You speak the truth. You have courage. You will succeed. I admire your wisdom and honesty. I am a commercial photographer and I divide my professional and personal work as digital and film respectively. I love the notion of shooting exclusively in film, but cost, deadlines, and client expectations make it an impossible option.
So refreshing to hear you. We need more of this personal experience and its relationship with gear, but just a little. A perfect balance of sensibility and perspective. Cause at end of the day we need the genuine excitement that comes with this. Thanks!
I share the vast majority of these sentiments and still gave up my predominantly film workflow. Your point about "needing a break from processing or backlog" or whatever spoke to me. I simply do not have the drive to develop my film frequently enough for film photography to be a viable medium in my life. It makes me sad. I shot hp5 at 800 exclusively with an M6 and was making images that interested me. However, the backlog would pile up and up. I now use a Q2 and an X1DII and am thus far happy with my choice
Excellent argument, Jeremy. While I started shooting film 40 years ago and switched to digital in 2001, I went with an M6 and Tri-X to Normandy five years ago to shoot D-Day +75 analog. While that went well my main problem became making good prints out of five rolls I shot that day on Omaha beach. But I missed no image. That happened later, with an FE in Florence. While I was in the right spot at the right time, my first shot was too early, then I saw the perfect picture in the viewfinder. It passed, but I took one more image anyway. That was a weird mixture of the freedom of digitally shooting away, and the analog fear of just 36 images, and the time spent in the darkroom afterwords, fiddling around with test strips, multigrade filters and imperfectly temperated developer. Shooting film hones the ability to get the image you really want, for sure. While I use my digital images sparingly, just a couple of days ago I was at an event where agency photographers shot away on cameras sound like sewing machines with me going for two clicks a minute, I love to have the freedom to snap three times in a row, if I need to. On the other hand (and I shoot large format analog too) there is this image of Cartier-Bresson I recreated in France. A bike zooming by in the original spot, me taking one picture with my F3, a fracture of a second too early for perfection, but icredibly dear to me anyway. Digital would have been click click click click, and a perfect copy, but I actually prefer my image for all the effort it went into it. Thank you for your thoughts and inspiration!
Amen! Happy to see you putting this out there, wonderful mindset to be in and such a healthy choice for one’s photographic mind. Enjoy life, shoot film 👍
I really appreciate your videos and putting into words what I've been experiencing. I mostly shoot color on digital; black and white on film. I always get way more keepers on digital even though my keeper percentage is much lower. That said I value my film b&w photos the most. They are cherished relics that I hope to be able to darkroom print later in life.
Thank you for this perspective. I really appreciate this. I own an M6, and was caught in that tug or war of should I switch to digital or stay on film. I actually did write down what were my thoughts, and something stood out, by placing a tangible cost ( film shot per roll) on the subject that the photo will be taken of, will allow me a more meaningful appreciation of the environment and moment.
Well, I`ve shot film for over 30 years, Leica M3 and Nikon F2. The film experience forced me to go digital, price and long waiting time for developing film. So since my love for film the decision for a Leica MD 262 was an easy choice. I shoot the MD 262 the same way as a film camera! Similar concentration while looking for the perfect shot. The MD 262 slows me down as much as the film cameras in manual mode. The Summicron f/2 50mm Rigid paired with the MD 262 results in a total filmic experience. Film is not dead, it just went to the MD 262...!
Great video! I was in the same situation a few years ago and when I let go of my M9 and fully committed to film (MP) it felt scary in the beginning but now i feel a certain comfort and wouldonly switch back to digital it it is a total different medium to 35mm like a digital Medium Format camera.
What a cool video. Since I don't do photography as my main professional activity, my interest in digital was very fleeting. My passion for it only became really strong when started shooting film. It felt so much more deliberate, dedicated that from that point it was inevitable that my skills would improve. I don't see myself photographing in any other way :)
I found this rather interesting.. I have a Leica M-E (M9) and a Leica M2 and I've been thinking so I need a digital Leica. So far that answer is still a yes, but for color, and the Leica M2 purely for black and white film. But I can imagine soon that I will also be going back to film full time
I feel this so much. So many things change when you know that your medium is a finite resource. That said, I’ve been thinking about folding digital back into the rotation as I occasionally do need a break from the resource management and ongoing costs…
Can't stop using digital. Rolleicord Model I Art Deco, Leica M4, M8 and M9-P plus a hand full of Leica lenses (21, 35, 50, 75 and 135mm) is my current travel setup. Sometimes I shoot just the M4 with the 35mm for refreshing, sometimes the M8 with the 75mm for focusing on subjects or the M9-P with the 50mm for more general scenecapturing. The Rolleicord always drives me for exact framing because of the square format. The 21mm works great for total inclusion on the M4 and as a 28mm general wide angle lens on the M8.
