What a wonderful video, UA-cam has been recommending me some magical smaller channels recently. I absolutely love film photography and this video is such a wonderfullly accurate explanation as to why every photographer should try shooting film at least once.
Yeah, you kind of nailed it here. I've been shooting film since 1978 when I was 18 and I got my first 'real' camera (Zorki 4 rangefinder). Using a fully manual mechanical camera teaches you the basics of light/aperture/shutter speed etc. I delved into 'digital' for a while (for weddings, proms etc), and although I enjoyed the instant gratification, it all seemed like Tesla made it. I've got film cameras again now (Olympus OM 2n, Nikon F2as and a few Ricoh's) and the joy has returned.
As a novice, last year I bought a Fujica ST801. I love everything about it: the way the lens clicks into the body, the shutter noise etc and of as you say that anticipation of the photos coming back. Was lucky enough to shoot with it in Tokyo a while ago and I got a few pics I was really happy with. I’m mainly doing b/w now and while the Ilford HP5 I like is more expensive there are cheaper options which seem to do the job like Fomapan. I also now have a Takumar lens for the Fuji and bought a mint condition Pentax mx with a 50mm and a macro lens off eBay. Now I tend to take one of the film cameras out with the X100V so I can use either or both depending on how it feels at the time:)
@@EddyMaynard Sorry it’s taken a while to reply Eddy. Been busy with my band. I think you’d love Tokyo. Don’t know if you follow Teo Crawford at all but he’s just done about 6 months there and has some great street photography, film and digital. As for my own photos, I’m a little shy about them atm:) Just in the process of adding them to Flickr.
I shot and developed one 36 rolls of B&W per day with my OM-1. Now I have over 1k images in Lightroom and a folder of the keepers. IMO, a well shot film image seems to have more depth of emotion than digital and the entire process is SO relaxing and rewarding.
for sure yeah! ive definitely shot stuff on film that ive loved, that I would not have loved if it was on digital, its hard to describe but it feels like more of an authentic moment on film
Surreal how you posted this video the day I got my first film camera from a carboot, and about an hour after a friend found and helped me load that same exact Kodak colorplus 200 24 stock (expired) at 1:00 into it and showed me how to take my first shot. I really hope I can afford to learn more about this form of photography. You're a huge inspiration to me man.
Ahh that's awesome! I hope you enjoy your new camera man. What did you get? Its expensive for sure but I feel like it massively accelerates the learning curve and people often pay £100+ to take a photography class.. I would argue that most people could technically learn more spending £100 on film, so I feel like its a worthy investment. That being said, I'm definitely grateful for digital, makes my job a LOT easier. Digital = Earning / Analog = Learning Thanks for watching! ❤
@@EddyMaynard I got a chunky praktica mtl3 for £8 haha, has a case and a lil pentacon 50mm, was happy to see all the mechanics work! I can confirm having filled the roll that the way I took photos was so much more methodical, I spent like 5 minutes composing elements, moving branches, realigning myself until I found the "optimal" arrangement I could see. I only took photos I thought were worth being one of 24 you know? I had my x100v with me and took some real nice photos with that mindset alongside it, but I didn't replicate all the praktica shots, I kind of want to forget about it and get that surprise. Now I just need to figure out the development process, there's an insane world I might be able to wangle free use of a sort of development lab locally, but otherwise I just need to sort out the digital = earning part and we're good haha Thanks sm for the support man, v honoured ❤️
Great summary of the positives of film photography. I'm still very early days and have stuck to ISO 400 film while I learn but looking forward to trying out film stock like Porta 800 but to your point any photograph is at least £1 with any film so I'm holding back a bit on the even more expensive films.
Thank you! Id definitely reccommend pushing film at first, rather than spending extra on iso 800. If you buy 400 film and shoot it at 800 (pushed one stop) or 1600 (pushed two stops), as long as you let your film lab know when they develop it that you’ve done so, most labs can do this. They will develop it for longer and it means you can shoot lower ISO films at higher ISO’s with ‘small’ changes (more grain, slightly less dynamic range, slightly different colours), but this *generally* costs less than buying 800 film. Worth looking into! Also, while you’re trying out film, Ilford hp5 is a great black and white, can get it around £6.50 a roll at the right places. Just make sure your lab can develop black and white first 😌
When I got my first DSLR I kept jumping to auto and I didn't really learn anything. Shortly after I dropped on a market trader who sold me a Pentax ME Super with a 50mm for £15 - I learnt more from two rolls of film that I ever did with digital. The photos weren't fantastic but it allowed me to take a minute and think about what I was doing. Bring back Kodak Gold in PoundLand and Asda £5 processing.
