Help: Why do you still shoot film?

esanford · Apr 14, 2008

I belong to an Arts League and we are conducting two photographic workshops.... one on digital and the other being conducted by me... on film photography. I wanted to kickoff the workshop with some quotes from photographers who still shoot film to provide a platform to begin my talk. I would appreciate it tremendously if as many of you as possible could briefly answer the following questions:

Why do you still shoot film?

What is your area of photography (e.g. Fine art, photojournalism, etc...)

Do you do color or B&W?

What type of camera (e.g. 4X5, medium format, 35 etc)

Do you perform any alternative photographic processes (e.g. Platinum/PD etc..)

Do you shoot digital at all? if yes what type of photography.

I appreciate any help that I can get from my colleagues here on APUG...

Thanks,

Ed Sanford

arigram · Apr 14, 2008

On my website, I have a category at the top called "information".
It will give all the answers you are asking, in regards to me at least.

PhotoJim · Apr 14, 2008

Why do you still shoot film?

Because I can. Because I want to. Because I spend a lot of time in front of a computer for my job and in other hobbies, and don't want to spend time in front of a computer when practicing photography. Because film photography is more archival. Because I like to be different. Because I have a bunch of great film camera gear and would have to spend a fortune to be able to record the same images as I can now on film. Because the dynamic range on negative film is greater than that on digital sensors.

What is your area of photography (e.g. Fine art, photojournalism, etc...)

Fine art-ish landscapes; candid and formal portraiture. (All as a serious amateur.)

Do you do color or B&W?

Both.

What type of camera (e.g. 4X5, medium format, 35 etc)

All of the above. 4x5", 6x6cm SLR and TLR, 35mm AF SLR, MF SLR and rangefinder.

Do you perform any alternative photographic processes (e.g. Platinum/PD etc..)

No. Might try cyanotypes at one point.

Do you shoot digital at all? if yes what type of photography.

For quick-and-dirty photographs for my job, where quality is not terribly important but convenience is.

Neal · Apr 14, 2008

Dear Ed,

Why do you still shoot film? - The number one reason is that I enjoy the physical contact involved in making a photograph.

What is your area of photography (e.g. Fine art, photojournalism, etc...) - Poor attempts at artistic expression.

Do you do color or B&W? - Yes

What type of camera (e.g. 4X5, medium format, 35 etc) - 4x5 & 35mm

Do you perform any alternative photographic processes (e.g. Platinum/PD etc..) - No

Do you shoot digital at all? if yes what type of photography. - Documentation, sports, some snaps.

Neal Wydra

TheFlyingCamera · Apr 14, 2008

esanford said:
Why do you still shoot film?

What is your area of photography (e.g. Fine art, photojournalism, etc...)

Do you do color or B&W?

What type of camera (e.g. 4X5, medium format, 35 etc)

Do you perform any alternative photographic processes (e.g. Platinum/PD etc..)

Do you shoot digital at all? if yes what type of photography.

I appreciate any help that I can get from my colleagues here on APUG...

Thanks,

Ed Sanford

I am a fine art photographer. I still shoot film because I cannot get the results I want from another medium. I primarily shoot black-and-white because it accords best with my vision, and because it provides a certain degree of abstraction from "reality", triggering the imagination of the viewer in a way a color photograph does not. I do on occasion shoot color, particularly when I am travelling, because I do want record shots of the places and people I have seen. I print silver gelatin and platinum/palladium, now mostly platinum/palladium. I shoot all formats from 35mm to 11x14, with 5x7 and 5x12 being the most common sizes. I have recently begun shooting wet-plate collodion as well. I do shoot digital when a commercial job requires it.

jgcull · Apr 14, 2008

I'm not one of the "big guns", but it may be that folks like me will sign up for your workshop... and I just want to respond.

I shoot film because I like working in the darkroom. And because I just tend to like old ways, "the real thing".

I guess you would call what I like doing best, documentary or photojournalism. Some of it is mighty "fine art" to me. I shoot medium format, a couple 35s, and a Holga - which, by the way, I consider to be a "real" camera.

I did buy a little p&s digital camera, but handed it off to my daughter. I get it back if I need to take a picture to post on ebay, craigslist or zillow. That's all. It feels so light in my hands and I don't like that. Feels like the cheapest little piece of plastic, though I do like the color I see from digital. Even so, I keep my F100 loaded with color film for family snapshots. I use my other bodies with b&w. I shoot lots of film, and I love it.

