until I fully dived back into film that I became a real photographer, I almost bought an xpro digital camera today , I wish I had and I'm glad I didn't Winding forward a hasselblad or Leica m3 after you have taken a shot is an exquisite tactile experience that can't be found on a digital They are my babies !
Hi Ari, yep, I'm also a process junkie. Always have been, but the results are also the achievement of this amazing hobby. I never tire of it even after fifty years of plodding around with it and almost getting it right. Oh well maybe the next shot.🤷
You raise an important point. The process is a journey where you can get closer and closer (to the perfect shot). But you never quite reach it so you keep on doing it. And enjoying it.
I am torn between film and digital. Mostly because I would like to take both along but cannot decide what equipment to use/bring along when I go somewhere. I am starting to lean to film for black and white because I like how film looks than digital. Color film I usually use when it gives me a different look like a halation that I don’t know how to create in digital. Besides that, I do enjoy the process of only having a finite amount of frames and the process of loading/unloading……as long as the weather is good and I can prevent anything from getting into the camera. And like you said reliving the moments after you lived them the first time.
I'm that guy who never really went digital. I bought a digital point & shoot in 2003 (a Gateway, don't recall the model number, but it had a zoom and a 5 megapixel sensor, used SD cards up to 512 MB). I doubt I ever shot as many as a hundred frames on it, despite replacing the battery twice (old tech lithium batteries would swell after being left on charge too long). I did use it briefly to digitize 16 mm negatives with 10x14 mm image area, because the scanner I had then couldn't pull anything close to the 3 Mp that camera would give (the negative wouldn't fill the frame due to aspect ratio), with the camera on a mini tripod looking up into an enlarger lens -- but I never stopped shooting film, except for a few years when I didn't have the resources to do any photography at all. I'll happily accept the label of process junkie. Many of my happiest times over the past half century were when I could spend time in the darkroom, smelling the chemicals, working on getting the best print out of one of my best negatives. I care very much about the final result -- make no mistake! -- but I've told people since the death of film was announced that for me, it's not photography if I can't smell the chemicals. Fortunately, I now have equipment that, with a little additional outlay, would let me shoot wet plate collodion (and make my prints on kallitype or Van Dyke brown or cyanotype). As long as I can buy, or even *make* the chemistry, I can keep doing analog photography. I'd rather stick with film as we know it, though -- my darkroom isn't an explosion hazard as it would be if filled with collodion and ethanol and ether...
"...when I could spend time in the darkroom, smelling the chemicals, working on getting the best print out of one of my best negatives." -- it indeed is magical. Pulling out a photo from your memory card is not the same!!!
I never really left film in the last 50 years, yes I do have multiple digital cameras that I have used since the 90s, but digital and film has always been about the image, not the tool!!! I have been a HUGE instant film user. I got my first Polaroid camera in 1970!!! I miss all the various Polaroid formats ... used type 55 quite a bit, a print and a negative that I could do a cyanotype or Van Dyke print with!!! I actually enjoy the process of taking a photo so much that I really don't care how I made it ... the final image is all that matters to me ... the jury is out if they are any good, but I don't care ... I enjoy it!!!
I also wish Polaroid was still widely available. I've been experimenting with Instax, but it is not quite the same. Especially that you don't get the "paper negative".
Really nice treatment. Thank you. "An Analogue Process Junkie," pretty good. Maybe I should stop thinking about the end result and concentrate on the process. Food For Thought. I was a graphic artist and wet lab copy photographer in a medicine faculty thirty years or so ago. Emotionally I still haven't given my soul to digital photography though I have a Nikon D7100 along with my film cameras. Missing my Nikon FM2n big time.
It's been said that part of addiction has as much to do with the individual drug of choice but also an infatuation with process. So yeah - - - maybe I AM a junkie. But perhaps I'm just in love. After all, I DO love those little red and yellow boxes of Kodachrome (anybody know where I can get some?????) or green and white boxes of HP5 and I DO love cracking open the wrapper on a fresh 120 roll and carefully storing the box end tab on the back of my magazine. I love the slow careful process of loading the magazine. There's a slight "rush" of anticipation and opportunity when the frame counter advances to "1". I love the sound of the lens clicking home as I mount it to my camera and I especially love the view through the ground glass in the early morning or late afternoon. I LOVE the sound of the mirror slap and the film advance. I especially love the notion that some of this work will still be around 100 years from now. I COULD go on and on but here's the other side of that coin . . . I shot digital for a couple of decades and I felt NONE of this. Much of that digital process was cold and unfeeling . . . the shutter release was an electronic switch with none of the tactile feedback of a mechanism built like a fine watch. The view in that little LCD had none of the warmth of a ground glass prism at the golden hour. Having tossed my DSLR's on the eBay "for sale" heap - - I eventually found my way back to my first true love. Am I a junkie or am I just head-over-heels in love?
All those little things make it worthwhile. To me, the sound of a Graflex curtain shutter, the feeling when my Rolleiflex says click when it detects the beginning of the 120 film through the backing paper, or the smell of a good solid stop bath. Hard to explain, silly -- but very true.
I guess I'm an old timer who (largely) does it for the process. When I started shooting as a kid, the fascination with the process was the main driver and it still is. But, I also enjoy perfecting my craft and producing the best technical results. My end result is the finished print, and I have found optical b&w/ra-4 to be at least as good or better than "digital" in this regard. But even if that wasn't the case, the problem with digital for me is that I don't feel like I'm making images when shooting digital. With digital, I don't feel a connection between the reality I wanted to capture and the finished print. With film, reality has made a physical impact on the medium all the way to the finished print. Not so with digital, I feel.
It really is the connection. I feel too many algorithms, technology, hi-tech, AI, image manipulation and all other aspects get between me and the image when doing digital. It's no longer me.
Hi Ari. Thanks as always for sharing your thoughts. I too am a process junkie! For me it’s about the experience of photographing my world. I am a returnee to film after a hiatus primarily due to shifts in technology as you mentioned, but also work. I have more time now and have gone back into my cameras and shooting. [Tho I really miss Polaroid peel-apart film!] I would expand a bit on your process thoughts - I choose a camera to match certain projects or objectives. So I love B&W in film but color in digital. I use digital more for documenting days and people in my life (a goal of a good iPhone shot a day). I do Intentional Camera Movements as well with digital. But I reserve film for those special projects and feel. Whether that is with square format or 4x5, with lens or pinhole. I could explain this feeing a bit also through how I experience recorded Music. I listen to so many genres through digital streaming or digital files through my stereo system, but I actively search out and clean and play only certain albums on vinyl to give the sound experience I want. That process adds to the enjoyment or sometimes is the enjoyment. So I can’t agree with you more- as you also raised the point in previous video on AI vs taking pictures with a camera. Back then I echoed your view that it is about the process and we follow here the same!
It seems we are very alike then. I also find film really suitable for B&W. Color film doesn't interest me that much really, as my iPhone is better with colors, actually. And, since you also listen to music very much like me (a special Saturday afternoon music break requires Stan Getz on vinyl) -- let me push you a bit further: I bought a Revox B77 reel2reel player a few years ago. I've recorded some of my favorite vinyl on tapes. A rotating Revox looks so awesome it adds an extra sparkle to the occasion :-) Have you been on eBay lately?
We are so alike Ari. When I was in my late 20’s back in early 80’s I worked for a radio station in Rome Italy do English language news. That station also had a full vinyl library because it played all music genres for its music programs and I had the opportunity (which I missed regrettably) to use the studio in off hours to record any or all albums onto reels. I was searching to buy a Revox but never did! Sad. I know exactly that feeling. By the way my Saturday go to on Vinyl is Jimmy Smith with Stanley Turrentine. Finally I have to agree with other posting members about how much Ari you inspire - in your low key humble way - but you express in words music and photos so much. I have gotten back into pinhole bcz of you (I saw your photo in B&W magazine selection on pinholesplus your videos) after so many years bcz of the loss of Polaroid film which I shot exclusively. I bought a Lomo LC-A120 bcz of your video. So keep it up and enjoy the revox in those down times.
Here I get asked "Are they still being developed?" :) I had once a TV cameraman in the middle of a demonstration in Tel Aviv, open and smell the roll in the canister. Closed his eyes and smelled.
I did analog film photography for decades, but I haven´t used analog film since 2007 when I got digital Cameras, I am much more satisfied using digital and I will not miss the pollution from analog films !