Yeah 100% man, thrown in at the deep end is the way to go for sure! Don't even talk to me about Poundland film, its a sore subject 🤧💔 Thanks for watching brother, much appreciated ✌
I agree with you. Shooting film have made better and more confident photographer. It always great as a reality check. Cuz ever photo that's exposed, composed and focused good is a testament of your skill. I would also like to add on point 4. I think the wait is also great because you get some well needed distance to the moment. I really fall into the trap when shooting digital that I sort out good photos because the doesn't look like I imagined when I took it. With the wait you will look at the photo with a fresh eye and can objectively decide if the photo is good or not. It's how it works for me at least. Don't know if you agree with me?
Glad to hear that, it definitely humbles you a bit when you first start haha. But like you say, makes you more confident when it goes right! Yeah that's a very interesting take and I definitely agree with that point for sure. Thanks for adding that!
@EddyMaynard nice to hear that I'm not alone in that feeling. Also a point to go back through your digital personal photos to see if there are some photos you've neglected at first glance.
This may be great advice for pro photographers or people with a lot of free time. As an amateur, I tried film out of curiosity and the aftermath is, sure, you can get really nice shots but the price is so ridiculous that unless you’re super rich or doing it as a pro it’s just not financially sustainable on the long run. Also, I wanted to have complete control over the result (i mean, what’s the point of being a photographer if you’re letting some stranger decide how the end image looks like...) so I developed them myself and then again, it costs money, requires some room (not everyone has a house and a room to do that), room to store your products as well and it takes sooooooo much time to do the developing, scanning and removing digitally all the dust from the scan... Basically for 36 shots it’s like 1 hour of development/drying for the film, at least 2 hours of scanning and another 2 hours for editing the dust out. Total, 5 hours of work for only 36 photos. I’m glad I did it because it was interesting to discover how this works but man.... That’s just an INSANE amount of work, who the heck can afford to spend so much time on so little photos...
I agree that the price is out of control at the moment, but I do think the lessons learned while doing it are worth it. You could spend 10x the price of 1 roll taking a photography class, and you could still learn more out in the field with that 1 roll of film than you might in the class. The only time ive ever developed my own film was in College, where I developed 10-15 rolls of black and white ilford hp5, which I absolutely loved, BUT the equipment / chemicals / darkroom were all there already and set up ready to go, so I did have a much easier time than, for example, someone doing it at home. I guess it all just depends on whether that time is worth it for you, personally id say 5 hours is not bad but I know its something id really love doing, although I appreciate this is not always the case for everyone else!
@@EddyMaynard it’s not about what the time is worth to me but how much I have... I have a full-time job and a little girl to take care of and photography is just my hobby so, if I had the time sure, I’d love to spend more doing film. But I think people in a similar position as me should be aware of both the financial/time cost and decide whether it’s worth spending the money or not. Because yes, in addition to the film itself, you have to buy the lab equipment, the chemicals and the scanner and even it’s not THAT much expensive it’s still something
@@r.c8756 for sure I understand that man! To be honest I’d fully reccommend people just get film developed at a lab. I pay around £10 to just post it off and I get a Dropbox link back a few days later. Definitely the easiest way to do it 😊
Currently waiting for a couple of rolls to come back from a lab in Germany (Silbersalz). I recently went to Menorca and decided the bright weather would be perfect for shooting film so I took my Minolta X300 and X100V. Despite being "sensible" with the film shots and only taking one photo per scene I found myself taking several on my X100V to get a "perfect" shot. I know the film shots will be more nostalgic as you mention. Can I ask which lab you use in the UK? I'm looking for options going forward.
Absolutely, I dont think ive ever just took 'one photo' of something on my x100v haha, its always been 2 or 3 just to make sure.. definitely gives a better hit rate of good shots, but isn't anywhere near as fun or enjoyable. I would 100% recommend Take It Easy in Leeds, you can post them your film. Very good service and lovely people :)
I respect this take but not gonna follow it: why? Several counter points: Unlike yourself I’m very very new to photography. Film is ultimately just too expensive and slow to learn photography at the rate I’m satisfied with. I can replicate “slowing” down with vintage manual lenses. I can recreate that memory feel by printing my shots! I can quickly adjust and adapt and learn and cheaper with digital. Film is amazing, and if it was cheaper I’d dive into it but it’s sad to understand as a veteran but film has ultimately become a privilege, it’s not a privilege I have.