I bought a cyanotype kit and chemicals for lith printing. It's all been sitting in my darkroom for a couple years. I'll get around to it, eventually.

I have no plans to switch to digital!

Janet

pgomena · Apr 14, 2008

Ed-

I shoot film because at the end of the day I want a physical manifestation of my ideas, efforts and feelings. I want something I can touch.

I also hate to be out in the world playing with a computer. You have to not only make a whole bunch of extraneous decisions on which things to turn off, but you have to constantly out-think the machine. Just give me a light meter, an aperture, a shutter speed.

I shoot mostly b&w, mostly medium format, occasionally 4x5 or something else large for fun. I've pretty much quit using 35mm. The negs are just too small. I throw a roll of color print film in on occasion, but 95% of what I do is b&w. This is my relaxation, my connection with the natural world, my meditation.

These days I do it for fun. I've worked as a photojournalist and a commercial photographer. My day job is as a digital imaging technician (read scanner jockey) for a historical library that has an enormous photo collection, so I'm well-versed in both imaging worlds. I belong to a great local photography organization that is very active in promoting creative photography in the community, both traditional and digital.

I do no alternative processes -- yet. I'm intrigued by the possibilities of hybrid processes using digital negatives. I occasionally make silver prints, but I lack a darkroom, so I just kind of muddle along with a rental once in a while. I hope to become more active in the near future. Like many, I have a complete darkroom in boxes in the garage. Just need to throw up a couple of walls . . .

Peter Gomena

Vonder · Apr 14, 2008

Why do you still shoot film?
Oh sure, start with the hardest question. Why do I still shoot film? Wouldn't a fairer question be, "Why haven't you given up shooting film?" The whole feeling of "still shoot film" implies it's not a valid, still on the shelf, still sold in every store under the sun, product. It is. Why do I still shoot film? Because it's fun, it's different from what the average soccer mom or pixel-peeper shoots. I like being in the minority. Is film better? No, not by my own criterion. I shoot film both because I like it and because it's a rebellious statement. I get great images from it.

What is your area of photography (e.g. Fine art, photojournalism, etc...)
I'm a father of two, semi-pro.

Do you do color or B&W?
I shoot both but only do B&W in my darkroom. Reala ROCKS. Acros ROCKS.

What type of camera (e.g. 4X5, medium format, 35 etc)
35mm and some medium format.

Do you perform any alternative photographic processes (e.g. Platinum/PD etc..)
No, but I own a bottle of blue toner, waiting for just the right image to come along.

Do you shoot digital at all? if yes what type of photography.
Yes. I have 5 digital SLRs and few lesser cams. I use them for wedding work to keep my costs down and to satisfy the instant gratification my low-end clients crave. I use digital for snapshots around the house, nude and erotic photography, and for some vacation stuff. When I want an artistic version of any of those I load a camera with Acros.

wildbill · Apr 14, 2008

Film fits in all of my cameras. I think the overall quality of film can't be substituted. I like suprises. I don't like the idea of spending thousands on outdated equipment.

Fine Art.

I shoot both color and b+w.

Everything from 8x10 on down.

No alternative processes other than the new black and white positive paper in camera prints i'm working on.

Yes is shoot digital with my cell phone. It's two megapixels.

snallan · Apr 14, 2008

Why do you still shoot film?
Because I like it, for me there is something magical in the whole process of film selection, film processing, then paper selection and processing, that has been giving me a buzz for over 30 years. When I load up some film, and take a camera out, I know what sort of effect I am after in the photographs I'll be making; I'm not just after raw material for later processing.

What is your area of photography (e.g. Fine art, photojournalism, etc...)
Almost exclusively fine art. That is, I am making a photograph purely for the photographs sake. Occassionaly I do documentary photography.

Do you do color or B&W?
Mainly monochrome, though I use colour film if there is a reason to do so.

What type of camera (e.g. 4X5, medium format, 35 etc)
Currently anything from 35mm to 5x7in. The type of camera I take out with me depends upon what photographs I am considering at the time; I have one project where I am exclusively using a 5x7 camera; if I am just wandering around I always have a little 2¼ square folder on me; if I particularly want to emphasise grain, I'll often use the 35mm, and process appropriately; or, more often, I'll use a particular camera, just because I want to use it at the time.