Hi Jeremy, I struggle with this dilemma as you so succinctly describe. Although I feel FOMO is a significant factor, my biggest issue is the backlog, especially of scanning film.
Thanks a lot for this video, very eye opener for me. I love the "film aesthetics" and "film experience", yet my Olympus OM-1 was collecting dust on my storage box. Film is more pricey than before, but this video makes me realize that I'm not shooting film not only because it's expensive, but it's more of my anxiety and FOMO. I'm not a pro photographer that really need quality, speed, and convenience of digital anyway. I will shoot more film, I promise myself!
Anxiety, That would some up my shooting experience. I love film and I still shoot it occasionally but personally I couldn't shoot film exclusively because it would hinder me in ways that would cause me to shoot way less or maybe not shoot at all. One example is Packfilm, it is so expensive now that I haven't been able to use it and now it just sits in my refrigerator. I'm hoping that I can overcome this because it's such a beautiful medium and I wouldn't want it to go to waste. Also my M11 feels very much like an analog camera, Leica has done such a wonderful job of really simplifying it to it's essential and reducing the number of buttons and dials. Thanks for another thoughtful video, I alway look forward to your insights.
What is your favorite 35mm lens for B/W daily people reportage? I shoot M10Mono and mainly look for a timeless, classic look in rendering. Would love to hear your thoughts. Best, Mads
Totally agree. My M11s are collecting dust! Additionally - when walking with friends/family on the streets you're annoying with digital because you're hitting all those "impulses" with film I enjoy my walks with others more.
Less is more!!! I think it's only a matter of routine to get great pictures with the film camera. I've made a great mistake. 2004 i bought a book ' work analog and develop then with lightroom' or something like that. But i read it just during the pandemy in 2020. I've sold all my digital cameras. Now i'm using just 2 x Leica M7 and i'm happy!
Good 3rd party batteries are tough to find for the M9. I think going for the 750 rolls of film is a good choice. But at the same time, I still use my phone camera because I still believe @bexfinch 's words: digital is practice for film. Liked & subbed.
Not the purest comparison im going to make, but my alternative is a few decent l39 lenses on my canon p for film and a7s (mark i). Less than 1000 aud for a film camera and digital full frame and some money for lenses. Best of both worlds for value. My shooting style on digital has become film like but misses the tactiility that a film camera has
I don't use autofocus.. I feel like that's the path to buying many new cameras. The fun of mirrorless is using adapted lenses from through history. For what its worth I use a Sony A7 II(yes really)..and have been happy using native Voigtlander lenses, Canon FD, and Nikon G lenses. Pretty sure UA-cam brought me here because I have a film Leica in my eBay cart. But that's more because prices of certain models are down. Digital is far better for my work, which explores the lie of color photography as a focus, and is heavily added by flipping color channels in RAW files. Black and white and infrared film also interest me though, for the lower cost vs Pentax or Leica Monochrom digital.
@@justinkingery2489 it's not, but it tskes a LOT of time to just order 1 roll as there are so many loopholes you hsvr to go through to lower the price that loe
Thanks for your video, Jeremy. Interesting point. I agree that scarcity forces you to take pictures with more intent, but digital makes me confront impulses in another way. Too much click-clicking devalues each moment in a way. Ultimately, developing your artistic vision is an iterative process; it's just that with film, it's easier to feel the weight of each moment before taking a picture, but with digital, it's at the moment of culling... Best, @ astraeus
The picture on the trampoline with the hose is insanely cool :D
You speak the truth. You have courage. You will succeed. I admire your wisdom and honesty. I am a commercial photographer and I divide my professional and personal work as digital and film respectively. I love the notion of shooting exclusively in film, but cost, deadlines, and client expectations make it an impossible option.
I absolutely love the way you’ve been able to put into words the way I feel about photography
So refreshing to hear you. We need more of this personal experience and its relationship with gear, but just a little. A perfect balance of sensibility and perspective. Cause at end of the day we need the genuine excitement that comes with this. Thanks!