for sure you can replicate most of this process with digital, if you have the discipline to do it, most people dont though, me included. Shooting film gives you no choice, but I agree it is very expensive. I miss the days when you could get a roll of film for £1
I think the whole "shooting film makes you a better photographer" is marketing BS. There's a reason why we collectively advanced to digital tech; and one can easily simulate shooting with a film camera on a modern day camera. Shooting film, however is an experience, that every photographer needs to have once. But most people think shooting film = good photography. Post-processing with films is an art by itself, which no one talks about. Good pictures with film are shot, great pictures are made in the lab. Let's be real; how many of us have the time and access to it? I don't understand the whole romanticising film - it's just a mass marketing gimmick. Start shooting more intentionally with your modern day camera.
I agree that shooting film doesn’t necessarily mean good photos, the photos in this video are by no means my best work and some of them id go as far as saying we’re very average / bad. And I agree you COULD be more intentional with digital but the whole point of shooting film on a manual camera is that you HAVE to shoot intentionally. I know I’ve gone out before and tried to shoot my digital camera in full manual and not look at the screen / check my shots afterward, etc etc… but I always just end up giving up and relying on the tech. Doing it this way (on a film cam) is way more fun. This is just my opinion, but I also think film *should* be romanticised in a digital world where everything is slowly becoming digital / fake / ai generated Obviously just my opinion though. And I appreciate you taking the time to give me yours 😊🤝 Always good to look at both sides. Thanks for watching
What a wonderful video, UA-cam has been recommending me some magical smaller channels recently. I absolutely love film photography and this video is such a wonderfullly accurate explanation as to why every photographer should try shooting film at least once.
Ahh thanks so much that means a lot!! And thank you for watching :)
I love this! And I 100% agree with shooting at least one roll in your lifetime, especially if you're new to photography ☺️
Thank you! ❤️ I literally couldn't have made this video without you since most of the photos are you 😋
Yeah, you kind of nailed it here. I've been shooting film since 1978 when I was 18 and I got my first 'real' camera (Zorki 4 rangefinder). Using a fully manual mechanical camera teaches you the basics of light/aperture/shutter speed etc. I delved into 'digital' for a while (for weddings, proms etc), and although I enjoyed the instant gratification, it all seemed like Tesla made it. I've got film cameras again now (Olympus OM 2n, Nikon F2as and a few Ricoh's) and the joy has returned.
100% much more exciting shooting film, just a shame about the price!
I still love shooting film with my first camera too, for all the reasons you mentioned
As a novice, last year I bought a Fujica ST801. I love everything about it: the way the lens clicks into the body, the shutter noise etc and of as you say that anticipation of the photos coming back. Was lucky enough to shoot with it in Tokyo a while ago and I got a few pics I was really happy with. I’m mainly doing b/w now and while the Ilford HP5 I like is more expensive there are cheaper options which seem to do the job like Fomapan. I also now have a Takumar lens for the Fuji and bought a mint condition Pentax mx with a 50mm and a macro lens off eBay. Now I tend to take one of the film cameras out with the X100V so I can use either or both depending on how it feels at the time:)
That sounds awesome! Would be cool to see your photos of Tokyo! That's somewhere I've always wanted to visit.
Thanks so much for watching the vid!
@@EddyMaynard Sorry it’s taken a while to reply Eddy. Been busy with my band. I think you’d love Tokyo. Don’t know if you follow Teo Crawford at all but he’s just done about 6 months there and has some great street photography, film and digital. As for my own photos, I’m a little shy about them atm:) Just in the process of adding them to Flickr.
Love this video! I picked up my film camera for the first time in a while this year and have been feeling super inspired!!
Thanks so much! I honestly have never been more inspired to shoot film, just... the prices 🫠😅
Digital is super handy for paid and some personal work, but I'll keep shooting film for as long as I can. Awesome video Eddy, well done!
Thanks very much!
I shot and developed one 36 rolls of B&W per day with my OM-1. Now I have over 1k images in Lightroom and a folder of the keepers. IMO, a well shot film image seems to have more depth of emotion than digital and the entire process is SO relaxing and rewarding.
for sure yeah! ive definitely shot stuff on film that ive loved, that I would not have loved if it was on digital, its hard to describe but it feels like more of an authentic moment on film
Surreal how you posted this video the day I got my first film camera from a carboot, and about an hour after a friend found and helped me load that same exact Kodak colorplus 200 24 stock (expired) at 1:00 into it and showed me how to take my first shot. I really hope I can afford to learn more about this form of photography. You're a huge inspiration to me man.