Do you perform any alternative photographic processes (e.g. Platinum/PD etc..)
Yes. Argyrotype, and Ziatype. And just getting the chemicals together to try Chrysotype.

Do you shoot digital at all? if yes what type of photography.
I was going to say no, but I have borrowed a digi P&S in the past, for grabbing quick shots to illustrate forum posts.

Steve Smith · Apr 14, 2008

Why do you still shoot film?
I prefer it. And I don't want to spend my whole life in front of a computer.

What is your area of photography?
Landscape.

Do you do color or B&W?
B&W 90%, Colour 10%.

What type of camera?
Mainly Medium format with some 35mm and 5" x 4".

Do you perform any alternative photographic processes?
No.

Do you shoot digital at all?
Digital is an alternative process! I hardly ever do digital now.

Steve.

Paul Verizzo · Apr 14, 2008

Or, why didn't I shoot film between 2000 and 2007?

A double whammy of no darkroom and infatuation with my series of new fangled digital cameras starting in 2000.

But the hunger returned.......

The magic of seeing the image appear in "water", just like when I was four or five in my (pro) father's darkroom. The old way of doing things by hand, slowly, with thought, knowledge, and skill. Of seeking quality images to, ahem, focus on, rather than the last 1000 easily posted for all to see.

Digital and chemical photographies are two different beasts. Yes, they capture a moment, but they are as different as men and women are under the common umbrella of being human. Different souls, different philosophies, different humors, neither better than the other except for specific needs.

Any hyper-digital photographer that hasn't at least been, uh oh, exposed to analog is like a person without roots.

Any hyper-analog photography that completely shuns digital is stuck in time and unwilling to appreciate the magic that digial is, in its own way. George Eastman and Ansel Adams would have grabbed it.

And, of course, my life story of always swimming upstream!

23mjm · Apr 14, 2008

Why Film?----I like the hands on, I like the finality of film. You either get the shot or you don't, you either get the development right or you loose the shot. Not like Dig.... you can post process the hell out of a dig... pic. Plus B&W film pics have a look I like, the grain.

My "area"?----Well with film it would be "fine art" at least I like to think it is fine art

Film type?----95% B&W 5% Color slide

Camera(s)?----35mm, 645, 6X6, 6X7, 4X5 and a partridge in a pear tree!!!

Alt Processes?----No just straight forward B&W mostly Delta 100 in DDX printed on Kentmere in Ilford Multi-grade Dev.

Shoot Dig....?-----Yes often. I use Dig.... for action sports, like cycling and rock climbing. Sorry guys film is just too much of a hassle for that stuff. Dig.... also works nice for family stuff.

Hope this helps.

MM

Simon R Galley · Apr 14, 2008

I shoot film because the negative I produce is unique, the person standing next to me can take the same
(ish) shot, can even have the same film in the camera as me, but I can assure you the neg and the way they print it will be different from mine...

I enjoy the craft, I enjoy making things, I enjoy looking at monochrome prints made 100 + years ago, I want to leave something of my creativity behind...

Its also why I enjoy working for a company that makes film and paper......

Simon ILFORD photo / HARMAN technology Limited :

esanford · Apr 14, 2008

Guys,

These answers are just what I am looking for. By the way I am inspired by all of the comments. I hope everyone is reading them. These statements demonstrate IMHO the level of creativity on this site. I will be well-prepared for the digital hecklers that are likely to show up at my session... Please keep them coming!!!

Ed Sanford

GeoffHill · Apr 14, 2008

I moved from digital P&S, to dSLR, to 35mm film, and recently to 6x6MF as well. I find that digital image looks exactly like what I see through the viewfinder, but what I capture on film feels like the feeling i get from something I see.

This is especially true in portraiture, where the texture from the grain gives life to the image. In comparison, the digital image seems clinical and lifeless.

I also sit all day at work infront of a computer. I don't want to see images on a screen. I want to hold the print in my hand. I get this from film.

There are some areas where I think digital is more useful than film, but none of the shots that I have, that are important to me, were shot on digital. For this reason, I shoot film 90% of the time, and only 10% digital

sun of sand · Apr 14, 2008

Why do you still shoot film?
For me, I started shooting film because of the quality and low cost -relative-for that quality. I had been using a prosumer fuji for a couple years and was ready to advance to a DSLR when I figured that for the $1500 needed to buy a decent DSLR and lens or two I could buy a good 35mm camera and lens set plus film for MUCH less. I expect film cameras to be more durable. Who knows how long a digital will last? I cannot stand sitting in front of the computer tweaking everything there is to tweak for at times hours. I never printed anything digitally. It seemed fake. Digital images belong on the computer. ?