I share the vast majority of these sentiments and still gave up my predominantly film workflow. Your point about "needing a break from processing or backlog" or whatever spoke to me. I simply do not have the drive to develop my film frequently enough for film photography to be a viable medium in my life. It makes me sad. I shot hp5 at 800 exclusively with an M6 and was making images that interested me. However, the backlog would pile up and up. I now use a Q2 and an X1DII and am thus far happy with my choice
Excellent argument, Jeremy. While I started shooting film 40 years ago and switched to digital in 2001, I went with an M6 and Tri-X to Normandy five years ago to shoot D-Day +75 analog. While that went well my main problem became making good prints out of five rolls I shot that day on Omaha beach. But I missed no image. That happened later, with an FE in Florence. While I was in the right spot at the right time, my first shot was too early, then I saw the perfect picture in the viewfinder. It passed, but I took one more image anyway. That was a weird mixture of the freedom of digitally shooting away, and the analog fear of just 36 images, and the time spent in the darkroom afterwords, fiddling around with test strips, multigrade filters and imperfectly temperated developer. Shooting film hones the ability to get the image you really want, for sure. While I use my digital images sparingly, just a couple of days ago I was at an event where agency photographers shot away on cameras sound like sewing machines with me going for two clicks a minute, I love to have the freedom to snap three times in a row, if I need to. On the other hand (and I shoot large format analog too) there is this image of Cartier-Bresson I recreated in France. A bike zooming by in the original spot, me taking one picture with my F3, a fracture of a second too early for perfection, but icredibly dear to me anyway. Digital would have been click click click click, and a perfect copy, but I actually prefer my image for all the effort it went into it. Thank you for your thoughts and inspiration!
Amen! Happy to see you putting this out there, wonderful mindset to be in and such a healthy choice for one’s photographic mind. Enjoy life, shoot film 👍
I really appreciate your videos and putting into words what I've been experiencing. I mostly shoot color on digital; black and white on film. I always get way more keepers on digital even though my keeper percentage is much lower. That said I value my film b&w photos the most. They are cherished relics that I hope to be able to darkroom print later in life.
Well done you. Letting go of fear and getting closer to your intuition - these sound like worthy reasons to focus on film.
You're Beautiful Man , the Gods be with you and peace!
Thank you for this perspective. I really appreciate this. I own an M6, and was caught in that tug or war of should I switch to digital or stay on film. I actually did write down what were my thoughts, and something stood out, by placing a tangible cost ( film shot per roll) on the subject that the photo will be taken of, will allow me a more meaningful appreciation of the environment and moment.
Well, I`ve shot film for over 30 years, Leica M3 and Nikon F2. The film experience forced me to go digital, price and long waiting time for developing film. So since my love for film the decision for a Leica MD 262 was an easy choice. I shoot the MD 262 the same way as a film camera! Similar concentration while looking for the perfect shot. The MD 262 slows me down as much as the film cameras in manual mode. The Summicron f/2 50mm Rigid paired with the MD 262 results in a total filmic experience. Film is not dead, it just went to the MD 262...!
Great video! I was in the same situation a few years ago and when I let go of my M9 and fully committed to film (MP) it felt scary in the beginning but now i feel a certain comfort and wouldonly switch back to digital it it is a total different medium to 35mm like a digital Medium Format camera.
What a cool video. Since I don't do photography as my main professional activity, my interest in digital was very fleeting. My passion for it only became really strong when started shooting film. It felt so much more deliberate, dedicated that from that point it was inevitable that my skills would improve. I don't see myself photographing in any other way :)
Great video! I can definitely agree with trying to shoot digital and film at the same time being difficult. The choice makes it hard.
I found this rather interesting.. I have a Leica M-E (M9) and a Leica M2 and I've been thinking so I need a digital Leica.
So far that answer is still a yes, but for color, and the Leica M2 purely for black and white film. But I can imagine soon that I will also be going back to film full time
I feel this so much. So many things change when you know that your medium is a finite resource.
That said, I’ve been thinking about folding digital back into the rotation as I occasionally do need a break from the resource management and ongoing costs…
Can't stop using digital.
Rolleicord Model I Art Deco, Leica M4, M8 and M9-P plus a hand full of Leica lenses (21, 35, 50, 75 and 135mm) is my current travel setup.
Sometimes I shoot just the M4 with the 35mm for refreshing, sometimes the M8 with the 75mm for focusing on subjects or the M9-P with the 50mm for more general scenecapturing. The Rolleicord always drives me for exact framing because of the square format. The 21mm works great for total inclusion on the M4 and as a 28mm general wide angle lens on the M8.