Ahh that's awesome! I hope you enjoy your new camera man. What did you get?
Its expensive for sure but I feel like it massively accelerates the learning curve and people often pay £100+ to take a photography class.. I would argue that most people could technically learn more spending £100 on film, so I feel like its a worthy investment.
That being said, I'm definitely grateful for digital, makes my job a LOT easier.
Digital = Earning / Analog = Learning
Thanks for watching! ❤
@@EddyMaynard I got a chunky praktica mtl3 for £8 haha, has a case and a lil pentacon 50mm, was happy to see all the mechanics work! I can confirm having filled the roll that the way I took photos was so much more methodical, I spent like 5 minutes composing elements, moving branches, realigning myself until I found the "optimal" arrangement I could see. I only took photos I thought were worth being one of 24 you know? I had my x100v with me and took some real nice photos with that mindset alongside it, but I didn't replicate all the praktica shots, I kind of want to forget about it and get that surprise. Now I just need to figure out the development process, there's an insane world I might be able to wangle free use of a sort of development lab locally, but otherwise I just need to sort out the digital = earning part and we're good haha
Thanks sm for the support man, v honoured ❤️
dude, you're smashing these videos
Thank you so much! I appreciate you watching 😊 hope you’re well!
outstanding photos in the intro!! incredible
Thanks so much!! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
So good! I know i need to shoot some actual film, but I'm terrified!
You'll be fine man! Making mistakes is all part of the process anyway 😁
Great summary of the positives of film photography. I'm still very early days and have stuck to ISO 400 film while I learn but looking forward to trying out film stock like Porta 800 but to your point any photograph is at least £1 with any film so I'm holding back a bit on the even more expensive films.
Thank you! Id definitely reccommend pushing film at first, rather than spending extra on iso 800. If you buy 400 film and shoot it at 800 (pushed one stop) or 1600 (pushed two stops), as long as you let your film lab know when they develop it that you’ve done so, most labs can do this. They will develop it for longer and it means you can shoot lower ISO films at higher ISO’s with ‘small’ changes (more grain, slightly less dynamic range, slightly different colours), but this *generally* costs less than buying 800 film. Worth looking into!
Also, while you’re trying out film, Ilford hp5 is a great black and white, can get it around £6.50 a roll at the right places. Just make sure your lab can develop black and white first 😌
When I got my first DSLR I kept jumping to auto and I didn't really learn anything. Shortly after I dropped on a market trader who sold me a Pentax ME Super with a 50mm for £15 - I learnt more from two rolls of film that I ever did with digital. The photos weren't fantastic but it allowed me to take a minute and think about what I was doing.
Bring back Kodak Gold in PoundLand and Asda £5 processing.
Yeah 100% man, thrown in at the deep end is the way to go for sure!
Don't even talk to me about Poundland film, its a sore subject 🤧💔
Thanks for watching brother, much appreciated ✌
I agree with you. Shooting film have made better and more confident photographer. It always great as a reality check. Cuz ever photo that's exposed, composed and focused good is a testament of your skill.
I would also like to add on point 4. I think the wait is also great because you get some well needed distance to the moment. I really fall into the trap when shooting digital that I sort out good photos because the doesn't look like I imagined when I took it. With the wait you will look at the photo with a fresh eye and can objectively decide if the photo is good or not. It's how it works for me at least. Don't know if you agree with me?
Glad to hear that, it definitely humbles you a bit when you first start haha. But like you say, makes you more confident when it goes right!
Yeah that's a very interesting take and I definitely agree with that point for sure. Thanks for adding that!
@EddyMaynard nice to hear that I'm not alone in that feeling. Also a point to go back through your digital personal photos to see if there are some photos you've neglected at first glance.
This may be great advice for pro photographers or people with a lot of free time. As an amateur, I tried film out of curiosity and the aftermath is, sure, you can get really nice shots but the price is so ridiculous that unless you’re super rich or doing it as a pro it’s just not financially sustainable on the long run.
Also, I wanted to have complete control over the result (i mean, what’s the point of being a photographer if you’re letting some stranger decide how the end image looks like...) so I developed them myself and then again, it costs money, requires some room (not everyone has a house and a room to do that), room to store your products as well and it takes sooooooo much time to do the developing, scanning and removing digitally all the dust from the scan... Basically for 36 shots it’s like 1 hour of development/drying for the film, at least 2 hours of scanning and another 2 hours for editing the dust out.