As a teacher,when I get the chance, I let my students (12 --16 y)make a pinhole camera out of a can. After the paper picture is taken we develop in cafenol. Why cafenol? The schoolboard finds developer chemicals too dangerous. I started with paper positive but that is to expensive. Now I use papernegative and the students use a reversal app on their phone to get a positive paper. Maybe is this topic a great way for history teachers to get some positive umpff in their curriculum;-) Love your videos. Greetz
Yes, yes... I look old, I'm back to film shooting after more than twenty years, I like dealing with old cameras... It's almost about me! At first, I was supposed to just check that my cameras were working. But I soon found the once-lost joy of the photography-on-film process. I am not an artist (my Academy of Fine Arts diploma is irrelevant here) nor a photographer. I am having fun with the process of photography on film. It's addicting! Regards 😁
Absolutely 100% agree. I'm unashamedly in love with the process. I'm probably a little too in love with the gear too, but if you can't fall in love with a TLR , do you even have a soul?
Interesting topic! I wonder if the numbers you ran with Nico on the possible size and financial potential of film photography market could be made public. There is a whole lot of speculation on this all over the web but very little in the way of even remotely reliable statistics, so this would be really useful 😉
I'll discuss it with Nico. The challenge is that it really is an estimate. Nico has a tremendous network in the photography community ... but we also see what's happening through Kamerastore sales; stuff that is not all public. But I think it could benefit us all if we could agree on some sort of open and public methodology! But in a nutshell, we know the size / revenue of all major film producers. They publish their figures -- also we can extract Kodak film that goes to Hollywood and take that into account. You can thus estimate how much film is being produced for film shooters. We can also estimate camera sales by looking at the major camera sales points, get some heuristics from c2c sales on Ebay, We can also see the growth in those figures. US and Europe are fairly doable in estimations. Japan is a sizeable market but numbers are very difficult to estimate. I've also lately heard that Latin America has a lot of film shooters. I know very little of that market. From Kamerastore customers and talking to people at Ilford, Kodak and elsewhere we can roughly estimate how much different types of analog photographers spend money. Not scientific, but not out of thin air, ether.
Late to this video but I am a 30 something year old that owned a few point and shoots and polaroids in the late 90's and early 2000's then got digital in my teens and early 20's and got back into film in my mid 20's almost exclusively shooting on film now including for paid photo shoots. It is a weird thing for me as while I undeniably prefer the look of film for the most part its the lack of distraction on film that I love. no screens , no menus , no batteries even if you choose so , I also develop and scan my own film and absolutely enjoy the process of doing this in my laundry sink. I do still shoot digital but on a fujifilm xpro3 with film sims trying to do as much in camera as possible even for elaborate shoots. The fact that my day job is workng in a VFX company and that I have worked in I.T for years might be what makes me want to steer away from the "digital" in my personal work.
You're much younger than me, but you followed the exact same route. And I also love the peaceful "me time" in the laundry room (!!) when developing my films.
I don't know about photography revival but I do know that if I want to buy film, I have to order it because stores like Walmart and all drug stores here refuse to carry it anymore. I also have to send my film by mail to have it developed.
Film use by younger people may just be a passing phase. I say that based on the current rise in interest and usage of older consumer grade digital cameras. It seems that they feel they get the same 'aesthetic' for early digital cameras as from film, minus the cost and delay inherent in film.
We go back because of the "magic" we remember as children and young people. the young go back because of curiosity. in 2001-2002 I said "When the digital camera will reach 10 MP, Call me and I'll shift to digital" because someone told me 10MP is good enough. But the experience, The need to "not see your photos immediately" the wait for the development, And the special cameras (And not the electronic gadgets that change every year) are all a good reason. By the way: My father used to shoot with an Olympus Pen-EE3 and always always Kodak Gold 200. I remember I went to shoot in a TV studio in 1988 as a 14 years old, I bought Kodak Gold 400, And he shouted "Are you CRAZY? 400 ASA? Do you think it's completely dark there? It's mad to shoot with 400!" (Every time I use Delta 3200 I laugh...) I shot film. But only one film: Kodak Gold 200. Only after 5-6 years, I shot 2-3 BW rolls (The story with my grandmother). So for me, Now, It's a bit of a toy store: All the Hasselblads, And the ability to buy them. and use different films. Sadly, I missed Kodachrome and many others which has been discontinued. Something that the young don't know. we say in Hebrew: "No brain - No trouble" :)
You are of course right. Nothing more to say. -- Well, besides this: I just have a project to photograph a collection of a friend so he has a digital catalogue. Of course I will shoot the ca. 500 pieces (and 2000 or so pictures) digitally. -- One thing is also the darkroom - or the lack of one. I have to scan all my pictures. Comparing the "scientific" quality of my pictures, my iPhone is better than my Rolleiflex. But it is all about the "experience" of photography! Just like drawing a scene on paper, which I do even without any artistic drawing skills, just for the fun of it.
So true. And, indeed, iPhone takes better pictures. And no wonder -- they have poured literally billions of dollars into perfecting the image quality of an iPhone during the last 15 years. It would be a failure if it wasn't better than my 60-year-old Rolleiflex!
@@ShootOnFilm Oh, just in case somesone reads this and takes pictures with the iPhone: Get yourself an Instax printer. It is not a printer, but uses chemicals to "instantly" develop your photos. It is an amazing proces and you get at least a tangible picture. Perhaps you'll then understand why people still use analogue film...
:-). My next great plan is to shoot one roll of film in an airplane, and go and develop the roll in the plane's restroom. C41 minilab could be the next. You gotta have some goals in life!
Very interesting topic Ari. After thinking about your discussion, I would classify myself as an old timer coming back to film. However, when I shot film from 1970 to 2003, I was very interested in the quality of the images. Did I nail the focus? We’re the components of composition all there? And so on. I sent out all my film for developing and I shot Kodak slide film almost exclusively and had prints made from those. I briefly had a landscape photography business as well. Then I started digitizing my slides, used early versions of Photoshop and printed my photos on an Epson photo printer. I then switched to digital until your first series of videos. Your videos inspired me to get back into film photography. I now shoot almost exclusively on black and white film. I develop the film myself, but I edit with Lightroom and Photoshop because I don’t have a home darkroom. But now I’m a process junkie. I do look for quality of the image but not to a great extent. I take photos that please me and nobody else. I share them with friends and family but their opinions of the photos are not really that important to me. I love the process! Thank you Ari for encouraging me through your videos to get back into film!
You have no clue how proud this makes me: "Your videos inspired me to get back into film photography. I now shoot almost exclusively on black and white film." Simply awesome. Thanks for sharing!!
The process is everything. It is not the destination. It is the journey. Like vinyl records. It is not the music. It is the process. The collection. Playing them on a turntable. We are human beings. We enjoy the processes. ❤
So true! Easy means not worth doing :-)
@@ShootOnFilm exactly! 😊 I love the channel and the videos by the way 😊👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Also, the old gear is addictive with such a wide range of different mechanical approaches and mechanisms. Combining old and new technology is also very cool…
All kind of creative combinations and experimentation is good. It gets your imagination running!
Agreed on all points!
Film shooters seem to share a magnetic attraction to rabbit holes that just need to be explored.
I agree. Cannot explain it, cannot reason it -- but gotta dig in!!
I like that analogy, that's me for sure.
Great insight! In 2006, I gave up film photography for digital photography in search of image quality and speed. It took 15 years of digital play for me to finally realize that I had given up the joy of slow shooting and of darkroom work for “digital image quality”. So, in 2021, I returned to 35mm, medium format and 4x5 film photography. What joy it is to focus on process rather than to obsess on final image quality! Your video speaks for many of us “old timers”.
😊 I also firmly believe that if you love the process it also shows in your work and pictures. They are then born from love.
4x5? I'm jealous: I used to have a Sinar monorail. Ah, those images were velvet.
Thank you for this enjoyable video and discussion.
RS. Canada
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great topic and discussion. I did my first print in a darkroom at at age 9, at 17 I started as a darkroom printer at a newspaper. That was at the end of 70’s. Then worked as a photographer until the digital came along. 10 years ago I went back to the darkroom and I am back where I belong. The process and everything you talk about is so important to me.
Thanks for watching and commenting. Means a lot to me coming from somebody like you, who've been around the block!