What is your area of photography (e.g. Fine art, photojournalism, etc...)
I photograph the landscape but wish I could really spend some more time doing candid portraiture
Amateur

Do you do color or B&W? B&W mostly and most of my color is "natural" color

What type of camera (e.g. 4X5, medium format, 35 etc)
35mm for tons of images
Diana cameras in 35mm/120
4x5 for quality and photographic growth

Do you perform any alternative photographic processes (e.g. Platinum/PD etc..)
naw. Lith if you consider that

Do you shoot digital at all? if yes what type of photography
Not so much anymore. I loan the camera out. Maybe some vacation/family type stuff or hiking new areas

Paul Howell · Apr 14, 2008

Why do you still shoot film?

I still think that film gives me the look I want. I work faster with film. It cost me less than digital. I can count on my negatives lasting for at least 75 years. A friend of mine who had been in business in San Franciso for many years just retired to Nevada, his new house caught fire, his computer burned along with his prints, his negatives were stored in a safe deposit box at his bank. He had gone all digital, now he is looking for an enlarger. A co worker cannot longer open 3/4 of his digital files, including his backup files.

What is your area of photography (e.g. Fine art, photojournalism, etc...)

I am a former photojournalist, now I shoot mostly fine art, some commerical such as book covers or travel.

Do you do color or B&W?

80% B&W and 20% color.

What type of camera (e.g. 4X5, medium format, 35 etc)

4X5
6X9
6X6
35mm
35mm 1/2 frame.

Do you perform any alternative photographic processes (e.g. Platinum/PD etc..)

No.

Do you shoot digital at all? if yes what type of photography.

Some commercial

I appreciate any help that I can get from my colleagues here on APUG...

Thanks,

Ed Sanford[/QUOTE]

JBrunner · Apr 14, 2008

I shoot film because it is the medium I choose to work in as an artist. It stands apart on it's own as a methodology, and needs no justification on the part of the artist.

I shoot both commercially and expressive (what some would call art, or Fine Art)

The commercial stuff is 95% color, the expressive is 99% B&W.

I shoot all formats up to and including 8x10.

I print both silver and alt process.

I shoot digi for commercial work when it is the appropriate imaging medium. I never shoot digi for artistic work, as then I am stuck without a printable negative, unless I want to do allot of computer and ink jet work, or print through a hybridl process. Neither satisfies me, nor does either produce acceptable results in B&W for me. (YMMV)

In the end, I just flat out prefer the look and feel of film. For me it's a steak vs hot dog thing.

keithwms · Apr 14, 2008

esanford said:
Why do you still shoot film?

Better tonal differentiation, higher resolution, more access to individual print methods including silver to cyano to alt processes. I am particularly fond of fiber-based semimatte output and the various toning options.

What is your area of photography (e.g. Fine art, photojournalism, etc...)

Landscape, experimental stuff in general. No limits!

Do you do color or B&W?

Everything, but I prefer slide film for colour, b&w for print. Instant films for both, but I particularly like polaroid 665 and 55 for b&w. I still happily use agfa scala.

What type of camera (e.g. 4X5, medium format, 35 etc)

Everything from 35mm (OM1 and Nikons) to 8x10 (cambo). Lately, most of my shots seem to be taken in medium format rangefinders. Some pinhole now and then. I have 15 film cameras, a hlaf dozen of which are out on loan to students- I teach b&w trad. photography in my college alongside my other stuff.

Do you perform any alternative photographic processes (e.g. Platinum/PD etc..)

Yes, just getting into that. Enjoy cyanos, lith, whatever. These prcoessing options are one of the major benefits of traditional photography- individual, handcrafted output, in which the value fo the print derives not only from the photographic vision but also the craftsmanship and individuality of the print.

Do you shoot digital at all? if yes what type of photography.

