There seems to be a renewed interest in film and I’m happy for everyone who is discovering it, rediscovering it, or enjoying it. As for me, I have no desire to shoot film again. I love the convenience and immediate feedback I get with digital and I’m not willing to give that up.
But, as I connect with more and more film photographers, I realize there is one aspect of shooting film that I’d like to recapture.
I miss the pace and deliberateness I used to have when I shot film.
Particularly, being limited to 24 or 36 photos used to slow me down and force me to put more thought into each shot.
This morning I a) wrote up a quick substack note:
I am headed out to shoot and will try the following
Shoot 36 images (no more because thats what a roll held but also no less because I’d want to get it off to the lab and not have it sit in the camera until the next shoot.
Set the ISO before the first shot and don’t change it
Turn auto white balance off
Choose a film simulation and shoot JPEGs (I usually shoot RAW with no film simulation then edit a bit when back at computer)
Try to limit editing to slight cropping (as I would have when I framed the pictures)
b) Got a great comment back from
of Street Photography:Our aim is better when we can count the arrows in our quiver.
c) Set my camera
and
d) Headed out…
Tree stencils for
and of PappasBland.So, how was it?
First, it’s definitely something I am going to try a few more times (at least).
I stuck to the idea of one roll. Well… I actually took a 37th picture—it had good potential. I thought this was fair because I remember squeezing one extra frame out of some rolls (you just had to remember not to cock the shutter with too much force after that shot).
I didn’t mess with camera settings while out. As the sun came out from the clouds I was a bit worried about white balance and ISO, but in the end, all the pictures came out fine.
And on the key question:
Yes, I thought more about each shot.
On the other hand: I still shot pretty quickly overall. I went through all 36 frames in 29 minutes—which also cut down on my exercise time.
I think, as I do this again, I will continue to try to slow down and may even limit myself to 24 frames. Maybe with a requirement to spend no less than an hour.
Have you tried any exercises like this? Any suggestions to add? Any experiences to share?
And, if you have thought about what to call this, please let me know: A one-roll walkabout? A film-like walk? 36 frame stroll?
Thanks for reading.
Warmly,
josh
There used to be an iPhone app that did something similar ... that is you had a roll of images and only saw them once the roll was complete ... I’m also pretty sure it was the same app you could share this roll with a friend ... or they took 12 and so did you .. again only revealing the 24 images once both participants were done ... Now I’ve been thinking about it I really want to give that app another shot ... now to remember its name and hope it’s still available ...
Update - it was called Hipstamatic DSPO and it was a shared roll over a certain time period rather than number of frames. Sadly no longer available on the App Store ... as an aside, how about taping over the display (or blanking it out) so you can’t see the image ... the x100t allows me to shot straight through the viewfinder with no digital effects ... maybe I’ll try that for a set of images :)