I was talking to someone I met at a Film meetup a few days ago, I started talking about my favorite part of the entire process. And I told him my favorite part is 1. The actual process of taking the picture, holding the camera, manually focusing, choosing my film stock, etc. 2. My work flow of taking my film to my lab and WAITING for the negatives and the scans. and then 3. Actually seeing the final photo. Something about that whole process is actually better than the photo itself (even if the photo is killer)
I think we all have our favorites. For some weird reason, I like to develop film and then pull it out from the spiral and seeing the images for the first time -- as negatives. And, btw, I also like to plan in advance and just THINK about which camera/film/developer combination would be ideal for a photo session at hand.
@@ShootOnFilm Yup, the processing and printing is where you get to see the magic of photography happen.
I always have thought that if I couldnt do the process of shooting film, developing it and printing, I would probably pickup woodworking. I have always liked using my hands and head, I see the value of other processes in photography but they dont seem to fit my needs. Great video Ari and thanks for the mention!
Hi Nico. Sorry, I didn't give you a heads-up. I thought you might say no :-) The same reason I didn't tell my daughter ... yeah, I'd probably do more music myself. Or maybe a vintage car -- I used to have a -72 Jaguar ....
@@ShootOnFilm no worries! Car sounds good too.
Great conversational presentation ! Just great.
RS. Caio
Thanks thanks!!
You just described me better than I can describe myself. "Old timer process junkie"... perfect
Old and proud! :-)
I feel the same about manual gear changes in a car. I enjoy the process..
I still shoot 3-4 rolls a year, mostly BW. I find it extremely rewarding, especially now that I’ve found a lab nearby that develops and scans with consistent high quality (Wilson camera for anyone in Phoenix AZ area of USA). I shoot digital as well, but I can’t seem to quit film; I’ve tried, but I’ve now given up, surrendered, and no longer apply logic to it. I just enjoy it.
Good. Logic is to be avoided!
If the cambridge dictionary is to be believed, you're an artist in the truest sense of the word. "someone who creates things with great skill and imagination". Kudos to your work. Always beautiful, always inspiring.
Thanks thanks!! Appreciated!
Started with 35mm film in 1987. Enjoying the Hasselbald 503CX + Carl Zeiss lenses.
Hasselblads are amazing!!
To me the process of operating camera and shooting is everything...to the point that I often don’t bother putting film in camera 😂😘
Ha haa!! Ultimate photography!
Ari I am an old timer , I shot weddings in the 70's through to the 90's. on film with a Bronica 6x6, I also had my own darkroom in a spare room, color and B/W. I stopped when digital came along but kept all my gear being stored in my attic for about 30 years.
Since retiring from being an engineer I have now got back fully in to my Photography, I have now have a nice collection of old camera's, folders and 4x5. Some I bought as non working and managed to fix them and use them.
I was out with my Micro Technical 4x5 the other day and a young guy came over to me, he was festinated with my camera. I got talking to him and he shoots wedding with digital, sometimes shooting up to a 1,000 images on one wedding.
He was amazed when I told him that when I shot weddings with film we had 12 shots per roll and every shot had to count, at most 5 rolls per wedding. He could not believe thats how we did it then.
I am like you now I love the technical side, and from buying the film to making my own prints is so satisfying as its a slow process and even slower with large format.
Great video.
What a wonderful story. Sounds like finding your first love again :-)
Very interesting video, thank you. Im 52yrs and I grew up with a film camera always having it with me. Then digital cameras came to light so I had many of them with a very top models and then I came in my mind that I miss my film photography. Now Im shooting on 35mm film with all its magic around it. Choosing film, the whole magic of light streaming on film and painting my frame, and then waiting for my film getting developed and scannend. Its all kind of beauty and magic, sort of art to me :)
I so much relate. That’s exactly how I feel, too.
This video is very informative and engaging on the film photography revival and the questions it raises. I can relate to this topic as I have been shooting on film for years. I love the analog process and the vintage cameras, but I also face many challenges and frustrations. Why do we shoot on film when digital is easier and faster? Is it nostalgia or creativity? Film photography is hard, it demands skill, patience and luck. But maybe that’s the beauty of it, the joy of capturing a unique moment that can never be duplicated. I would love to see more videos on this subject: digital vs analog, hybrid vs pure, slow vs fast, chemical vs electronic, vision vs pixel, crystal vs grain… Thank you for sharing your insights and passion with us!
Thanks for your feedback. I'd love to discuss more about this. However, I do not want to raise controversy or this-against-that. Digital and film to me do not compete. They are absolutely different things -- to me. Also, easy --once again to me -- is not good. Easy is not worth doing, difficult is. But above all, to me, the process impacts the results. And with film, I often get results that please my eyes more than with the processes. Your suggestions on possible topics is very interesting. Thanks! And let me think a bit now .... ;-)
Great video. Love your musings and ramblings. There are all types. I'm an old guy that never stopped using film. Like you, for me its always been about the process. But now I've discovered digital! When I bought a used Fuji Xe1 finally I had a digital camera I enjoyed using.
Excellent. I recently bought myself a Sony a6000. Didn't like it. Bought an adapter ring for it so now I can use vintage lenses, like Helios 44 with it. Still, not interested :-) But hey, we are different, and I think you should follow your instincts and what makes you happy. Life is too short to do things you don't like :-)
I grew up in the days of vinyl records and film photography. Digital was still a ways away. I shot film for many years before moving to digital. I still shoot digital but I have returned to film. I love the process. I still play vinyl records because I love the process. Both digital and analog have something to offer and I do not compare the two. I love each for what they offer me. I'm happy to see so many young folks embracing film photography.
True. It’s AND - not OR. 😅
Oldtimer here but also a process junkie. I started digital only 5 years ago when I learned how to adapt my beautiful old lenses and I do not own any modern AF lens. However I returned to film just 2 years later but without giving up digital. But I never use my cell phone for taking pictures.
I think my film photography has influenced how I shoot digital and vice versa. When I was young I never dared to shoot wide open which I love to do now, even when shooting portraits in 5x7. And I think I will never leave film photography behind. When I was allowed to help my dad in the darkroom as a kid and seeing appear a picture out of nothing was pure magic and I am sure that this fascination will never go away.
"I think my film photography has influenced how I shoot digital and vice versa." -- I hear people often say that. It also goes along with my thinking of rather shooting with a variety of different cameras, lenses, processes, and whatnot instead of sticking to one. That is not only more fun but also makes you a better photographer.
100% agree... It's about the process. Thanks for sharing.!
Thanks for watching!
I find the film look I get from film to be more satisfying than the film look I get from processing my digital photos. For most things in our lives we say that it is the end result that matters. For film, it's how I got there that matters.
I feel the same. I also feel like emulating film in digital is like a Chrysler PT cruiser was 20 years ago. It tried to look like a -30s Chrysler, but it was an utterly ridiculous attempt. However, I remember in 2000 or in that ballpark they sold it new 25% over the sticker price because for a minute people thought it was a cool idea. It wasn't!
It is the process that interests me too. But there is one more thing film can do and digital can not. I realized it when one day I went to the attic and took a bag of old slides. Nothing fancy, just family photos taken by a friend of my grandma. What made me thinking was the date on some rolls: 1968-69... Think about it! Where will my digital photos be in 2078? By that time the world will use a different technology and the computers of the time probably won't be able to read my archives even if the drives are working. But anybody can see a roll of film just holding it to the light with that strange excitement, similar to what I feel when I open the tank after developing a roll.
I agree that storing our digital images will be an issue. But it is not because we could not open or read them in the future. I believe that through possible conversions and whatnot, we can always view our digital photos. But the problem will be that the files themselves will not be anywhere to be found. When I'm gone, nobody will go to my iDrive backups and find my photos there. And nobody will go through my computer's cryptic file system and find the pictures. So you found your granma's friend's photos. They are in a simple box. There is no possibility that my grandkids (I do not have any yet :-) ) friends would go through some 50 year old cloud services managed by a company that had gone bust 40 years earlier and find my photos. That is impossible -- the photos, if they could find them, would very well be viewable.
I'm one of those 20 somethings and the photograph process of both sides and is something I love, I have a mirrorless camera that I brought for recreational use and use it for work on sometimes for covering like behind the scenes for things my boss/friend covers and some work for theatre companies. I recently went to Canada for a university program and only took 4 rolls of film and with my semi-broken slr and took no photos on my phone, it felt really rewarding being able to get 3 rolls worth of good photos. Since I've never touched film before and started on digital it is more of romanticising of what people have done before me and rediscovering what flaws people had to go through and the different thinking. I have had older people around me tell me "I dont miss those days" and parents not understanding why I do it. Physical prints are one of my favourite parts no matter which format, I have a wall of prints, aswell as showing friends my physical and seeing their faces light up. Its all just fun.