Hi Jeremy, I struggle with this dilemma as you so succinctly describe. Although I feel FOMO is a significant factor, my biggest issue is the backlog, especially of scanning film.
good choice tbh. i sold my digital cams and switched fully back to film. fomapan 400 and 100 just do it so well for me.
Thanks a lot for this video, very eye opener for me. I love the "film aesthetics" and "film experience", yet my Olympus OM-1 was collecting dust on my storage box. Film is more pricey than before, but this video makes me realize that I'm not shooting film not only because it's expensive, but it's more of my anxiety and FOMO. I'm not a pro photographer that really need quality, speed, and convenience of digital anyway. I will shoot more film, I promise myself!
Anxiety, That would some up my shooting experience. I love film and I still shoot it occasionally but personally I couldn't shoot film exclusively because it would hinder me in ways that would cause me to shoot way less or maybe not shoot at all. One example is Packfilm, it is so expensive now that I haven't been able to use it and now it just sits in my refrigerator. I'm hoping that I can overcome this because it's such a beautiful medium and I wouldn't want it to go to waste. Also my M11 feels very much like an analog camera, Leica has done such a wonderful job of really simplifying it to it's essential and reducing the number of buttons and dials. Thanks for another thoughtful video, I alway look forward to your insights.
What is your favorite 35mm lens for B/W daily people reportage? I shoot M10Mono and mainly look for a timeless, classic look in rendering. Would love to hear your thoughts. Best, Mads
The 35mm pre ASPH summilux :)
Totally agree. My M11s are collecting dust! Additionally - when walking with friends/family on the streets you're annoying with digital because you're hitting all those "impulses" with film I enjoy my walks with others more.
Less is more!!! I think it's only a matter of routine to get great pictures with the film camera.
I've made a great mistake. 2004 i bought a book ' work analog and develop then with lightroom' or something like that. But i read it just during the pandemy in 2020. I've sold all my digital cameras. Now i'm using just 2 x Leica M7 and i'm happy!
❤you have a good point
Good 3rd party batteries are tough to find for the M9. I think going for the 750 rolls of film is a good choice. But at the same time, I still use my phone camera because I still believe @bexfinch 's words: digital is practice for film. Liked & subbed.
Very cool, really enjoyed that!!
fully agree with your views, I have a similar journey into film
where will you be listing the m9 👀
Not the purest comparison im going to make, but my alternative is a few decent l39 lenses on my canon p for film and a7s (mark i). Less than 1000 aud for a film camera and digital full frame and some money for lenses. Best of both worlds for value. My shooting style on digital has become film like but misses the tactiility that a film camera has
Please let me know when you returned to M9 once more... ;-)
Hah!
I don't use autofocus.. I feel like that's the path to buying many new cameras. The fun of mirrorless is using adapted lenses from through history.
For what its worth I use a Sony A7 II(yes really)..and have been happy using native Voigtlander lenses, Canon FD, and Nikon G lenses.
Pretty sure UA-cam brought me here because I have a film Leica in my eBay cart. But that's more because prices of certain models are down.
Digital is far better for my work, which explores the lie of color photography as a focus, and is heavily added by flipping color channels in RAW files.
Black and white and infrared film also interest me though, for the lower cost vs Pentax or Leica Monochrom digital.
Yuppp 💯
I regret sold off my M6 TTL 10 years ago.....now can’t even afford to buy the new M6...damn prices😂😂😂
wait how can you get rolls at $4 a pop 😭
Fomapan 400 bulked rolled!
ive found a way to get a roll of gold 200 new 36exp for $1.52 free shipping, so if you use that method, it would make you 1973 rolls of gold 200
Sounds too good to be true.
@@justinkingery2489 it's not, but it tskes a LOT of time to just order 1 roll as there are so many loopholes you hsvr to go through to lower the price that loe
Cool!
Crazy
What camera are you selling to pay to develop all those rolls? Haha
Developing film at home (especially black and white) is super easy and super affordable, especially like the set up Jeremy has
Leica eventually will have to keep up with AI technology in digital photography.
Thanks for your video, Jeremy. Interesting point. I agree that scarcity forces you to take pictures with more intent, but digital makes me confront impulses in another way. Too much click-clicking devalues each moment in a way. Ultimately, developing your artistic vision is an iterative process; it's just that with film, it's easier to feel the weight of each moment before taking a picture, but with digital, it's at the moment of culling...
Best,
@ astraeus
You traitor! I bought Leica M9 because of you.