Total, 5 hours of work for only 36 photos. I’m glad I did it because it was interesting to discover how this works but man.... That’s just an INSANE amount of work, who the heck can afford to spend so much time on so little photos...
I agree that the price is out of control at the moment, but I do think the lessons learned while doing it are worth it. You could spend 10x the price of 1 roll taking a photography class, and you could still learn more out in the field with that 1 roll of film than you might in the class.
The only time ive ever developed my own film was in College, where I developed 10-15 rolls of black and white ilford hp5, which I absolutely loved, BUT the equipment / chemicals / darkroom were all there already and set up ready to go, so I did have a much easier time than, for example, someone doing it at home.
I guess it all just depends on whether that time is worth it for you, personally id say 5 hours is not bad but I know its something id really love doing, although I appreciate this is not always the case for everyone else!
@@EddyMaynard it’s not about what the time is worth to me but how much I have... I have a full-time job and a little girl to take care of and photography is just my hobby so, if I had the time sure, I’d love to spend more doing film. But I think people in a similar position as me should be aware of both the financial/time cost and decide whether it’s worth spending the money or not. Because yes, in addition to the film itself, you have to buy the lab equipment, the chemicals and the scanner and even it’s not THAT much expensive it’s still something
@@r.c8756 for sure I understand that man! To be honest I’d fully reccommend people just get film developed at a lab. I pay around £10 to just post it off and I get a Dropbox link back a few days later. Definitely the easiest way to do it 😊
Currently waiting for a couple of rolls to come back from a lab in Germany (Silbersalz). I recently went to Menorca and decided the bright weather would be perfect for shooting film so I took my Minolta X300 and X100V. Despite being "sensible" with the film shots and only taking one photo per scene I found myself taking several on my X100V to get a "perfect" shot. I know the film shots will be more nostalgic as you mention.
Can I ask which lab you use in the UK? I'm looking for options going forward.
Take It Easy Lab are fantastic.
Absolutely, I dont think ive ever just took 'one photo' of something on my x100v haha, its always been 2 or 3 just to make sure.. definitely gives a better hit rate of good shots, but isn't anywhere near as fun or enjoyable.
I would 100% recommend Take It Easy in Leeds, you can post them your film. Very good service and lovely people :)
I respect this take but not gonna follow it: why? Several counter points: Unlike yourself I’m very very new to photography. Film is ultimately just too expensive and slow to learn photography at the rate I’m satisfied with. I can replicate “slowing” down with vintage manual lenses. I can recreate that memory feel by printing my shots! I can quickly adjust and adapt and learn and cheaper with digital. Film is amazing, and if it was cheaper I’d dive into it but it’s sad to understand as a veteran but film has ultimately become a privilege, it’s not a privilege I have.
for sure you can replicate most of this process with digital, if you have the discipline to do it, most people dont though, me included. Shooting film gives you no choice, but I agree it is very expensive. I miss the days when you could get a roll of film for £1
are you related @RobbieMaynardCreates lol
Hahahaha I’m not no, but funny you should ask that because I do actually have a brother called Robb Maynard and they look a bit similar!
Australian accent?
Hahah, north east uk, other side of the world! 😂😁
I think the whole "shooting film makes you a better photographer" is marketing BS. There's a reason why we collectively advanced to digital tech; and one can easily simulate shooting with a film camera on a modern day camera.
Shooting film, however is an experience, that every photographer needs to have once. But most people think shooting film = good photography. Post-processing with films is an art by itself, which no one talks about. Good pictures with film are shot, great pictures are made in the lab. Let's be real; how many of us have the time and access to it?
I don't understand the whole romanticising film - it's just a mass marketing gimmick. Start shooting more intentionally with your modern day camera.
I agree that shooting film doesn’t necessarily mean good photos, the photos in this video are by no means my best work and some of them id go as far as saying we’re very average / bad.
And I agree you COULD be more intentional with digital but the whole point of shooting film on a manual camera is that you HAVE to shoot intentionally. I know I’ve gone out before and tried to shoot my digital camera in full manual and not look at the screen / check my shots afterward, etc etc… but I always just end up giving up and relying on the tech. Doing it this way (on a film cam) is way more fun.
This is just my opinion, but I also think film *should* be romanticised in a digital world where everything is slowly becoming digital / fake / ai generated
Obviously just my opinion though. And I appreciate you taking the time to give me yours 😊🤝 Always good to look at both sides. Thanks for watching