Just one day need to save up for a devoloping kit and muck around with it.
What an awesome comment! Thanks! I've also met a lot of people who say they don't miss those old analog days. But like you, to me, it's all brand new and exciting!
Here in the US, there are two sayings related to shooting film, back in those days: "Speed, Quality or Price-Choose any Two." That's what you kicked off this video with! Anyway, thanks for these videos, I'm a new subscriber and have enjoyed all of them.
Thanks thanks! Yeah, it's almost like: you can have anything you want but not everything you want :-) Thanks for watching and commenting!
It sounds akin to not worrying about leaving some legacy, but rather focusing on your experience of life. The journey, not the destination!
Love your videos, thank you always!
Love that!
great outro. love the topic. i started shooting 2 years ago (22M) on film but had shot digital for maybe 5 years prior to that. Like you said the process is what makes it. Variety of shooting devices, mediums, developing processes, post-processes - scanning, printing, direct positives. Never-ending. Digital is quite samey and lacks variety.
I think the youth tend to shoot on point-and-shoots because they're not too fussed with the process or image quality. However they do appreciate the imperfections film can bring, and the also the idea of having to be selective, intentional, clinical. Most iPhone photoshoots are spraying the shutter for 20 seconds and picking the best one. Shooting on film, knowing that each frame is 20p, 50p, up to 10 pounds/4x5 colour shot, is a completely different story!
This imperfect image seems to be, indeed, a positive thing for many of them. As I just gave the two rolls of pictures back to my daughter she was especially happy with fuzzy focus pictures that had a certain action and chaos in them. You are absolutely right!
Great video, Ari. I am very much like you. DIdn't shoot much film back in the day - I was never really interested in it. Had a DSLR when my kids were growing up and took photos with that until starting to use the phone for photos. But I never thought about how I was shooting or what it meant , it was just to have a memory of that particular person or place. It wasn't until I was 55 years old, on a trip to Budapest with my 20 year old son - who had just gotten interested in film cameras - that I got interested myself. There are a few great little photo shops in Budapest and talking with the people there, handling the old cameras and seeing the different types of film somehow appealed to me. Perhaps it was a safe way to have my mid-life crisis and express myself. I started with an old East German made Biere Bierette camera, and I was hooked. I now do all my own developing and scanning and printing myself at home, and it has really enriched my life beyond my expectations.
So so very much like me. It has become an integral part of my life -- in a good way!
I’m still shooting films on 2023 wife hate it do, most people don’t have the patience, I do ask the people before I shoot .nice collection of cameras you have. Thanks for sharing
Thanks for watching! Film makes you a better person :-)
Well, hera I was wrinting on my notebook my thoughts on "my" photography, and I came to soem conclusions similar to yours. I'm not a photographer but an enthusiast that between wanting to buy a better camera in 2014, led me to a Fuji x-e1 with physical controlls and no menus, and soon after discovering a Canonet QL19 in a drawer to shooting film again.
I want quality in the pictures I take, but I'm OK with grain, and in B&W sometimes even prefer grain. Another lure for me was the attraction of these beautiful cameras I couldn't buy back then, that are now relatively cheap. I love using these mechanical cameras, but after I developed my first print all changed.
I was hooked on printing. I still love using my cameras, but the print is something else.
I don't shoot or print for anyone to see, I do this for my very shelfish reasons, because I love the process, I love using these cameras, and I love the results.
Cutting the rumbling short, great insight on your journey, keep them coming.
Excellent, and thanks for commenting. It then seems I'm not a total outlier. Your thoughts are very similar to mine!!
This is an interesting video. Glad it popped up on my feed. I have been getting back into film over the past couple years along with a variety of digital cameras. I started out 20 years ago on film, took a photography class to learn a bit more about the art, and spent a lot of money on developing. I resisted digital until I found myself gravitating to posting images online. Eventually, I jumped into the DSLR world and love it, but there is always something about the process and anticipation of shooting film that I thoroughly enjoy. Thanks for sharing your experiences and thoughts.
Thanks for watching. Yeah, it is really not one against the other. It's not an OR but rather an AND, and having a film process in your arsenal might widen your perspective -- no pun intended :-).
I work with a digital camera. It's part of my job. When I first started delving seriously into digital photography I carried it everywhere. And I took some pretty okay images. But after years of this I stopped trying to create "artistic" photos with the dslr. It was a work tool. Occasionally I would pull it out to get "better quality" images of family gatherings or what have you. When I started shooting and processing my own film I began to fully appreciated the quality of the film photograph. Using a 40 or 70 or 100 year old camera with all it's glorious limitations and then handling the film from exposure to chemistry to scan to print is so immensely satisfying. (Throw in making your own pinhole cameras and OH BOY!) And I swear: the photographs created this way are more impactful, better distilled and just plain old more interesting. It feels to me now that the digital camera captures imagery but the film camera facilitates the creation of art. This bias is entirely dependent on my extreme limitations, but that's how I see it.
Totally agreed. One of my friends said: "Digital cameras have liberated film cameras from tedious and laborious work, professional work, all shoot-for-money, all that -- an now film cameras can concentrate on art, having fun, and just creating beauty. They are free. They do not need to work but they can enjoy life."
Very interesting perspective. I hardly consider myself an artist, at most a "self-expressionist" maybe. But I definitely qualify as a process junkie. Very thoughtful video. Andy
really enjoyed this. i recently decided to get back into shooting film on a casual level. about to finish my first test roll to make sure camera is functional, which it seems to be, and i'm realizing that it's the process of shooting that really drew me back to film.
with digital, i can take countless images, and even if i take my time to try and compose a shot, i know i can re-shoot it that instance (unless it's wildlife, street, action). with film, there's a certain immersion that takes place that really focuses me on what i'm doing. granted, with the cost of film and processing, it's a factor in slowing down, but i feel that there's more taking place when i compose an image.
anyways, thanks for sharing your thoughts. i agree, you just put more eloquently than i did lol
Thanks for watching! yeah, it is a very different thing. It is the need to make that one shot count that fascinates me big time!
Great episode Ari. I too am a process junkie and being a chemist I love the chemistry of picking developers and choosing the conditions to do the developing. And I appreciate the old cameras of course.
:-). I wish I'd know the basics of chemistry. Would be much better to understand many aspects. Like experimenting with self-made developers or just simply understanding how, say, a fixer works. Chemically. But -- anyway, thanks for watching and commenting!
Hi Ari. That's food for thought. I'm with you all the way regarding the analogue process, the joy of using a film camera etc, but the end result is just as important for me. I shoot almost exclusively b&w (I think I already mentioned that previously), and print in the darkroom. I also dry mount and frame my photos and enjoy that part too. So the end result for me is a b&w fibre print hanging on my wall at home, and the process wouldn't feel complete without that.
The end result -- of course is hugely important. But as I thought about it more, I would probably not shoot and definitely not print if it was not with analog gear and analog process. It's like if I was a violin player and suddenly violins were not available anymore -- would I play with a digital sampler :-). I don't think so.
absolutely agreed. and small thing, i absolutely am in the same passion and interest as you are, the photos are more of a secondary thing, sure i wanna have good photos if i can, but for me, it's the beauty of using such old piece of technology, where everything is mechanical and perfectly balanced for what they have to be, the developing and dark room printing aswell as a new thing for me, it made me fell in love with this process, and honestly, lucky for me, b&w film even by getting more expensive it's still the most cheap option to shoot on film, and i would still be shooting film for the time being.
the process itself is just the most important thing as experience for me
Very good to hear. I think there is absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying the process above all!!
It was worth sharing sir! And it's a fact, young people are interested in film! Like vinyl, it's making a come back and it's still here for all of us to enjoy the whole process. I think it's wonderful and I support it in every way. And let's talk about camera stores: look at the prices of a good old Canon or Nikon or whatever camera from 50 years old, it's way more expensive than the digital bodies. In short: Film is alive!!
I agree. It's wrong way of thinking that digital and film would be in any kind of competition. There is a space for them both and they are fundamentally very very different things.
makes perfect sense. process junky here as well. cheers brother!
😊 feeling good!!
