Well, I got hooked. Honestly, I kind of saw this coming, though I didn’t expect too much.
The idea of picking up an analog camera had been calling for quite some time. I was captivated by the charm of film photos. I was also a bit annoyed at my digital cameras for producing such perfect images. For a while now, I had been trying to achieve in editing what film naturally provides - grain, imperfections, deep contrasts between highlights and shadows, etc.
And then one day, I saw a listing on Instagram. A fellow photographer was selling his Olympus OM-2. I took it.
Now, here we are, several days and a few rolls of film later. And I’m hooked.
While shooting my first rolls (I went for Kodak Ultramax 400 and Kodak Gold 200), I decided to take double shots - one with film and one with my digital camera.
Partly as a backup, just in case my first rolls would turn out to be terrible. And partly because - not knowing what exactly to expect - I wanted to compare the results of shooting both - exposure, color saturation, and all that.
Obviously, these are two completely different worlds, but it turned out to be an interesting experiment.
AM I GONNA SWITCH TO FILM photoGRAPHY?
For sure I will continue. Shooting film is an amazing experience. It forces you to slow down and approach photography differently. A roll of film has only 36 frames and is a one-time deal. Sad to say, but well, each shutter press costs a little over 1 euro. Three images is an equivalent of coffee. Five images - a simple lunch.
I don’t want to sound like a cheapskate but it automatically demands more attention and thought for every shot.
And totally, this kind of photography can be a huge source of joy.
If I only would be patient enough to wait every time for the results. I just like coming home, sitting down, and immediately selecting and editing images.
Is film photography better than digital?
And yes, I am aware, especially, ever since I tried film, that digital photography is kind of instant in comparison to film.
With our digital cameras we have endless opportunities to shoot recklessly, chasing the legendary 100,000-shot milestone in hopes of reaching some level of mastery. A memory card can handle thousands of images. Often, a single walk results in hundreds of photos taken.
But instead of beating myself up for taking worse photos just because they’re digital, I appreciate the fact that my digital photography only costs me a camera, a memory card, and tens of thousands of steps.
And yet, totally, I love the look of film, I love the slowing down that is a part of shooting film and I enjoy the magic sound of the shutter. I am going to continue exploring this medium and I am very excited to see where this will bring me.
Below the results of my first rolls that I shot on my solo photo trip to Mallorca.
