This year I have started to delve into the world of analog photography. Apart from using disposable cameras during my childhood, this has been my first time trying out proper film cameras, and it's safe to say I instantly fell in love.
I started shooting on a Pentax ESPIO 110 point and shoot camera and also a manual Minolta x700 camera, but I have an array of film camera's I want to try!
In a world where digital and phone photography is growing in prevalence, film photography gives that unique edge to your photos that can't quite be captured in the same way as a digital camera. I feel like I am much more conscious when I use my film cameras, unlike when I am shooting with my DLSR or my phone. This is because unlike digital photography where you can keep pressing the shutter until you are happy with the final shot, you have to be a lot more careful with film, putting more thought into every composition and frame (unless you want the costs to start piling high!). With this major difference between the two photographic forms in mind, I believe this in turn is making me become a better photographer. When shooting on film, I put more thought into each composition, which I have started relaying into my photography when using my digital camera, "it slows down your process and makes you more deliberate" (Cooke, 2021).
Another reason I have fallen in love with film photography is because of the connections I have made through it. I absolutely adore engaging in conversation with strangers when I am out and about, and on a few occasions now people have stopped to talk to me when they see a film camera hanging around my neck. Three occasions come to mind, each of which people from slightly older generations have spoken to me in awe that someone of my generation still uses a film camera; to which I explain that analog photography is currently experiencing a massive revival and growing in popularity. Perhaps it's because of the overwhelming amounts of photography we see circulating the social sphere, and the fact that everyone with a camera phone is considered a photographer these days, that this nostalgic, unique and intricate photographic form is becoming increasingly popular.
On two of the occasions where I had lovely conversations about film with people on the street, I asked if I could take their photos and these are the images.
I love these images entirely!
There are many aspects of film photography that I am really excited to explore. The whole process can become completely personalised, from the film stocks you decide to shoot with, what you take photos of, to how those photos are developed- which is one area I am yet to delve into deeply. For my 23rd birthday, my sister took me to a film photography workshop in Peckham with Camera Darkrooms (formerly known as Bright Rooms: https://www.instagram.com/cameradarkroom/?utm_medium=copy_link).
In this workshop we both developed film for the first time and also we used medium format film for the very first time! It was a fascinating experience, as medium format cameras are so different to 35mm film cameras, thus it opened me eyes to the wild world of film photography that I have yet to explore. There are so many possibilities and sophisticated realms within film, and the fact that you never know how your photos are going to turn out makes film photography all that more pleasing. Even photos that may have flaws are still so special as they were taken on a film camera, "light leaks and lo-fi effects are intriguing to young people because they are incongruent with digital technology" (Triscari, 2018).
My Inspirations
Someone who I find really inspiring within film photography is my friend Varvara (https://varvara2000varya.wixsite.com/varvarvarr). I met her completely by accident and since then, she has become one of the people that got me really interested in this form of photography. Every single piece of work she puts out tells a strong story, she has such an incredible creative eye, and her photos are absolutely stunning.
Here is some of her work:
I screenshotted this from her website portfolio which shows an extensive collection of her photos: https://varvara2000varya.wixsite.com/varvarvarr
You can also find some more of her work on her instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/35.m.m/
Another person who really inspires me with their film photography happens to be my sister, Romarni (https://www.romarnibrytz.com/). Since she is my older sister, she has always guided and inspired me in everything that I do, and photography is one of those things. We both started to get into analog photography at a similar time, and the things that she has captured over the past year are truly remarkable.
Here is some of her work:
I screenshotted this from her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/filmbymarns/
You can find more of her film photography (and other photography) here: https://www.romarnibrytz.com/photos
What I Want To Do Next
One of my goals of 2022 is to start developing my own film. As I mentioned before, choosing how you develop your film is a large part of the entire process of shooting film, and makes the whole thing much more personal. It gives you more control over how your final images come out, and you're more likely to get the best results if you do it yourself rather than sending it to a lab, who (generally speaking) will use a general purpose commercial developer and will develop many rolls of film in bulk (Maryon-Davis, 2018). It allows you to develop an even stronger connection with the photos you have taken, as through developing them yourself you are quite literally responsible for bringing those images to life.
Another thing that I am really interested to try out is a phenomenon called 'film souping', which has been brought to my attention through Twitter. There are two people in particular who introduced me to this realm of film photography,
Merecedes Nelson (http://doedeer.photography/) &
Lyndsey Marie (https://www.lyndseymariephotos.com/).
The definition of film souping: "it's a process that uses chemicals of various kinds to alter the emulsion of a film and produce crazy unpredictable effects" (Murray, 2020). It is something that adds another layer of personality and magic to your film photography, a completely experimental process that ultimately can give you some truly interesting and gorgeous results. Once I have got a hold of how to develop my own rolls of film at home, I am definitely going to start souping some of my film!
Here is some of Merecedes' work:
This is a screenshot from her website: http://doedeer.photography/
You can also find her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/FilmFawn
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/film.fawn/
Here is some of Lyndsey's work:
You can find her work on her website: https://www.lyndseymariephotos.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lyndseymarieee_
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elmarie_film/
They both have a wide range of photography within their portfolios and some really interesting results from film souping, every time I see their work I get so eager to try it out myself!
Another person who I am really inspired by is Josh Lee (https://www.byjoshlee.com/) They are an experimental analog photographer who 'destroys' their negatives by painting on them and developing them with various substances, which leaves some incredible and stunning results. Here is some of their work:
I screenshotted this from this website: (https://hicetnunc.art/joshlee) (their porfolio / store website is linked above)
You can also find them on twitter: https://twitter.com/byjoshlee
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/byjoshlee/
This is something I'd also love to try out with my film photography, their work is so unique and pleasing to the eye.
I will be posting many more blog posts about my journey into the world of film photography as it progresses, so keep an eye out for future posts if this is something you'd like to see!
A photo of me taken by Romarni on the medium format photography workshop I mentioned.
REFERENCES:
Cooke, A., 2021. How Film Photography Can Make You a Better Photographer. [online] Fstoppers. Available at: <https://fstoppers.com/film/how-film-photography-can-make-better-photographer-558256> [Accessed 21 December 2021].
Maryon-Davis, H., 2018. Why You Should Develop Your Own Film. [online] Analogue Wonderland. Available at: <https://analoguewonderland.co.uk/blogs/film-photography-blog/why-you-should-develop-your-own-film> [Accessed 21 December 2021].
Murray, B., 2020. Film Soup Redux | Film Shooters Collective. [online] Film Shooters Collective. Available at: <https://www.filmshooterscollective.com/analog-film-photography-blog/film-soup-revisited-4-7> [Accessed 21 December 2021].
Triscari, C., 2018. In Living Colour: Analog photography in digital spaces. [online] Kill Your Darlings. Available at: <https://www.killyourdarlings.com.au/article/in-living-colour-analog-photography-in-digital-spaces/> [Accessed 21 December 2021].
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