Have really got back into film, using aelection of cameras from the 70's and 80's, loving the return to my younger days, (66 now) even using box brownies and Kodak bellows. My oldest camera which I restored is an 1888 detective camera with 9 falling plates, but they were glass with chemicals painted on so not really practical. Film has a certain depth and is easy to digitise with a cheap box and wire system. I'm also using reversal slide film as I have collected a number of slide projectors and a screen for mere pennies. It's just fun, I love it.
You raise an important additional element: film equipment comes in so many shapes and forms. It is such a rich field!!!
Great subject, again, Ari.
I too am drawn by the 'magic' of the latent image and the 'slow process'. In a way it's a meditation.
Additionally, I'm drawn to using really old cameras and imagining what and who was captured thru their lenses. A time transport and capture device of sorts to literally freeze a moment in time. Pinholes especially in this sense.
I also feel somehow being connected to the history of photography with these old cameras. It's hard to feel that with an iPhone.
Loved this! Thank you!!!! ❤️📷
Hey Ari ! great vid as always. I am a 20- something and even though I don't process my own film/ make my own prints, I enjoy leaving my negatives at the same artisanal film lab as my father. The guy is very talented at developing and printing, so for now I'll keep doing that until I have the means ( partly financially but mostly spatially speaking) for it. I love using my father's rolleiflex or yashica 124G (which both malfunctioned and forced me to wrestle them a bit, they need good servicing so I am not using them till that gets done), but I also like the versatility of the nikon f5 that my father's photographer friend lent me. I love the process of taking pictures and doing the metering and focusing by myself. I deeply hate autofocus or any distracting new tech in newer cameras that prevent me from doing it by myself. It's quicker, but my eyes are good enough for me to focus on an eye etc quickly and precisely enough. So even if the F5 has autofocus I never use it, not even in digital cameras. I love the delayed nature of film, and the fact that it can take me 3 months before I finish shooting a roll of film. Film slows you down, and doesn't instantly reward you. In a world where everyone is addicted to social media, film allows me to see all this as unecessary movement, it pulls me back to earth and keeps me there. It's more difficult, more fun, and in my eyes, looks less bland than digital which always tries to be as perfect as possible and internet seems to reward overblown color editing than good photography. I shoot film because it's relaxing and full of an exclusive expression that reverberates your own : you make them for yourself and your friends, not for 'likes'. Staying 15 minutes trying to get the best focus and framing, and seeing it worked out when the photos come is lovely, just as rediscovering the adventure I had going out to take them. I use photography to picture and record my vagrancy and thoughts through the city and the world I go through. I get to discuss photography and shoot with my dad and benefit from his experience and generosity, photography has much deepened my link with him.
Let me talk to your dad! You deserve access to his Hasselblad!! But seriously, thanks for your feedback. I'm fascinated by how this film thing reaches over generations like few other things! Also, reading your marvelous comment something else comes to my mind: we often think that easy = good. We want instant gratification, easy usage, and no hassle. But when we truly love something or somebody, this turns upside down. We want thought-provoking discussions -- not easy chit-chat. We want to spend time with the one we love -- not fast. And we want delayed gratification and the feeling of waiting and expecting. So, whatever is valuable in life should not be easy or instant. It should be much more!
Interesting topic. I’ve asked myself many times why I do film, considering that it can be financially complicated some times. My conclusion was similar to yours: it is the process what drives me. The physical act of developing and printing to end up with a tangible image that you can frame or give to someone (even the smells!). I love Nico’s content, but I do love as well your musings about photography, sometimes well into phylosophy…
When i personally came to the conclusion that it is about the process, i immediately wondered if that’s somehow wrong? Shouldn’t it be only the end result that matters? But the more I think about it the more I realize it really is the process. And there is nothing wrong with that! 😊
Nothing wrong at all! Cheers!
Hi Ari, Again another interesting little chat. Analogue photography is a PROCESS the more you engage with the steps in it, the longer you are likely to stay with it. I like to think of it as an artisanal activity. The same as sculpting, pottery, cabinet making, clockmaking, model engineering or gardening, all engrossing processes requiring thoughtful engagement that may lead to a pleasing outcome. As you say, it is the process that keeps us going back to it, any satisfaction from the outcome is transitory. Great to see younger people getting involved, most will probably let it slip, like most did in the days of film only, some will stick with it, the artisans, and some who tasted it when young might return when they pass through the mill of middle life which squeezes everybody for time and money. These little philosophical asides of yours help us to re-consider why we do things and the benefits of deeper or underlying analysis of what we do. Regards Paul Gough.
Paul, thanks. Yes, there is craftsmanship in this, and it is hard --no, it is actually pointless -- to separate the process and the outcome. They are just different phases of the journey. There is this interesting book by John Allen: "Clapton's Guitar: Watching Wayne Henderson Build the Perfect Instrument ". There are a lot of similarities there in starting by building an instrument and then eventually delivering the music.
I'm very much in the middle... being 31, I remember film from my childhood, but, never had my own film camera, my first camera was a digital point and shoot, then DSLRs, now fuji xt10. (as an adult all used).
Just started with film by taking a black & white darkroom class, using my fathers fm2 on loan. Absolutely amazing how slowing down makes me a better photographer... really like the darkroom process... and the process of see things as potential compositions...
Can't even decide if I like being able to scan film- paper is expensive though, and it takes me a long time still to dial in print, so I have begun to scan a little, perhaps to weed out pictures not worth printing. Probably I am going to keep using my fuji for color though.
I also feel film is especially suitable for B&W photography. There is some magic to it!
I definitely enjoy the process, but equally I find the anticipation of the result exciting and know I am preserving memories.
It feels very different when you don’t see the results immediately 😊
Some of us never left analogue photography. Yes, I dabbled with digital photography and do it every day, but when I'm doing something for myself, for fun, I shoot film! The ability to hold that negative in my hand and then take it into a darkroom or scanning it into Lightroom makes photography fun! Sometimes I spend too much time in front of the computer, but as long as I've got a negative in my hand, I'm a happy camper. The young people don't grasp the importance of the negative. Digital images can get lost and if they do, they may be gone forever. But with a negative, an image can live on indefinitely. When I'm out shooting, I'm often stopped by bystanders who want to ask about my camera. I like to shoot with Mamiya TLRs or Mamiya Press Cameras. People are fascinated by them and actually volunteer to be in a photo! And in the process, I hopefully spread my love of photography to them! That's what you do: You re spreading the love!
The fact that it is all physical and real --not digital -- adds so much to the process!!
For me shooting on film were allmost all about dark room. Second time i got hit by depresseion/anxiety and a mental burn out i found sollitude and calmness in the dark room, just me, the chemicals and silence. It was just what i needed at that time in my life, unfortunately i don't have access to dark room anymore so i'm shooting digital but i miss that stress free process of developing film a lot.
I agree. Time stops in the dark room and the world won’t get in!
I am old timer, began shooting film in the late 1980’s until 2012, then back to film in 2019. I shot digital from 2009-2019, and still shoot color digital. With the cost of color 35mm, I shoot Full Frame digital. I am using black and white 35mm, black and white medium and large format. I think we are seeing a renaissance, but it’s will taper off and level out to those that are die hard film photographers.
I believe most people shooting film also shoot digital. Very few are like me :-)
Interesting.. and I can see that many of us ask our self the same question.. Why do we start shooting film again? Sometimes I think I'm crazy for doing it considering the cost involved etc.. but at the end there's nothing like it.. I also develop my negatives at home and the excitement and joy (or disappointment) of seeing the end result when you take the film/s out of the tank just can't be replaced by shooting digital.. I love your shows! Keep it up - By the way, I used to be a repro-photographer and retoucher in the 70s-80s when retouching and everything involved was done by hand in and out of darkrooms..
Thanks, thanks. I have a huge respect for anybody who masters retouching and restoring. I've tried to fix some of my prints (hide dust particles and stuff), and failed miserably. That is a process I want to learn in the future!!
@@ShootOnFilm the process was interesting but I retouched beauty shots and for Life Magazine..that wasn't very enjoyable.. I quit all of it in '87 and turned pro musician instead..
Thank you Ari for sharing your thoughs. Very to know himself to be able to enjoy What you're doing.