Yes, I do shoot digitally as well, with a dslr. I also frequently drumscan slides for lightjet output. I engage in various other hybrid practices- traditional output from digital files. I do have a lovely epson and I use it to make digital negs. Can't stand the look of b&w inkjet prints so far, though it does seem to be coming along now with the new baryta paper from Ilford. See hybridphoto for more info on these kinds of things- that's where most hybrid folks post. There and largeformatphotography.

I think you should ask people who their influences are. I think you will find that even now, 2+ decades past the beginning of digital, most photographers still cite traditional established film-shooters as their primary creative influence(s). For example, from my perspective, there has been no decline in the appreciation of the work of Weston and Strand and Adams and Cartier-Bresson etc. The big names are even bigger now than ever, so... frankly I think the art world still hasn't seen where the digital age will take us. So far, from my perspective, the only folks to make it big in digital are sports and commercial shooters. Just my perspective.

Glenn M · Apr 14, 2008

Why do you still shoot film?
As I gear for large prints, quality is better on images... especially over 20". Also, film has more of a "3D" appearance to my eye than digital cameras produce.

What is your area of photography (e.g. Fine art, photojournalism, etc...)
Fine art landscapes and scenics.

Do you do color or B&W?
Mainly color.

What type of camera (e.g. 4X5, medium format, 35 etc)
All the above. 35mm used only for "fast action" where motor-drive or automatic metering needed.

Do you perform any alternative photographic processes (e.g. Platinum/PD etc..)
No.

Do you shoot digital at all? if yes what type of photography.
Minimal use. Only for "snapshots" of family... occasional testing of light.

PHOTOTONE · Apr 14, 2008

I still shoot film professionally because a 4x5 color transparency of a still life product shot in my studio is better than a digital SLR capture of the same image, and my clients prefer it.

I still shoot film for my personal projects because I like the image produced with large format b/w negatives over anything else. 4x5, 5x7 and larger film sizes is what I shoot.

Thomas Bertilsson · Apr 14, 2008

Why do you still shoot film?
I am making a conscious effort to remove myself from the 'instant gratification' that people are becoming so accustomed to. And I love the tangible aspect of creating a photograph. I recently bought a new scanner for film use and I haven't used it much because it is 'BORING'.

What is your area of photography (e.g. Fine art, photojournalism, etc...)

I make some feeble attempts at artistic expression, so I have the liberty of photographing near anything! But I do like abstractions from architecture, the theme of 'transportation the old way', water, and portraiture.

Do you do color or B&W?

Mostly b&w, but some color.

What type of camera (e.g. 4X5, medium format, 35 etc)

35mm, 645, 6x6, 6x7, 4x5, and 5x7

Do you perform any alternative photographic processes (e.g. Platinum/PD etc..)

I would love to print platinum some day, I am currently heavily engaged in lith printing, bromoil is also on the 'shopping list'.

Do you shoot digital at all? if yes what type of photography.

No. Not for the intention of creating art, anyway. Just for things like documentation (at work), or snapshots for online auctions, etc.

- Thomas

DanielOB · Apr 14, 2008

Why do you still shoot film?
because I do not wach TV "commands".

What is your area of photography (e.g. Fine art, photojournalism, etc...)
Studio Portraiture, Documentary

Do you do color or B&W?
B&W

What type of camera (e.g. 4X5, medium format, 35 etc)
35mm, 6x7, 4x5

Do you perform any alternative photographic processes (e.g. Platinum/PD etc..)
Silver only

Do you shoot digital at all? if yes what type of photography.
Yes, internet pictures. It has nothing to do with photography. You watch TV a lot. Get your own brain (difficult stuff).

Daniel OB
www.Leica-R.com

Woolliscroft · Apr 14, 2008

Why do I still use film? See my Dead Link Removed

Area of Photography: Archaeology & aerial

Colour or B&W: Both

Type of Camera: 6x7 & 35mm.

Alternative processes: Occasional pushing, otherwise no.

Do I shoopt digital at all? Once in a while when I really do need the picture right now or as a test for IR work.

David.

Help: Why do you still shoot film?

esanford

arigram

PhotoJim

Neal

TheFlyingCamera

Membership Council

jgcull

pgomena

Vonder

wildbill

snallan

Steve Smith

Paul Verizzo

23mjm

Simon R Galley

esanford

GeoffHill

sun of sand

Paul Howell

JBrunner

Moderator

keithwms

Glenn M

PHOTOTONE

Thomas Bertilsson

DanielOB

Woolliscroft

Help: Why do you still shoot film?

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