experimenting with film.

I’ve always loved film. I resisted digital for a long time … and I’m still drawn to the look of film … it’s very different from digital images. There’s a softness to it that I find so beautiful. I’ve found two little vintage 35mm cameras that I found actually work! They give me two very different looks – they are crisp and fun! Both have a rangefinder focusing mechanism and are both totally manual. I’m LOVING the challenge! I shot two rolls, one in each camera, not even knowing if the pictures I was taking were actually happening. Here’s a peek at my first roll from my little Canon AE-1. I applied what I know of photography and did my best to get the exposures and focusing right … manually, nothing automatic about these, and without the feedback of seeing what I captured on the back of the camera. So weird!! All of these are un-edited from my summer workspace at the library.

I was learning about both cameras at the same time … this one is my Canonet QL17. It takes some great little pictures too! But the bokeh is better with the AE-1 and I feel like I have a little more control over the settings.

All of these were taken with my Canon AE-1 35mm – as you can see, I found the manual on-line so I could get a grip on where the controls were that I needed. I didn’t even know how to rewind the film! 

This next one I think the focusing was a little soft. Everything is totally manual – so different from the ease and feedback of digital – it doesn’t “beep” when it’s in focus. I’m going to keep practicing. One thing I keep forgetting to do is forward the film after each shot! I currently have a roll of black & white film in the AE-1 … can’t wait to see what I captured … it’s kind-of thrilling (and torturous) to not have the instant feedback! 

Always learning … I hope I never stop. I really think that by learning how to shoot film, as a personal challenge, I believe it will make me a better photographer over all. It’s surprising how different film is from digital though … the basics are the same but … it’s a little bit different animal.