I'm totally recognise me in your point of view I'm 50 + 😁 not a fan of photos in my young age but after a total digitalisation of my job, my environment I come back to analog film developping and printing by myself just in order to create something tangible from the beginning to the final point. Doesn't matter if the others appreciate or not what I'm producing Just to have produce something I'm happy
This is not art this is Just essential
Bravo for this again inspirating and full of sagesse vidéo
Michel
Thanks for watching!! I believe it is important to sometime be selfish -- and do what you want and do it exactly the way you want. Ask nobody's permission or opinion :-)
So true. The only problem with me is, when I go for a trip, I can not choose what camera I am going to take with me... 35mm, medium or large format... panorama? It can take me a whole day to make a choice, and finally take the one I started with. I would like to take it all, but it is all so damn heavy
"Process junkie" -- that's a fitting way of putting it. Nice episode. 👍
:-) Thanks for watching!
Hello Ari. Nice to hear you have had opportunity to visit Estonia*. I have an obsession for real photographic paper. I explore all ways of manipulating the emulsion and effects of light and chemistry. I use film too, but just to contribute to what I do on and with paper :). Thank you for your videos!
Interesting. Is your work somewhere on the internet for me to see? Did you see my last video about using paper as a film?
Thank you. I'm right there with ya. Old camera, process Junkie. I'm watching while developing some Delta 100 in Diafine from a Canon F-1 I restored. Wonderful day wonderful video. My Photography path is much like yours. I began in the mid 70-s when I was "volunteered" to be the Team Photographer in my USAF unit.
I also often watch youtube while developing films. And I sometimes I wonder what Rodinal does to the inner chips of my laptop :-)
Started shooting with film, of course, in the 1960s and haven’t given up on film yet.
:-) That's dedication!
im an artist, sometimes, and i photograph things for the same nostalgia in the process... i love the sound of the shutter on medium format and than i would develop the film, pick and look at and can stay in a folder for months before I scan it but than im ready to load the film and go again.... process and process/ it's the experience that we like, making us slow down and think about things... life is to easy and fast these days with too much technology
Well said.
As a teacher, and a teacher of film photography of 18 years... and before that a commercial film photographer from the early 90's into the death of commercial film usage. A core element of teaching is about the process, and film is all about that. That is what adds to the allure of the film revival, although I personally never gave up shooting film and kept my 18 enlarger darkroom continuously operating through the introduction of digital cameras and cellphones. Once the shooter understands the artistic advantages of the manual camera, they can easily see the advantages of the darkroom process. Too many hipsters are shooting film and going direct to scan. I say why bother, if you are eliminating half of the beauty from the process. Some people are more interested in being seen with an 8x10 field camera and a huge sheet of film, and then blow it by scanning it only because what really matters is the output on Instagram. Good luck obtaining an 8x10 enlarger anyway... But, it's all about the entire process, and that includes the exploration of the original "lightroom", the darkroom. There is so much fun to be had exploring new paper, dodging/burning, cropping, then processes like hand coloring... I can go on and on, but then again I guess at 50 years old and suppose I am an old timer. I consider myself a bit of a purist (which often is seen as snobbish) but that's not it, I believe in preserving the art of photography as Ansel Adams perfected it in such a scientific manner. So yes I enjoy shooting large format zone system, but I also love informal photography which for me is hand holding a press camera:) Cheers!!!!
So well said. I totally agree -- and along those lines, my next video was, indeed, about the process. th-cam.com/video/E69bWwQsBhE/w-d-xo.html
Enjoyed your perspective on this and was surprised to hear a solo piano version of “Barrytown” by Steely Dan at the end of the video!
Thanks thanks! It is one of my Steely Dan favs :-)
I don't know where I fit in your description. Old timer! Yes, shooting film back in the 70's & 80's. Picked up a digital camera a few years back. Sony adapted old film lens to the digital camera. Now, what would the film look on these old lens. Buying old film cameras to shoot the film with the lens that I bought for the Sony cameras. I sent the film out to a lab. But, like the old days I get my roll of film printed. Also, started a photo album to put my pictures in. Starting the page by date camera and this is my journey with film. I just like the slowing down a thinking about the picture I am taking. The other thing is I not spending time editing a picture and keeping on a hard drive. I leave the photo album out in my computer room. I look at it the wife picks it up and looks at it the older kids will look at the photo album. So the photo album I would guess is why I am shooting film again.
I’m a process junky that evey now and then gets a great shot. I see that as a plus but not a necessity. Well said! Thanks.
Me too :-)
I started in film, then I started digital in college. Digital ended up turning me into a 'machine gun' shooter. I still shoot digital for my color, but film for black and white. When I started shooting film again I had force myself to take my time and think about the shot before I take it. Film is so relaxing, for me anyway, And I love the darkroom process, Thank you for your videos!! Entertaining and informative. I use RC paper but after I tune my chops a bit I'll reprint some on FB paper for display.
I've now moved entirely to FB papers. It feels more ... holy? Appropriate, that's the word I am looking for!
You are a funny guy! I call you a creative photographer working in analog. Best to you!
Thanks, thanks. And, again, thanks for watching!
There’s something about having a piece of history in your hands. Using a Rolliflex, 64 Spotmatic or a Nikon F, that gives you that mechanical connection that digital can’t provide.
You have to put some brain power into it to master, it’s a challenge. That’s a two fold win right there, satisfaction from the mastery, and using a well made usable and long living instrument your grandfather would have used, that provides you with memories you will have forever, events frozen in time.
What could be better in life than that.
Fully agree!
Right on, process, process, process…. ❤
I want to come back to film, but not sure I can get back into the darkroom thing, not sure where to begin, but something is pulling me back. I like your video style, well done.
Thanks, Steve. Try it. Shoot a roll or two, and send it to a lab for development and scanning. See if you like it :-)
Hi, thanks for this. I have not yet processed it completely. Maybe I will add someting later. Not sure. If not, see you next time. Take care and regards, Martin in Austria
I really like your Brownie image!!!
@@ShootOnFilm Thanks it's a Ferrania Zeta Duplex, a 2 Format box camera, 6x9 and 6x4,5. I bought it for the smile 😀 and it became my avatar almost everywhere on the 🕸.
@@Martin_Siegel That is so cool -- it looks a bit like my Brownie but with a smile!
@@ShootOnFilm It also works exactly like a Brownie. Same kind of shutter and aperture. I really love it. Maybe I'll do a mirror self-portrait some time.
You hit a chord, as usual. I, too, have become a Process Junkie. Hardly ever use my Sony a6000. Not enough guesswork and process. No mystery.
Me too!
It does makes sense ❤❤
I think it does! 😊
Very interesting topic, I myself shot film (35mm) and switched too digital in the mid 2000's and now I want to get into shooting medium format. This topic is similar to the come back of vinyl lp's, I had read somewhere that the sales of lp's surpassed cd's in 2022 I think it was.
Vinyl is a small market, and so is analog photography. However, vinyl sales is the fastest-growing segment of music, and so is film photography in photography. A lot of similarities -- will always remain as an interesting alternative for many, I believe.
Only just found your videos and now spending hours catching up ! Some really interesting subject’s. You really have had some bad luck buying second hand equipment on line ! Still you use film cameras and enjoy the whole experience . Is it a RIVIVAL ? Well not for me ! My Brief Photographic History , Brought a Praktica MTL5 Brand New 1983 with second hand 35mm and 135mm lenses 2 colour film one fuji and the other Kodak , uv filters to protect the lenses , and a second hand case to put my acquired gear in from a Family run Camera shop in Birmingham England (sadly now gone ) The old man who sorted me out was the owner and dealt with him over a number of years during the 80”s . I still have and use that Praktica today infact only used it the other day ! Now as I got in to my new hobby so I got hooked ! 40 Years later and now as you said a ol’mon as we say (old man ) I now shoot and use depending on how I feel , weather, location and again new term creativity either a Asahi Pentax Spotmatic F, Mamiya 645 1000s, 645 Super , C330 tlr , RB67, (luv Mamiya) , Miranda RE, Olympus Om1N , Nikkormat, Canon FTB, Rolleiflex (Baby), Ensign Selfix B20 (English Camera ) , Kiev 6c , Lecia IIIa Lubitel 166 and 4 off good working Russian range finder cameras (for fun) never know whats going to happen with them ! I’ve now just acquired 2 off new old additions to my family A Hassleblad 500cm and Hassleblad SWC/M to replace my 2 kids that have left home !!! Shooting Film is what I enjoy with different tools for the job ! I DID UNFORTUNATELY BUY A DIGITAL CAMERA !!!! Pentax Kx with a number of lens as again media hype film is dead (Bull S$%T) I used it , yes not bad camera small compared to most DSLR of the time , results not bad however the buzz wasn’t there , BUT the Pentax found a place with in the family group of cameras a Pre View Camera ( I never used a Polaroid back ) which saved me no end of wasted frames on film and also a back up light meter as I think my westom light meter was seeing better days although I had it serviced twice in the years I used it , now use Sekonic L308B for speed or a L858D if I am in the zone ! Do they make me a better photgrapher NO! as the wife said more toys for the teenage ol’mon to play with and it keeps me out of trouble !!!!! Never developed a film in my life (admire those that do!) spend too much time taking the photo’s got a good film developer again in Birmingham dealing with them for a long as well! No smart phone with camera . Am I reliving the GOOD OLD DAY’S OF FILM ? NO !!!! INEVER LEFT THEM !!!!!!!❤😊
A cool story. Thanks for sharing.
Very interesting thoughts! 👍🏻
Thanks. Appreciated!
Very interesting musings . Were similar , I grew up with point n shoot cameras , I sent the films to labs and my photos were pretty crap !
Then I got into digital for a long time
Then a few years ago I bought a Nikonos and started developing my films
I had impressive results with my canon 5 d mk2 , my photos were in magazines etc but it wasn't until I fully dived back into film that I became a real photographer, I almost bought an xpro digital camera today , I wish I had and I'm glad I didn't
Winding forward a hasselblad or Leica m3 after you have taken a shot is an exquisite tactile experience that can't be found on a digital
They are my babies !
It is so cool that we now have so many options to create pictures!! :-)
@@ShootOnFilm and we can now afford the cameras that the rich and famous or top pro guys had and still cheaper than a prosumer dslr
Hi Ari, yep, I'm also a process junkie. Always have been, but the results are also the achievement of this amazing hobby. I never tire of it even after fifty years of plodding around with it and almost getting it right. Oh well maybe the next shot.🤷
You raise an important point. The process is a journey where you can get closer and closer (to the perfect shot). But you never quite reach it so you keep on doing it. And enjoying it.
@Shoot On Film Thank you Ari,
you are such a great influence. 👍
I sometimes buy the boxes of camera and lens equipment from Kamera store - camera rescue to repair myself 😃
I know what you mean. It's a lot of fun to work on old cameras!
@@ShootOnFilm Sure is. Just wish i had more time for so many things film related I want to do 🤣
I am torn between film and digital. Mostly because I would like to take both along but cannot decide what equipment to use/bring along when I go somewhere. I am starting to lean to film for black and white because I like how film looks than digital. Color film I usually use when it gives me a different look like a halation that I don’t know how to create in digital. Besides that, I do enjoy the process of only having a finite amount of frames and the process of loading/unloading……as long as the weather is good and I can prevent anything from getting into the camera. And like you said reliving the moments after you lived them the first time.
I hear you! Maybe you should find a way to use them both side by side? More explicit roles for both digital and analog? DUNNO
I'm that guy who never really went digital. I bought a digital point & shoot in 2003 (a Gateway, don't recall the model number, but it had a zoom and a 5 megapixel sensor, used SD cards up to 512 MB). I doubt I ever shot as many as a hundred frames on it, despite replacing the battery twice (old tech lithium batteries would swell after being left on charge too long). I did use it briefly to digitize 16 mm negatives with 10x14 mm image area, because the scanner I had then couldn't pull anything close to the 3 Mp that camera would give (the negative wouldn't fill the frame due to aspect ratio), with the camera on a mini tripod looking up into an enlarger lens -- but I never stopped shooting film, except for a few years when I didn't have the resources to do any photography at all.
I'll happily accept the label of process junkie. Many of my happiest times over the past half century were when I could spend time in the darkroom, smelling the chemicals, working on getting the best print out of one of my best negatives. I care very much about the final result -- make no mistake! -- but I've told people since the death of film was announced that for me, it's not photography if I can't smell the chemicals. Fortunately, I now have equipment that, with a little additional outlay, would let me shoot wet plate collodion (and make my prints on kallitype or Van Dyke brown or cyanotype). As long as I can buy, or even *make* the chemistry, I can keep doing analog photography.
I'd rather stick with film as we know it, though -- my darkroom isn't an explosion hazard as it would be if filled with collodion and ethanol and ether...
"...when I could spend time in the darkroom, smelling the chemicals, working on getting the best print out of one of my best negatives." -- it indeed is magical. Pulling out a photo from your memory card is not the same!!!
I never really left film in the last 50 years, yes I do have multiple digital cameras that I have used since the 90s, but digital and film has always been about the image, not the tool!!! I have been a HUGE instant film user. I got my first Polaroid camera in 1970!!! I miss all the various Polaroid formats ... used type 55 quite a bit, a print and a negative that I could do a cyanotype or Van Dyke print with!!! I actually enjoy the process of taking a photo so much that I really don't care how I made it ... the final image is all that matters to me ... the jury is out if they are any good, but I don't care ... I enjoy it!!!
I also wish Polaroid was still widely available. I've been experimenting with Instax, but it is not quite the same. Especially that you don't get the "paper negative".
Really nice treatment. Thank you. "An Analogue Process Junkie," pretty good. Maybe I should stop thinking about the end result and concentrate on the process. Food For Thought. I was a graphic artist and wet lab copy photographer in a medicine faculty thirty years or so ago. Emotionally I still haven't given my soul to digital photography though I have a Nikon D7100 along with my film cameras. Missing my Nikon FM2n big time.
I have a Nikon D7100, too :-) But the only thing I do with it is to shoot these videos. My photos are 95% film, 5% iPhone :-)
It's been said that part of addiction has as much to do with the individual drug of choice but also an infatuation with process. So yeah - - - maybe I AM a junkie. But perhaps I'm just in love. After all, I DO love those little red and yellow boxes of Kodachrome (anybody know where I can get some?????) or green and white boxes of HP5 and I DO love cracking open the wrapper on a fresh 120 roll and carefully storing the box end tab on the back of my magazine. I love the slow careful process of loading the magazine. There's a slight "rush" of anticipation and opportunity when the frame counter advances to "1". I love the sound of the lens clicking home as I mount it to my camera and I especially love the view through the ground glass in the early morning or late afternoon. I LOVE the sound of the mirror slap and the film advance. I especially love the notion that some of this work will still be around 100 years from now. I COULD go on and on but here's the other side of that coin . . . I shot digital for a couple of decades and I felt NONE of this. Much of that digital process was cold and unfeeling . . . the shutter release was an electronic switch with none of the tactile feedback of a mechanism built like a fine watch. The view in that little LCD had none of the warmth of a ground glass prism at the golden hour. Having tossed my DSLR's on the eBay "for sale" heap - - I eventually found my way back to my first true love. Am I a junkie or am I just head-over-heels in love?
All those little things make it worthwhile. To me, the sound of a Graflex curtain shutter, the feeling when my Rolleiflex says click when it detects the beginning of the 120 film through the backing paper, or the smell of a good solid stop bath. Hard to explain, silly -- but very true.
Wow, this makes quite a lot of sense to me 🤔
Yep, procesjunk over here. ;-) greetings from Belgium. #nicecamerabelgium
Hi, Belgium. Thanks for watching!
I guess I'm an old timer who (largely) does it for the process. When I started shooting as a kid, the fascination with the process was the main driver and it still is. But, I also enjoy perfecting my craft and producing the best technical results. My end result is the finished print, and I have found optical b&w/ra-4 to be at least as good or better than "digital" in this regard. But even if that wasn't the case, the problem with digital for me is that I don't feel like I'm making images when shooting digital. With digital, I don't feel a connection between the reality I wanted to capture and the finished print. With film, reality has made a physical impact on the medium all the way to the finished print. Not so with digital, I feel.
It really is the connection. I feel too many algorithms, technology, hi-tech, AI, image manipulation and all other aspects get between me and the image when doing digital. It's no longer me.
Hi Ari. Thanks as always for sharing your thoughts. I too am a process junkie! For me it’s about the experience of photographing my world. I am a returnee to film after a hiatus primarily due to shifts in technology as you mentioned, but also work. I have more time now and have gone back into my cameras and shooting. [Tho I really miss Polaroid peel-apart film!] I would expand a bit on your process thoughts - I choose a camera to match certain projects or objectives. So I love B&W in film but color in digital. I use digital more for documenting days and people in my life (a goal of a good iPhone shot a day). I do Intentional Camera Movements as well with digital. But I reserve film for those special projects and feel. Whether that is with square format or 4x5, with lens or pinhole. I could explain this feeing a bit also through how I experience recorded
Music. I listen to so many genres through digital streaming or digital files through my stereo system, but I actively search out and clean and play only certain albums on vinyl to give the sound experience I want. That process adds to the enjoyment or sometimes is the enjoyment. So I can’t agree with you more- as you also raised the point in previous video on AI vs taking pictures with a camera. Back then I echoed your view that it is about the process and we follow here the same!
It seems we are very alike then. I also find film really suitable for B&W. Color film doesn't interest me that much really, as my iPhone is better with colors, actually. And, since you also listen to music very much like me (a special Saturday afternoon music break requires Stan Getz on vinyl) -- let me push you a bit further: I bought a Revox B77 reel2reel player a few years ago. I've recorded some of my favorite vinyl on tapes. A rotating Revox looks so awesome it adds an extra sparkle to the occasion :-) Have you been on eBay lately?
We are so alike Ari. When I was in my late 20’s back in early 80’s I worked for a radio station in Rome Italy do English language news. That station also had a full vinyl library because it played all music genres for its music programs and I had the opportunity (which I missed regrettably) to use the studio in off hours to record any or all albums onto reels. I was searching to buy a Revox but never did! Sad. I know exactly that feeling. By the way my Saturday go to on Vinyl is Jimmy Smith with Stanley Turrentine. Finally I have to agree with other posting members about how much Ari you inspire - in your low key humble way - but you express in words music and photos so much. I have gotten back into pinhole bcz of you (I saw your photo in B&W magazine selection on pinholesplus your videos) after so many years bcz of the loss of Polaroid film which I shot exclusively. I bought a Lomo LC-A120 bcz of your video. So keep it up and enjoy the revox in those down times.
Here I get asked "Are they still being developed?" :) I had once a TV cameraman in the middle of a demonstration in Tel Aviv, open and smell the roll in the canister. Closed his eyes and smelled.
I can so relate! :-)
I did analog film photography for decades, but I haven´t used analog film since 2007 when I got digital Cameras, I am much more satisfied using digital and I will not miss the pollution from analog films !
Good for you :-)
As a teacher,when I get the chance, I let my students (12 --16 y)make a pinhole camera out of a can. After the paper picture is taken we develop in cafenol. Why cafenol? The schoolboard finds developer chemicals too dangerous. I started with paper positive but that is to expensive. Now I use papernegative and the students use a reversal app on their phone to get a positive paper. Maybe is this topic a great way for history teachers to get some positive umpff in their curriculum;-) Love your videos. Greetz
It is awesome if you show your students the art of pinholing -- from building the camera all the way to ready pictures. It is such a creative process!
Yes, yes... I look old, I'm back to film shooting after more than twenty years, I like dealing with old cameras... It's almost about me!
At first, I was supposed to just check that my cameras were working. But I soon found the once-lost joy of the photography-on-film process. I am not an artist (my Academy of Fine Arts diploma is irrelevant here) nor a photographer. I am having fun with the process of photography on film. It's addicting!
Regards 😁
Hi Rob! It's good to know there are may of us here! 🙂
Absolutely 100% agree. I'm unashamedly in love with the process. I'm probably a little too in love with the gear too, but if you can't fall in love with a TLR , do you even have a soul?
I totally agree. If you have never taken a picture with a TLR, you might as well not exist at all!
Interesting topic! I wonder if the numbers you ran with Nico on the possible size and financial potential of film photography market could be made public. There is a whole lot of speculation on this all over the web but very little in the way of even remotely reliable statistics, so this would be really useful 😉
I'll discuss it with Nico. The challenge is that it really is an estimate. Nico has a tremendous network in the photography community ... but we also see what's happening through Kamerastore sales; stuff that is not all public. But I think it could benefit us all if we could agree on some sort of open and public methodology!
But in a nutshell, we know the size / revenue of all major film producers. They publish their figures -- also we can extract Kodak film that goes to Hollywood and take that into account. You can thus estimate how much film is being produced for film shooters. We can also estimate camera sales by looking at the major camera sales points, get some heuristics from c2c sales on Ebay, We can also see the growth in those figures. US and Europe are fairly doable in estimations. Japan is a sizeable market but numbers are very difficult to estimate. I've also lately heard that Latin America has a lot of film shooters. I know very little of that market. From Kamerastore customers and talking to people at Ilford, Kodak and elsewhere we can roughly estimate how much different types of analog photographers spend money.
Not scientific, but not out of thin air, ether.
Late to this video but I am a 30 something year old that owned a few point and shoots and polaroids in the late 90's and early 2000's then got digital in my teens and early 20's and got back into film in my mid 20's almost exclusively shooting on film now including for paid photo shoots. It is a weird thing for me as while I undeniably prefer the look of film for the most part its the lack of distraction on film that I love. no screens , no menus , no batteries even if you choose so , I also develop and scan my own film and absolutely enjoy the process of doing this in my laundry sink. I do still shoot digital but on a fujifilm xpro3 with film sims trying to do as much in camera as possible even for elaborate shoots.
The fact that my day job is workng in a VFX company and that I have worked in I.T for years might be what makes me want to steer away from the "digital" in my personal work.
You're much younger than me, but you followed the exact same route. And I also love the peaceful "me time" in the laundry room (!!) when developing my films.
Tack! intressanta tankegångar. Berätta gärna någon gång, vilka framkallare du använder och vilka olika fördelar de har.
Tack tack! Jag har 2 favoriter: XTOL för jämn hög tonalitet. Rodinal för korniga och buntiga kraftbilder.
I don't know about photography revival but I do know that if I want to buy film, I have to order it because stores like Walmart and all drug stores here refuse to carry it anymore. I also have to send my film by mail to have it developed.
True. But I buy all my books, tools, car parts, and what not online, so there is no difference for me. Everything has gone online .... :-)
Film use by younger people may just be a passing phase. I say that based on the current rise in interest and usage of older consumer grade digital cameras. It seems that they feel they get the same 'aesthetic' for early digital cameras as from film, minus the cost and delay inherent in film.
It certainly is a possibility. The future is always harder to predict than the past!
We go back because of the "magic" we remember as children and young people. the young go back because of curiosity. in 2001-2002 I said "When the digital camera will reach 10 MP, Call me and I'll shift to digital" because someone told me 10MP is good enough. But the experience, The need to "not see your photos immediately" the wait for the development, And the special cameras (And not the electronic gadgets that change every year) are all a good reason.
By the way: My father used to shoot with an Olympus Pen-EE3 and always always Kodak Gold 200. I remember I went to shoot in a TV studio in 1988 as a 14 years old, I bought Kodak Gold 400, And he shouted "Are you CRAZY? 400 ASA? Do you think it's completely dark there? It's mad to shoot with 400!" (Every time I use Delta 3200 I laugh...)
I shot film. But only one film: Kodak Gold 200. Only after 5-6 years, I shot 2-3 BW rolls (The story with my grandmother). So for me, Now, It's a bit of a toy store: All the Hasselblads, And the ability to buy them. and use different films. Sadly, I missed Kodachrome and many others which has been discontinued. Something that the young don't know. we say in Hebrew: "No brain - No trouble" :)
Funny, insightful! I'd also say: if it's easy, it's not worth doing! :-)
@@ShootOnFilm Exactly. It's not something the camera do for you.
You are of course right. Nothing more to say. -- Well, besides this: I just have a project to photograph a collection of a friend so he has a digital catalogue. Of course I will shoot the ca. 500 pieces (and 2000 or so pictures) digitally. -- One thing is also the darkroom - or the lack of one. I have to scan all my pictures. Comparing the "scientific" quality of my pictures, my iPhone is better than my Rolleiflex. But it is all about the "experience" of photography! Just like drawing a scene on paper, which I do even without any artistic drawing skills, just for the fun of it.
So true. And, indeed, iPhone takes better pictures. And no wonder -- they have poured literally billions of dollars into perfecting the image quality of an iPhone during the last 15 years. It would be a failure if it wasn't better than my 60-year-old Rolleiflex!
@@ShootOnFilm Oh, just in case somesone reads this and takes pictures with the iPhone: Get yourself an Instax printer. It is not a printer, but uses chemicals to "instantly" develop your photos. It is an amazing proces and you get at least a tangible picture. Perhaps you'll then understand why people still use analogue film...
Another interesting video. At this rate, I see the installation of a C41 minilab in your future 8-)
:-). My next great plan is to shoot one roll of film in an airplane, and go and develop the roll in the plane's restroom. C41 minilab could be the next. You gotta have some goals in life!